Lead Manufacturing Engineer

Loft Orbital is looking for a Manufacturing Engineering Lead to help scale the way we build spacecraft.

• 8+ years of professional experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related discipline within aerospace, spacecraft, or another complex high-reliability hardware environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership or mentorship while remaining a hands-on individual contributor within a manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong hands-on understanding of complex hardware manufacturing and assembly processes, including electronics assembly, hand soldering, harness fabrication, mechanical assembly, bonding/polymerics, and/or precision hardware integration.
• Ability to read, interpret, and provide feedback on engineering documentation including mechanical drawings, GD&T, electrical schematics, CAD models, wire lists, BOMs, and engineering specifications.
• Experience personally developing and maintaining manufacturing process plans, assembly instructions, routings, BOMs, and production documentation under configuration control.
• Experience working within ERP/MRP/MES systems and understanding the relationship between EBOMs, MBOMs/PBOMs, routings, work orders, inventory, and production execution.
• Demonstrated experience solving complex production problems through structured root cause analysis and corrective action.
• Strong understanding of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles, with demonstrated experience improving manufacturing quality, efficiency, or throughput.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills with the ability to work effectively across Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production teams.
• Willingness and ability to work on-site in Golden, Colorado , including significant hands-on support directly on the production floor.
• Previous experience manufacturing, assembling, integrating, or testing spacecraft or other spaceflight hardware.
• Previous hands-on experience as an aerospace or spacecraft technician.
• Experience with aerospace manufacturing and workmanship standards such as AS9100, IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620, J-STD-001, NASA standards, and/or ECSS .
• Current or previous IPC workmanship certifications.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Experience designing manufacturing tooling, fixtures, production layouts, or assembly aids.
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations from low-volume development builds toward higher-rate production.
• Experience implementing or improving ERP, MRP, or MES systems and manufacturing data structures.
• Experience with manufacturing automation, data analysis, or scripting tools such as Python.
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
• Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
• 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
• Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
• 401(k) plan and equity options
• Daily catered lunches and snacks
• International exposure to our team in France
• Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for primary caregiver and 10 weeks for secondary caregiver
• Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
• Off-sites and many social events and celebrations