Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Title: Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Company: Heven AeroTech

Location: Winchester, VA

FLSA: Exempt

About Our Company

At Heven AeroTech (Heven), we don’t just believe in the power of people—we build our success on it. As a recognized leader in hydrogen-powered drones, we’ve earned recognition for creating a workplace where innovation thrives, collaboration is second nature, and every employee feels valued. Our culture is anchored in trust and a shared commitment to excellence.

We believe great teams are built on individuals who are humble, hungry, and smart —those who put team success first, take initiative to continuously improve, and demonstrate strong interpersonal awareness. At Heven, your voice matters, your ideas are heard, and your contributions make a tangible impact as you grow through hands‑on experience and collaboration across the team.

Role Summary

The Senior Manufacturing Engineer plays a critical role in bridging the gap between design engineering and production operations. This position is responsible for ensuring that new product designs are effectively transitioned into the manufacturing environment with a focus on manufacturability, cost efficiency, quality, and scalability. The Senior Manufacturing Engineer will evaluate product designs, optimize assembly processes, develop detailed work instructions, and provide hands‑on support and training to production teams. This role requires strong technical expertise, excellent communication skills, and a continuous improvement mindset.

This is a highly experienced engineering role embedded within the Operations team, with deep expertise in assembly processes, process optimization, and New-Product Introduction (NPI).

The Senior Manufacturing Engineer brings a strong understanding of lean methods, CAD/ERP workflows, and production system requirements, and leads scoped NPI projects and subsystem readiness across the product lifecycle. The role supports engineering excellence through hands‑on problem‑solving, cross‑functional collaboration, and peer mentorship, while delivering high quality documentation, tooling plans, and on‑the‑floor support to ensure build success.

• New Product Introduction (NPI): Act as the liaison between engineering and production to integrate new designs into manufacturing. Support early‑stage builds by physically assembling parts to validate design intent and process feasibility. In addition, supporting the NPI through to the flight testing group to validate the NPI project.
• Hands‑On Assembly & Design Feedback: Build prototypes and initial production units to learn optimal assembly sequences, tooling, jigs, and fixture needs. Provide clear, actionable feedback to design engineers to improve manufacturability and ease of assembly.
• Work Instructions and Documentation: Create and maintain detailed, step‑by‑step assembly instructions and related documentation using tools such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Experience working directly with technical writers to transition work instructions into forms that ensure process traceability by recording work performed in travelers, logs, or digital systems a plus. May mentor others in best practices for documentation quality and version control.
• Process Development and Optimization: Design and refine manufacturing processes and assembly flows. Implement lean principles to reduce waste and improve efficiency. Determine tooling and fixture requirements, and work with internal or external partners to develop or procure them. Lead scoped process improvement projects across subsystems or platforms.
• Work Instructions and Documentation: Create and maintain detailed, step‑by‑step assembly instructions and related documentation using tools such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Experience working directly with technical writers to transition initial work instructions into XML‑based documentation system to ensure traceability; experience with travelers, logs, or digital systems a plus. May mentor production staff in best practices for documentation quality and version control.
• Training and Support: Train assembly leads and technicians on new products, processes, and equipment. Troubleshoot production issues and act as a hands‑on technical resource on the shop floor. Good interpersonal skills are highly desired in this role to act as a peer mentor to both technicians and junior engineers.
• Quality and Continuous Improvement: Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to resolve quality issues and nonconformances. Drive continuous improvement initiatives using methodologies such as Six Sigma, 5S, and PFMEA. Champion structured root‑cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Ensure Compliance and Safety: Ensure that all manufacturing activities comply with safety standards, company policies, and regulatory requirements. Support the development of safe work procedures and tooling evaluations.
• Tooling and Jig design involving CAD Designs (Solidworks) and development to support manufacturing as needed
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Experience

Required:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field. (or a demonstrated equivalence)
• Experience: 7+ years of experience in a manufacturing engineering role, preferably in a high mix, low‑volume, or complex assembly environment. Experience specific to UAS is a big plus.
• Technical Skills: Strong knowledge of DFM principles, lean manufacturing, and process optimization. Excellent problem‑solving skills and ability to work cross‑functionally. Proficient in CAD software (e.g., SolidWorks, AutoCAD) and ERP/MRP systems.
• Professional working proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required to perform the responsibilities of this role.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.
• If this role requires access to information controlled under U.S. export control laws (ITAR/EAR), applicants must also qualify as a "U.S. person" under 22 CFR §120.62 (U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as an asylee or refugee).

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in a manufacturing and production environment, including time spent on the shop floor, in engineering workspaces, and around manufacturing equipment.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods while supporting production activities, troubleshooting issues, and training technicians.
• Ability to frequently use hands and fingers to handle, inspect, assemble, and manipulate small mechanical, electrical, and composite components, tools, fixtures, and test equipment.
• Ability to perform repetitive hand and arm movements associated with assembly, inspection, tooling adjustment, and hands‑on process development.
• Ability to occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, reach, and work in varied positions to access components, tooling, fixtures, and assemblies.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull materials, components, tooling, and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, with heavier items handled using appropriate lifting equipment or team assistance.
• Ability to visually inspect components, assemblies, tooling, and workmanship, including the ability to distinguish relevant visual characteristics such as alignment, defects, markings, labels, and finishes.
• Ability to safely operate or work around common manufacturing tools, machinery, fixtures, and equipment while following established safety procedures.
• Ability to work in environments where safety equipment such as safety glasses, hearing protection, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required.
• Ability to work in a dynamic production environment that may involve exposure to moderate noise, varying temperatures, dust or manufacturing residues, and other typical manufacturing conditions, with appropriate controls and PPE provided.
• Ability to safely and effectively perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Benefits Overview

Heven AeroTech offers a competitive benefits package designed to support the health, financial security, and overall well‑being of our employees and their families. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plans, paid time off/sick, and additional protections such as critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident coverage, and short-and long‑term disability.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Heven AeroTech is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Posted Salary Range: $130,000 - $165,000 USD

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations ("ITAR") and/or the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on Heven AeroTech's determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with Heven AeroTech's business requirements. A "U.S. person" according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR §120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.