Space Manufacturing Architect & Scale Leader

Parallax Space, Inc.; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Parallax Space, Inc. is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Engineer to architect, implement, and scale manufacturing capabilities across satellite systems, subsystems, and critical space components.

This role leads the production architecture, manufacturing engineering organization, factory infrastructure, and disciplined processes required to move from early builds to sustained rate production. The ideal candidate has built manufacturing operations and can translate designs into repeatable

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, Aerospace Engineering or related field.
• 12+ years of progressive manufacturing engineering or complex-hardware production experience.
• Proven record building and scaling manufacturing processes, production systems, and operating infrastructure.
• Experience designing cells, layouts, workflows, capacity models, and production ramp plans.
• Strong command of lean manufacturing, DFMA, manufacturing quality, configuration control, and process engineering.
• Working experience with MES, ERP/MRP, PLM, or equivalent digital production systems.
• Demonstrated technical leadership, team building, cross‑functional influence, and hands‑on problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Develop manufacturing strategy and production ramp plans.
• Architect work cells, assembly lines, factory layouts, production flows, and repeatable operating concepts.
• Model takt time, cycle time, throughput, work-in-process, capacity, staffing, and capital equipment needs.
• Introduce lean manufacturing and industrial-engineering methods to transition from low-volume builds to standardized production.
• Define manufacturing maturity milestones and production readiness criteria across programs.
• Establish documented, controlled manufacturing processes, work instructions, routings, travelers, inspection gates, and training standards.
• Lead implementation and integration of MES, ERP/MRP, PLM, digital work instructions, and production data systems.
• Implement serialized traceability, material control, configuration management, and complete as-built records.
• Develop process qualification and verification approaches; deploy error-proofing and controls to reduce variability and rework.
• Create operational dashboards for real-time visibility into status, yield, throughput, and bottlenecks.
• Design and balance production cells against takt and demand; establish labor standards and measurable cycle times.
• Plan and execute production ramps, capacity expansions, and constraint-removal initiatives.
• Improve first-pass yield, schedule attainment, recurring labor hours, inventory flow, and cost per unit.
• Deploy root cause analysis, PFMEA, corrective actions, process capability analysis, and statistical controls where appropriate.
• Maintain a data-driven improvement roadmap spanning labor, quality, equipment utilization, and production throughput.
• Specify, procure, commission, and qualify production equipment, assembly fixtures, tooling, and ground support equipment.
• Develop facility and cell requirements for cleanroom operations, ESD, contamination control, FOD prevention, and calibrated equipment.
• Partner with integration and test engineering to optimize build, functional test, and environmental test flow.
• Evaluate automation and capital investments using sound economic and production-rate trade studies.
• Develop factory standards and modular systems that can be replicated across programs, products, and sites.
• Build and mentor a high-performing manufacturing engineering organization, including staffing and competency plans.
• Define responsibilities and interfaces with production, product engineering, quality, supply chain, and integration and test.
• Act as senior technical authority on manufacturing methods, producibility, process controls, and rate readiness.
• Lead cross-functional problem solving, technical reviews, personnel development, and recruiting.
• Cultivate hands‑on execution, accountability, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with design teams early to drive DFMA, commonality, assembly simplicity, and manufacturable architectures.
• Plan the transition from prototypes and engineering models through qualification to recurring flight production.
• Develop MBOMs, production routings, process specifications, tooling plans, make/buy inputs, and labor estimates.
• Manage manufacturing impacts of engineering changes and production configuration baselines.
• Identify manufacturing risks and drive practical mitigations before rate production.
• Build quality into the process rather than depending on downstream inspection.
• Implement AS9100-aligned practices and relevant customer, NASA, and IPC workmanship requirements.
• Partner with quality engineering on control plans, acceptance criteria, nonconformance disposition, and corrective actions.
• Drive measurable improvements in product consistency, process repeatability, first-pass yield, and escapes.

Skills

Lean manufacturing

DFMA

Process engineering

Team leadership

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, Aerospace Engineering

Tools

MES

ERP/MRP

PLM

Job description

Parallax Space, Inc. is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Engineer to architect, implement, and scale manufacturing capabilities across satellite systems, subsystems, and critical space components.

This role leads the production architecture, manufacturing engineering organization, factory infrastructure, and disciplined processes required to move from early builds to sustained rate production. The ideal candidate has built manufacturing operations and can translate designs into repeatable