Manufacturing Engineer, Principal

Manufacturing Engineer, Principal

Broomfield, CO · on-site · up to 50% travel to Watkins, CO·Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

THE MISSION

Astra Core-X (ACX) is developing affordable and capable combined ramjet/rocket missile interceptors for the defense of the United States and our allies. We're rapidly bringing this capability to market by pairing the latest manufacturing processes and technology with solid financial backing and the guidance of world-class industry experts and research institutions.

Over the past year ACX has grown from a founding team into a roughly 40-person organization standing up its own missile interceptor production capability end to end — propellant mixing and casting, rocket component manufacturing, and full vehicle integration and test — out of Broomfield, Colorado and a production/test site in Chugwater, Wyoming. We're mid-build on a production facility, targeting a working pilot line within the next year and AS9100 and ATF compliance along the way. That means the systems, tooling, and processes this team builds now are the ones the company will run on for years to come.

Our work exists to make American service members and allied forces safer. We're glad to have teammates who've carried that mission in uniform, and we welcome veterans and transitioning service members to apply.

THE ROLE

ACX needs someone to own the space where our missile interceptor prototypes get built, broken, fixed, and built again. You'll stand up and run the prototyping laboratory, lead prototype builds end to end, and be the manufacturing engineering authority as designs move from CAD to hardware to the test stand — and eventually toward our pilot line in Watkins. This is a hands-on leadership role: you'll be in the lab as often as you're in a design review.

We're deliberately small and deliberately fast: engineers here use modern AI-assisted design, simulation, and data-analysis tools every day to compress design-build-test cycles that take primes years down to months, and we invest in whatever tooling — AI or otherwise — gets hardware into test faster.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own layout, build-out, and utilization of the prototype build and test laboratory — equipment, space, and workflow.
• Lead and coordinate prototype builds and support development tests both on-site and at our test site in Wyoming.
• Drive manufacturing engineering for missile interceptor components and full vehicles, from concept through first article.
• Run trade studies on fabrication, test, and lab equipment and make the buy/build call.
• Lead prototyping and manufacturing process development, and start building the processes that will carry the design into the pilot line.
• Mentor and set technical direction for manufacturing engineers as the team grows.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• BS in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering or related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience in a hardware manufacturing environment, ideally aerospace or defense.
• Working proficiency in SolidWorks CAD.
• Comfortable operating fabrication equipment yourself —Hand tools, lathe, mill, 3D printer, and similar.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to run a design review and a shop-floor conversation equally well.
• This role requires access to export-controlled technical data and hardware. Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

NICE TO HAVE

• MS in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 12+ years building and testing aerospace or missile system hardware.
• Proficient in mixing, machining, 3D printing, and welding.
• Active U.S. government security clearance.
• Experience standing up a lab, cell, or production line from scratch.
• Comfortable using AI-assisted design or simulation tools to speed up iteration.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The annual base pay range for this role is $145,000 – $170,000, based on experience and scope.

Full-time employees are eligible for company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan, and paid time off.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Astra Core-X is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all applicants on their merits and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. Many ACX positions require access to export-controlled technical data; where this posting states a citizenship requirement, it reflects that legal restriction and does not otherwise limit our commitment to equal opportunity in hiring.

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