Senior Spacecraft Manufacturing Engineer — Lead Production

L'Garde, Inc.; Tustin (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Top-tier benefits

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Health insurance

Job summary

L·Garde, a full-service aerospace design, development, manufacturing, and qualification test supplier, is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer in Tustin, CA. You will lead transitions of lightweight deployable spacecraft structures from qualification through LRIP to Full Rate Production, developing processes, tools, and documentation, while mentoring technicians and engineers on the shop floor.

This hands-on leadership role requires CAD work, DFMA collaboration, lean six sigma, and the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering from an accredited four-year university.
• 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace or space hardware environments.
• Experience with spaceflight hardware or spacecraft-related systems.
• Experience taking manufacturing activities from early development through pilot production and First Article.
• Strong SolidWorks skills for tooling and fixture design.
• Ability to obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance (US Citizenship).

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing engineering activities from concept through prototype, qualification, First Article, LRIP, and production scale-up.
• Develop manufacturing processes for lightweight deployable spacecraft payload structures, including composite hand lay-up and electro-mechanical assemblies.
• Translate engineering drawings, models, BOMs, GD&T, specifications, and requirements into practical manufacturing processes.
• Develop and maintain Manufacturing Work Instructions (MWIs), assembly instructions, routings, and travelers for AS9100D-controlled production.
• Design tooling, fixtures, jigs, assembly aids, and inspection aids using SolidWorks.
• Use 3D printing, 80/20 aluminum extrusion, and rapid-prototyping techniques to develop practical manufacturing solutions.
• Work directly with technicians on the manufacturing floor to troubleshoot problems, improve processes, and make designs more manufacturable.
• Partner with Design Engineering on Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA).
• Lead manufacturing readiness activities and pilot production runs.
• Support First Article builds, qualification hardware, configuration control, nonconformance resolution, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles to improve quality, yield, throughput, repeatability, and efficiency.
• Develop scalable manufacturing processes, work cells, tooling strategies, material flow, and capacity plans as programs move toward LRIP and full-rate production.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and manufacturing personnel.
• Participate in MRB activities and provide manufacturing engineering input on nonconformances and corrective actions.
• Support technical discussions with suppliers, customers, and cross-functional teams, including design reviews and technical interchange meetings.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering

Aerospace hardware

Process improvement

Lean Six Sigma

Problem solving

Communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

AS9100D

3D printing

Job description

L·Garde, a full-service aerospace design, development, manufacturing, and qualification test supplier, is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Engineer in Tustin, CA. You will lead transitions of lightweight deployable spacecraft structures from qualification through LRIP to Full Rate Production, developing processes, tools, and documentation, while mentoring technicians and engineers on the shop floor.

This hands-on leadership role requires CAD work, DFMA collaboration, lean six sigma, and the