Sr. Manufacturing Engineer - Aircraft Operations

Reliable Robotics; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 167,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Reliable Robotics in California is seeking a Sr. Manufacturing Engineer to develop and improve manufacturing processes. This role involves hands-on installation and maintenance and contributes to designing future aviation systems.

Successful candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in an engineering field and extensive experience in aircraft design and production. The position offers a competitive salary range of $167K - $230K, a dynamic work environment, and opportunities for travel.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of aircraft design, manufacturing, inspection, and/or testing experience.
• 2+ years of experience leading complex projects in aerospace, autonomy, or robotics.
• Holder of an FAA-accredited Airframe & Powerplant Certificate preferred.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for installation, inspection, maintenance, and repair of aerospace assemblies.
• Conduct design for excellence reviews to ensure product compliance.
• Collaborate with design and certification teams for manufacturability.

Skills

Leadership in aerospace projects

Mechanical systems knowledge

Inspection and maintenance proficiency

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) experience

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, aerospace, or systems engineering

Tools

Altium

NX

Teamcenter

Job description

We're building safety-enhancing technology for aviation that will save lives. Automated aviation systems will enable a future where air transportation is safer, more convenient and fundamentally transformative to the way goods - and eventually people - move around the planet. We are a team of mission-driven engineers with experience across aerospace, robotics and self-driving cars working to make this future a reality.

As a Sr. Manufacturing Engineer at Reliable Robotics, you'll play a critical role in developing and continuously improving our manufacturing, installation, and maintenance processes to meet design, regulatory, and business requirements (including safety, quality, cost, and on-time delivery). This is a growing team of highly motivated people who are passionate about delivering quality products and services on time, with unquestionable value. You will be responsible for our automation system's installation and maintenance, including hands‑on installations, procedure development, documentation, conducting design for excellence (DFx) reviews, and developing the processes and infrastructure to help the business scale. The projects you work on will set the foundation for how the business operates for years to come. This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a safety-critical environment that takes our products from prototype to production, in a hands‑on environment.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for installation, inspection, maintenance, repair, modification, testing, and fabrication of the Reliable‑designed mechanical, electromechanical, and electrical/avionics assemblies, harnessing, interconnects, and other commercial‑off‑the‑shelf (COTS) products
• Conduct design for excellence (DFx) reviews to evaluate designs for cost, producibility, inspectability, consistency, adequacy, accuracy, and conformance to requirements
• Collaborate with design, quality, and certification teams to embed manufacturability, compliance, and risk mitigation in all phases of product development (e.g., prototype, R&D, certification, and production)
• Develop and ensure compliance with all policies, procedures, quality management system, technical bulletins, engineering orders, service bulletins, and airworthiness directives
• Develop processes to ensure accurate, current, and complete documentation (installation and inspection records, logbook entries, etc.) is utilized and maintained
• Lead root‑cause analysis and implement timely corrective actions to maintain schedule, quality, and reliability
• Ensure an adequate supply of tools, serviceable parts, components, and consumables necessary for aircraft servicing and maintenance is maintained
• Oversee routine/non‑routine aircraft installations, inspections, and maintenance to ensure aircraft safety and availability across multiple airframes

Basic Success Criteria

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, aerospace, systems engineering, or 7+ years of relevant experience leading aircraft maintenance/modification operations
• 7+ years of aircraft design, manufacturing, inspection, and/or testing experience
• 2+ years of experience leading complex projects or programs in aerospace, autonomy, or robotics
• 2+ years of experience with computer‑aided design (CAD) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software, such as Altium, NX, and Teamcenter

Preferred Criteria

• Holder of an FAA-accredited Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Certificate
• Prototype/R&D development or New Product Introduction (NPI) experience
• Experience with industry or regulatory requirements such as AS9100, CFR 14 CFR 21.137, and/or 14 CFR Part 145
• Knowledge of highly complex medium to heavy turbine‑powered aircraft, their powerplants, flight and stabilization controls, pneumatic, fuel systems, electronic engine, hydraulic, and navigation systems
• Maintenance and rigging experience on P&W PT6A Engines/Airframes
• Previous leadership or management experience

Our team is passionate about delivering on our commitments, solving hard problems, continuously improving, and helping the business succeed. We are constantly reevaluating our technologies, products, and capabilities. If you are a lifelong learner, you will love this environment. Get in on the ground floor and help us build the company.

The location for this position will be split between at our facility in San Martin, California (50%) and our HQ in Mountain View, CA (50%).

Must be willing to travel 10% of the time.

This position requires access to information that is subject to U.S. export controls. An offer of employment will be contingent upon the applicant's capacity to perform in compliance with U.S. export control laws.

All applicants are asked to provide documentation that legally establishes status as a U.S. person or non‑U.S. person (and nationalities in the case of a non‑U.S. person). Where the applicant is not a U.S. person, meaning not a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident, (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. * 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. * 1158, or not otherwise permitted to access the export‑controlled technology without U.S. government authorization, the Company reserves the right not to apply for an export license for such applicants whose access to export‑controlled technology or software source code requires authorization and may decline to proceed with the application process and any offer of employment on that basis.

At Reliable Robotics, our goal is to be a diverse and inclusive workforce. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, ancestry, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, non‑disqualifying physical or mental disability or medical conditions, national origin, military or veteran status, genetic information, marital status, or any other basis covered by applicable law. All employment and promotion is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre‑employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to

Compensation Range: $167K - $230K