Senior Manufacturing Manager (Helios)

Impulse Space; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, vision & dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Impulse Space is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Manager in Redondo Beach, California. The successful candidate will hire, manage, and mentor manufacturing engineers for hardware builds in aerospace. You will oversee activities from fabrication to vehicle checkout. This role contributes to vehicle development while ensuring high technical standards and production efficiency.

Preferred qualifications include significant manufacturing experience and a Master’s degree. The position offers a competitive compensation package including stock options and comprehensive health benefits.

Qualifications

• 3+ years professional experience leading multi-level and multi-discipline teams.
• 8+ years professional experience manufacturing structural aerospace hardware.
• Desire to improve team processes and train other team members.
• Ability to communicate technical challenges and resolve concerns.

Responsibilities

• Hire and mentor manufacturing and integration engineers and technicians.
• Collaborate with design engineers and quality teams to ensure manufacturability.
• Set daily and weekly production targets backed by performance metrics.
• Provide support for the production floor, resolving build issues.
• Develop, document, and optimize manufacturing processes for hardware.

Skills

Leadership

Collaboration

Technical communication

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Job description

Compensation: $190,000 - $230,000 / year

Department: Manufacturing

Location: Redondo Beach

Senior Manufacturing Manager (Helios) Overview

As the Senior Manufacturing Manager (Helios), you will hire, manage, and mentor manufacturing engineers and technicians to support hardware builds for Impulse’s Helios vehicles and tube shop. You will support activities ranging from sheet metal fabrication, welding, drilling, mechanical assembly, propulsion and avionics integration, along with vehicle checkouts. In addition, you will own the entire tubes value stream including bending, flaring, OTW, NDE, and acceptance testing. You will work directly with leaders and individual contributors in other disciplines. This is an opportunity to contribute to all aspects of vehicle development.

Helios is Impulse's high‑energy kick stage designed to take satellites & payloads to GEO for a third of today's current cost.

Responsibilities

• Hire and mentor manufacturing and integration engineers and technicians
• Collaborate with design engineers and quality teams to ensure manufacturability, DFM compliance, and long‑term reliability
• Set daily and weekly production targets, backed by performance metrics
• Provide day‑to‑day support for the production floor, resolving build issues, updating work instructions, and improving yields
• Develop, document, and optimize manufacturing processes for hardware, integration, and checkouts
• Establish and maintain high technical standards through specifications and training
• Collaborate with our Mojave test site, periodically offering technical and bandwidth support

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• 3+ years professional experience leading multi‑level and multi‑discipline teams
• 8+ years professional experience manufacturing structural aerospace hardware
• Desire to improve team processes and train other team members
• Ability to communicate technical challenges, explain rationale and/or resolve concerns

Preferred Skills and Experience

• 12+ years professional experience manufacturing structural aerospace hardware
• Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field
• Technical expertise in pressurized structure applications (welding, pressure sealing, penetrations, cryogenic temperatures)
• Technical expertise in avionics and propulsion integration and checkouts
• Technical expertise in tubes manufacturing (alloy selection, design for manufacturing, bending, flaring, welding, NDE, pressure testing)
• Experience managing both exempt and non‑exempt employees
• Experience manufacturing for space environments beyond LEO
• Experience in a startup or agile development environment

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on job‑related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full‑time hires you may also be eligible for long‑term incentives in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as a 401(k) retirement plan.

Legal and Export Compliance

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

EEO Statement

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.