Metal Manufacturing Engineer, Additive (DED)

Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost.

Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built.

Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen.

If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.

The Role

Join us in shaping the future of aerospace and defense manufacturing. As an Additive Manufacturing Engineer - Applications focused on Directed Energy Deposition (DED), you will serve as a technical bridge between customer requirements and production-ready DED manufacturing solutions. You will work closely with customers and internal teams to evaluate part feasibility, guide Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), support process development, and help scale DED programs from early engagement through qualification and production.

This is a hands-on, customer-facing engineering role at the intersection of applications engineering, manufacturing execution, and process development. You will help solve real-world DED manufacturing challenges, convert those solutions into repeatable manufacturing methods, and support the successful launch of high-impact aerospace and defense programs.

What You’ll Do

• Customer Technical Support & Requirements Capture: Support technical engagement with customers by gathering requirements, clarifying design intent, and translating program needs into actionable manufacturing plans that align customer requirements with feasible DED manufacturing solutions.
• Program Feasibility & Application Development: Evaluate part and program fit for DED, identify technical risks, and support new application development, process selection, and manufacturing planning for critical hardware and production opportunities.
• DfAM & Design Reviews: Provide DfAM guidance specific to DED, including deposition strategy, feature design, access constraints, heat input considerations, distortion risk, machining stock, and post-processing-aware design decisions.
• Manufacturing Workflow & Build Planning: Define and optimize manufacturing workflows across design, deposition, post-processing, inspection, and certification, while supporting toolpath strategy, setup planning, and production readiness.
• DED Process Development & Industrialization: Partner with internal process and manufacturing teams to develop, mature, and industrialize DED capabilities, including equipment readiness, process windows, parameter refinement, and transition from development to repeatable production.
• Robustness, Repeatability & Process Improvement: Identify and drive improvements that make DED platforms and workflows more robust and repeatable based on machine behavior, deposition quality, process data, nonconformance trends, and production performance.
• Materials & Process Integration: Work closely with materials and quality teams to evaluate weldability, heat input effects, residual stress, mechanical performance, geometric accuracy, and surface condition to refine process parameters and manufacturing guidance for high-performance alloys.
• Post-Processing & Secondary Operations Integration: Coordinate across stress relief, heat treat, HIP where applicable, machining, inspection, and finishing to ensure end-to-end manufacturability and downstream process alignment.
• Qualification & Validation Execution: Support qualification planning, validation builds, coupons, test plans, NDT strategy, acceptance criteria definition, first article activities, and data package development required for customer approval and production release.
• Data, Traceability & Documentation: Maintain clear engineering documentation, process records, work instructions, specifications, and traceability artifacts, and support process control plans, calibration routines, and reporting workflows required for quality and production execution.
• Technical Problem Solving: Investigate machine, process, and part quality issues using structured root cause analysis and sound engineering fundamentals, disposition nonconforming hardware as needed, and support corrective actions that improve yield, consistency, and cost.
• Cross-Functional & External Coordination: Work closely with Additive Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Materials, Supply Chain, and Operations, while coordinating with machine OEMs, materials suppliers, external processors, test labs, and contract manufacturers as needed.
• Best Practices, Standardization & Safety: Capture lessons learned, develop best practices for DED equipment and processes, improve standard work and design guidance, support make-buy and technology assessment activities, and identify opportunities to improve safety throughout the manufacturing workflow.
• Technical Communication: Present technical recommendations, trade studies, risk assessments, and status updates clearly to internal stakeholders and customers, and support technical reviews, supplier visits, and broader representation of DED capability when needed.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mechanical, Materials, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Welding, or related field.
• 4+ years of experience in additive manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, applications engineering, process engineering, or development of metallic additive technologies, preferably with DED.
• Hands-on knowledge of metal DED processes and production workflow, including design considerations, pre-process planning, deposition, post-processing, inspection, and qualification.
• Experience with DfAM principles specific to DED and the interaction between deposition strategy, machining, distortion control, and downstream manufacturing performance.
• Working knowledge of welding metallurgy, heat input control, residual stress management, and mechanical performance in deposited metallic structures.
• Experience working with engineering drawings, GD&T, tolerance interpretation, and inspection planning.
• Experience supporting part development from prototype through qualification or early production.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to analyze technical issues and recommend practical solutions.
• Ability to communicate effectively with customers, engineers, technicians, suppliers, and cross-functional teams.
• Willingness to travel up to 15-20%, primarily within the U.S.
• U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident required for ITAR compliance.

What Will Set You Apart

• Experience supporting aerospace and defense applications in regulated manufacturing environments, including qualification of flight-critical or mission-critical hardware.
• Experience with process validation, qualification planning, capability studies, statistical process control, multifactorial DOE, or first article execution.
• Familiarity with aerospace manufacturing standards and quality systems, including NASA, ESA, AS9100, EN9100, or comparable customer requirements.
• Experience with wire-based DED processes, with familiarity across powder-fed DED or adjacent metal AM technologies.
• Experience with robotic toolpath programming, CAM systems, welding simulation tools, or thermal-mechanical modeling relevant to DED.
• Metallurgical experience with copper alloys, nickel-based superalloys, titanium, aluminum, or other high-performance alloys relevant to DED.
• Experience with metrology, NDT, heat treatment, and process control methods used for DED hardware qualification.
• Experience with machine OEMs, materials suppliers, software providers, external processors, or contract manufacturers supporting additive workflows.
• Working knowledge of complementary conventional manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, casting, forging, and welding.
• Experience with ERP, MRP, MES, or production planning systems such as SAP or similar tools.

Compensation

For this role, the target salary range is $135,000 - $250,000 (actual range may vary based on experience). This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

Benefits for Full-time Employees

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees 401k
• Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
• Flexible vacation policy
• Equity

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Use of AI in hiring

Hadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy.

Consideration of Criminal History

Hadrian will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable laws. We do not ask about criminal history on our application, and we do not consider criminal history before making a conditional offer of employment.

Hadrian Is An Equal Opportunity Employer

Hadrian does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental status, physical disability or any other legally protected status. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.