Director of Manufacturing

ABOUT US:

Astro Mechanica is a vertically integrated aerospace company developing a scalable technology platform to power critical infrastructure, mission operations, and the future of flight. We apply aerospace engineering and quality standards across our products, delivering high performance, reliability, and efficiency for the most demanding operating environments. Astro Mechanica is backed by leading venture and strategic investors, including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Giant Step Capital, United Airlines Ventures, and Voyager Ventures.

WHO WE ARE:

We're a team of passionate engineers dedicated to advancing aerospace. We're generalists with specialist depth, united by a flat structure and a shared obsession with building things that work well. We move fast, stay pragmatic, and let engineering excellence speak louder than hierarchy.

WHO YOU ARE:

You are a builder at heart-someone who thrives at the intersection of advanced manufacturing, prototyping, and leadership. You've spent years working in high-mix, low-volume environments, where speed, precision, and adaptability are equally critical. You are hands-on with machines and tools, but equally skilled at building teams, processes, and shops that scale. You get energy from solving hard problems, bringing order to complexity, and enabling others to do their best work. You're motivated by the idea of building something that has never been built before, and you're excited to help shape the future of aerospace from the ground up.

You may have started your career as a design or structures engineer, or grown into manufacturing leadership through hands-on technical work-but either way, you are fluent in both worlds. You are comfortable engaging deeply with engineering while grounding decisions in what it actually takes to build, test, and iterate hardware.

You're able to take a company-wide view of cost and schedule, working closely with engineering and senior leadership to think creatively about tradeoffs, unblock execution, and keep prototyping moving forward. You're motivated by the idea of building something that has never been built before, and you're excited to help shape the future of aerospace from the ground up.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Lead the manufacturing function at Astro Mechanica, building the people, processes, and capabilities required to rapidly prototype and mature both airframe and propulsion hardware.
• Own manufacturing strategy across the vehicle, ensuring alignment between design intent, manufacturability, cost, and schedule from early concepts through flight hardware.
• Partner closely with airframe, propulsion, and systems engineering to drive build-aware design decisions, providing clear pushback when proposed solutions create unnecessary complexity, risk, or cost.
• Maintain high-level technical fluency across precision machining, fabrication, and propulsion assembly, as well as composites, bonded structures, and airframe integration, enabling informed trade studies and execution decisions.
• Establish and scale in-house manufacturing capabilities-including machine shop, composites, tooling, and assembly-appropriate for high-mix, low-volume aerospace development.
• Translate company-level priorities into actionable manufacturing plans, balancing speed, iteration, and long-term scalability.
• Drive cross-functional planning and execution, aligning engineering, test, supply chain, and leadership around build readiness and resource allocation.
• Build and lead a multidisciplinary manufacturing team, setting a high bar for technical excellence, ownership, and accountability.
• Develop lightweight but robust processes for quality, traceability, and configuration control that support rapid iteration without slowing progress.
• Provide leadership with clear visibility into manufacturing risks, costs, and schedules, helping guide tradeoffs and investment decisions as the company grows.
• Develop robust processes for quality, traceability, and throughput without compromising the speed and flexibility required in early-stage prototyping.
• Serve as the company's technical authority on build strategy, ensuring Astro Mechanica stays ahead in manufacturing capabilities as we evolve our propulsion systems and aircraft.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

• 10+ years of experience in aerospace or similarly complex hardware-driven environments, spanning manufacturing, engineering, or technical leadership roles.
• High-level knowledge of both:
• precision machining, fabrication, and propulsion or high-performance mechanical systems, and
• airframe structures, composites, or large integrated assemblies.
• Depth in one domain with credible fluency across the other is expected.
• Background as a strong design engineer, manufacturing engineer, or hands-on builder who has grown into broader operational ownership.
• Demonstrated ability to engage deeply with engineering teams and challenge design decisions constructively using manufacturability, cost, and schedule as core inputs.
• Experience owning or heavily influencing cost and schedule across programs, not just within a single functional silo.
• Proven leadership in building teams, shops, or capabilities in high-mix, low-volume environments.
• Strong judgment and comfort operating in ambiguity, making pragmatic decisions that keep development moving forward.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to align engineers, operators, and leadership around shared priorities.

PERKS AND BENEFITS:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, including Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) program and transparent stock option plan
• Self-managed and flexible time-off policy, including PTO, paid holidays, and sick time
• Flexible work environment

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

At Astro Mechanica, we highly value in-office work to foster collaboration and strengthen our company culture. We consider working in the office five days a week an essential part of the employee's role.

Astro Mechanica is an equal opportunity employer. We proudly recruit and hire a diverse workforce and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.