Senior Manufacturing Design Engineer

Skydio, Inc.; Hayward, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 219,000; Full time

Job summary

Skydio, Inc. in Hayward, CA is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Design Engineer to bridge product development and high-volume production for unmanned aircraft systems.

The role drives new product introduction, process development, and scale-up on the factory floor. You will lead cross-functional efforts with Design, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Test, translate forecasts to capacity, and implement robust, safe, and cost-effective manufacturing processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, mechanical, industrial, electrical engineering, mechatronics, or related field.
• 3+ years in manufacturing engineering, process development, NPI, or production engineering.
• Experience transitioning electromechanical products to production.
• Working knowledge of DFM, process validation, tooling, and manufacturing docs.
• Structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis experience.
• Ability to read drawings, specs, BOMs, and GD&T.
• Experience analyzing manufacturing data to improve yield/cycle time/cost.
• Strong written and verbal communication; floor-work willingness.
• FAA Part 107 certification encouraged within 60 days.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing activities for new drone products from prototype to production launch.
• Develop manufacturing plans, flows, layouts, tooling strategies, readiness requirements.
• Provide manufacturing feedback from design reviews for FDM, assembly, test, serviceability.
• Coordinate prototype, validation, and production builds.
• Identify risks and drive mitigation to closure.
• Establish production-readiness criteria and lead readiness reviews.
• Develop processes for mechanical assembly, electronics integration, bonding, soldering, calibration, testing.
• Define critical process parameters and characteristics impacting safety/performance.
• Create process specs, work instructions, control plans, and BOMs.
• Design tooling, fixtures, and semi-automated equipment.
• Run process capability and gauge R&R studies; equipment qualification.
• Use statistics to set robust operating windows.
• Translate forecasts into labor, equipment, and space needs.
• Perform time studies, line balancing, capacity modeling.
• Improve flow, ergonomics, and operator utilization.
• Develop scalable processes for increasing production volume.
• Identify automation opportunities based on ROI and safety.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Process development

New product introduction

Production engineering

Design for manufacturing

Root-cause analysis

Data analysis

Communication skills

FAA Part 107 certification

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field

Tools

CAD

Tolerance analysis

Statistical analysis

Manufacturing simulation tools

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Design for Six Sigma

MES tools

ERP tools

PLM tools

Job description

Hayward, California, United States- Full-time

About the Role:

The Senior Manufacturing Design Engineer is responsible for developing, validating, and scaling the manufacturing processes used to build advanced unmanned aircraft systems. This role bridges product development and production, ensuring new drone designs can be manufactured safely, reliably, and at the required cost, quality, and production rate.

The engineer will work cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, and Production to transition products from prototype builds through production launch and sustained high-volume manufacturing.

How You’ll Make an Impact:

New Product Introduction

Lead manufacturing activities for new drone products and major design changes from prototype through production launch.

Develop manufacturing plans, process flows, workstation layouts, tooling strategies, and production-readiness requirements.

Participate in design reviews and provide actionable design-for-manufacturing, assembly, test, automation, and serviceability feedback.

Coordinate prototype, engineering-validation, design-validation, and production-validation builds.

Identify manufacturing risks early and drive mitigation plans to closure.

Establish production-readiness criteria and support formal manufacturing readiness reviews.

Manufacturing Process Development

Develop and validate manufacturing processes for mechanical assembly, electronics integration, adhesive bonding, fastening, soldering, calibration, software loading, functional testing, and final product acceptance.

Define critical process parameters and product characteristics that affect safety, performance, reliability, and regulatory compliance.

Create process specifications, work instructions, standard work, control plans, inspection requirements, and manufacturing bills of material.

Design or specify production tooling, fixtures, error‑proofing devices, and semi‑automated equipment.

Conduct process capability studies, gauge repeatability and reproducibility studies, and equipment qualification.

Use statistical methods and structured experimentation to establish robust operating windows.

Production Scaling and Optimization

Translate production forecasts into labor, equipment, tooling, floor‑space, and capacity requirements.

Perform time studies, line balancing, capacity modeling, and bottleneck analysis.

Improve production flow, ergonomics, material presentation, and operator utilization.

Develop scalable processes that support increasing production volumes without compromising quality or safety.

Identify and implement opportunities for automation based on safety, quality, capacity, technical feasibility, and return on investment.

Support factory layout development and production‑line commissioning.

Quality and Continuous Improvement

Lead root‑cause investigations for manufacturing defects, test failures, yield losses, and reliability issues.

Implement corrective and preventive actions using tools such as 5 Whys, fishbone analysis, fault‑tree analysis, and 8D.

Develop and improve manufacturing metrics, including first‑pass yield, cycle time, throughput, scrap, rework, downtime, and overall equipment effectiveness.

Partner with Quality Engineering to develop process failure mode and effects analyses, control plans, inspection methods, and acceptance criteria.

Reduce process variation and improve capability using Lean and Six Sigma methods.

Support configuration control, nonconformance disposition, and engineering change implementation.

Cross‑Functional and Supplier Support

Partner with design teams on airframes, propulsion systems, avionics, cameras, sensors, batteries, gimbals, payloads, and communications hardware.

Collaborate with Test Engineering to develop efficient functional, calibration, and end‑of‑line testing strategies.

Work with Supply Chain and suppliers to improve component manufacturability, quality, capacity, and production readiness.

Support make‑versus‑buy evaluations and equipment or capital‑expenditure business cases.

Train technicians, production leads, and operators on new processes, equipment, and work instructions.

Provide hands‑on support during pilot builds, production ramps, and critical manufacturing issues.

What Makes You a Good Fit:

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field.

Three or more years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process development, new product introduction, or production engineering.

Experience transitioning complex electromechanical products from development into production.

Working knowledge of design for manufacturing and assembly, process validation, production tooling, and manufacturing documentation.

Experience with structured problem‑solving, root‑cause analysis, and corrective‑action methods.

Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, bills of material, and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing.

Experience analyzing manufacturing data and using it to improve yield, cycle time, cost, or process capability.

Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced environment with evolving products and production requirements.

Willingness to work directly on the manufacturing floor and support time‑sensitive production builds.

Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience manufacturing drones, aerospace products, robotics, autonomous systems, consumer electronics, or other complex electromechanical assemblies.

Knowledge of aerospace quality systems, including AS9100, first‑article inspection, configuration management, and production traceability.

Experience with printed circuit board assemblies, cameras, optical systems, gimbals, inertial sensors, electric motors, batteries, composite structures, or precision mechanical assemblies.

Experience developing adhesive‑bonding, torque‑controlled fastening, soldering, calibration, or environmentally controlled processes.

Familiarity with production databases, manufacturing execution systems, enterprise resource planning systems, and product lifecycle management tools.

Experience with CAD, tolerance analysis, statistical analysis, and manufacturing simulation tools.

Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Design for Six Sigma training.

Experience specifying, purchasing, commissioning, or validating automated manufacturing equipment.

Familiarity with regulated defense or export‑controlled manufacturing environments.

Compensation: At Skydio, our compensation packages for regular, full‑time employees include competitive base salaries, equity in the form of stock options, and comprehensive benefits packages. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience. Relocation assistance may also be provided for eligible roles. The annual base salary range for this position is $145,000 - $219,000*. Fundamentally, we believe that equity is the key to long‑term financial growth, and we ensure all regular, full‑time employees have the opportunity to significantly benefit from the company's success. Regular, full‑time employees are eligible to enroll in the Company’s group health insurance plans. Regular, full‑time employees are eligible to receive the following benefits: Paid vacation time, sick leave, holiday pay and 401K savings plan. This position and all associated benefits are subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as the Company’s policies and eligibility criteria.

*Compensation for certain positions may vary based on the position’s location.

At Skydio we believe that diversity drives innovation. We have created a multidisciplinary environment that embraces the power of diverse perspectives to create elegant solutions for complex problems. We are committed to growing our network of people, programs, and resources to nurture an inclusive culture.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local anti‑discrimination laws.

Skydio provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, disability, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Skydio is a federal contractor or subcontractor subject to certain governmental recordkeeping and reporting requirements for the administration of civil rights laws and regulations. Employment decisions are made on the basis of job‑related criteria without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, genetic information, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

For positions located in the United States of America, Skydio, Inc. uses E‑Verify to confirm employment eligibility. To learn more about E‑Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/