Senior Structures Manufacturing Engineer; inlet

Senior Structures Manufacturing Engineer (inlet)

Set up and optimize the shop layout and tooling for large aerospace sheet metal structural assembly

Location:

Los Angeles
Compensation: $146, USD / year
Job Tags:
Hardware

Hermeus is an aerospace and defense technology company founded to radically accelerate air travel by delivering hypersonic aircraft. The company aims to develop hypersonic aircraft quickly and cost‑effectively by integrating hardware‑rich, iterative development with modern computing and autonomy. This approach has been validated through design, build, and test of the company's first combined turbojet‑ramjet engine and is now being scaled through its first flight vehicle program, Quarter Horse.

Hermeus is also developing Darkhorse — an uncrewed hypersonic aircraft designed to deliver unique asymmetric capabilities to the warfighter.

The Engines team is responsible for the engine development efforts that will propel all of Hermeus' hypersonic vehicles. The primary focus now is on the development of Chimera, which will provide the necessary thrust for Quarter Horse to take flight in the near future.

As our Senior Structures Manufacturing Engineer, you'll play a pivotal role in developing and scaling the production of our structural systems. You'll work closely with design, test, and build teams to take parts from CAD to flight. You'll be directly involved in shop setup, tooling, and hands‑on problem solving.

Through multi‑disciplinary efforts to develop air‑breathing engines that facilitate ground take‑off and flight at supersonic and hypersonic speeds, we are addressing challenges that very few engineers have the opportunity to solve and doing so at a strategic and rapid pace. It is an exciting time to join the team as we dive into the design of the first flight engines. Work and learn with motivated and passionate individuals.

Let’s make some fire!

• Develop, validate, and implement manufacturing processes for complex sheet metal structures, with a focus on forming and large mechanical assembly.
• Drive welding processes (laser or TIG) for structural components, particularly with titanium and aerospace alloys.
• Serve as a lead engineer on early structural builds, helping to shape the tools, processes, and team culture.
• Support tooling and fixture design for forming, welding, and assembly operations.
• Lead or contribute to the build‑out of our in‑house manufacturing and assembly shop, including equipment selection and layout.
• Collaborate with design engineering to ensure manufacturability and efficiency of flight hardware.
• Support assembly and test readiness, contributing to hardware validation and integration planning.
• Mentor technicians and junior engineers as the team grows.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering or a technical discipline
• 5+ years of experience in aviation or aerospace manufacturing environment
• Strong communication skills and ability to read and provide feedback on technical documents
• Ability to work overtime and weekends as needed
• Deep experience with sheet metal forming (hydro forming, brake forming, stretch forming, etc.).
• Proven expertise in welding processes, especially for titanium or other difficult‑to‑join materials.
• Experience with large mechanical assemblies (airframes, pressure vessels, tanks, etc.).
• Familiarity with shop setup, including layout, safety, and equipment sourcing.
• Comfortable in a fast‑paced, ambiguous, startup‑like environment.
• Strong hands‑on build mindset — you're as comfortable in the shop as at your desk.
• Bonus: exposure to structural test setups, fixturing, or load testing.

• Experience in a startup development environment
• Experience working in a flight development program
• Experience working…