Industrial Engineer - Radar Systems

Industrial Engineer - Radar Systems

Hawthorne, California, United States

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London.

Role Summary:

• Serve as the Industrial Engineering authority for radar system development and production.
• Architect scalable production systems from prototype through full-rate production.
• Lead production rate modeling, capacity planning, cost optimization, and factory flow design.
• Embed DFMA and producibility rigor into radar product development.
• Quantify design decisions in terms of rate, yield, labor content, capital efficiency, and throughput.
• Own manufacturing system readiness for LRIP and FRP transitions.

Responsibilities:

• Production System Architecture
  • Develop factory production models for radar subsystems and full system integration.
  • Design optimal production flow including:
    • Line layout
    • Station balancing
    • Takt time definition
    • Labor modeling
    • Equipment utilization
  • Identify bottlenecks and rate constraints.
  • Define capital equipment strategy (test stations, automation, alignment fixtures).
  • Support factory expansion and scaling plans.
• DFMA & Producibility Integration
  • Lead structured DFMA reviews during concept, PDR, CDR, and pre-production gates.
  • Quantify cost, labor, and cycle time impacts of design decisions.
  • Drive simplification of:
    • RF module integration
    • Aperture and structural assemblies
    • Harness routing and connectors
    • Thermal management schemes
  • Evaluate tolerance stack-ups affecting yield and integration repeatability.
  • Influence joining methods, material selection, and fabrication processes for scalability.
• Rate & Capacity Planning
  • Develop rate ramp models (LRIP → FRP).
  • Create capacity plans based on:
    • Labor content
    • Equipment cycle time
    • Yield assumptions
    • Test throughput
    • Perform scenario modeling for:
    • Demand increases
    • Supplier variability
    • Yield degradation
    • Support executive planning with data-driven rate projections.
• Cost & Industrialization Engineering
  • Develop bottoms-up cost models (labor, overhead, capital amortization).
  • Conduct make vs. buy analysis in partnership with Supply Chain.
  • Identify cost drivers within integration and test operations.
  • Support value engineering and cost-reduction initiatives.
  • Drive closure of Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) gaps prior to rate production.
• Data, Metrics, CI, and Transition to Production (T2P)
  • Support pilot builds and validate production assumptions.
  • Track yield, cycle time, and rate stability during ramp.
  • Establish KPI structure for:
    • Throughput
    • First-pass yield
    • Labor efficiency
    • OEE (where applicable)
  • Analyze RF pass rates and test station utilization impacts.
  • Drive Lean manufacturing initiatives.
  • Implement error-proofing and automation where justified by ROI.
  • Support MES / PLM / ERP integration for production visibility.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related STEM field.
• 3–7+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, or complex electromechanical production.
• Demonstrated experience in:
  • Production rate modeling
  • Capacity planning
  • Factory flow and factory set-up optimization
• Demonstrated experience implementing DFMA principles
• Experience developing labor/cost models
• Experience transitioning hardware from development into production
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain DoD clearance.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience with radar systems, RF hardware, or complex electronic assemblies.
• Experience supporting integration and environmental test operations.
• Familiarity with:
  • RF troubleshooting fundamentals
  • PCBA integration
  • Harness and connector best practices
  • Thermal interface materials and structural assembly practices
• IPC certification exposure (preferred)
• Experience with:
  • SOLIDWORKS or equivalent CAD tools
  • Operating in low-rate initial production (LRIP) or rate ramp environments.
  • MES, PLM, or ERP systems.
• Conducting formal MRL assessments

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 200 employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $110,000 - $160,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.