Manufacturing Process Engineer

Modern warfare is dictated by robotics. Autonomous bombing drones and robotic ground systems are reshaping every battlefield on Earth. Any nation that cannot stop them loses.

Askari develops high-performance, fully-autonomous kinetic intercept systems that counter unmanned aerial and robotic threats in the world's most demanding operational environments. We build deployable systems for real-world constraints, urgent missions, and operators who cannot wait years for capability, and are continuously evolving our systems because the robotic threat evolves daily.

We are a tight team of top engineers and scientists from Skydio, Hermeus, Near Earth Autonomy, Area-I/Anduril, Raytheon, Sandia National Laboratories, and GTRI. We work directly with elite end-users, turning emerging battlefield requirements into rugged, scalable, mission-ready defenses.

Come build alongside elite engineers on a generational mission to defend the Western world. Candidly, we hold ourselves to an exceptionally high bar: the work is demanding, the pace is intense, and the mission requires people willing to go all in. For the right person, it will be more rewarding than any previous job. Askari is a place for builders serious about mastery, ownership, exponential growth, and delivering capability when it matters most.

As warfare becomes increasingly robotic, distributed, and fast-moving, the defense industrial base needs a new model: Askari is defining that model.

If protecting humanity from the coming age of robotic warfare is the mission you have been waiting for, this is where you do it.

About the role

This role is designed for a manufacturing process engineer who will own the design, development, and continuous improvement of how Askari builds its interceptor systems.

You will operate at the intersection of nearly every team in the company, including operations, supply chain, hardware, robotics software, perception, and GNC, to ensure our manufacturing processes run smoothly, repeatably, and efficiently. You will study how we build today, then design the processes, systems, fixtures, and facility layout that enable high-quality, scalable production .

This role spans three disciplines. First, you are a strong mechanical engineer who can design fixtures, drive Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) improvements, and prototype quickly using 3D printing and CNC machining. Second, you have an operations and process design mindset: you can sequence production workflows, develop SOPs, and optimize facility layouts to improve both quality and throughput. Third, you have a foundational understanding of software systems and can leverage AI/LLM-assisted development to build a comprehensive manufacturing software operating system. You do not need to be a software engineer, but you should understand the fundamentals well enough to direct agents to implement your vision.

Software is also central to how we maintain visibility across a rapidly evolving production floor. Everyone from technicians to leadership should be able to understand what is being built, what is blocked, what has changed, and how each station and process is performing. You will build and evolve the systems that enable this transparency, allowing us to introduce new hardware, software, and features quickly without compromising production quality.

We are looking for evidence-driven engineers: individuals who prioritize physical reality over opinion , cut through ambiguity, and rapidly identify the root cause of problems. When something breaks, you will understand the problem, implement a practical solution, document the process, and automate it only after the manual workflow has been proven. We believe the best automation begins with a process that already works.

Our manufacturing operations currently run Monday through Saturday , and this role requires on-site participation throughout that schedule, with Sundays reserved as a non-working day. This operating tempo reflects the responsibility of delivering reliable, mission-ready systems on demanding timelines while continuously improving our products and expanding production capacity. As the organization scales, we anticipate transitioning toward continuous manufacturing operations, and you will play a central role in developing the processes and infrastructure required to support that growth. You will balance the demands of high-quality production with the rapid introduction of next-generation Askari systems, with a clear opportunity to grow into a manufacturing leadership role as the team expands.

What you'll do

You will own how our interceptors get built, from the first fixture to the last label. You will work across every team, but the manufacturing processes, production systems, and factory floor are yours to design and drive.

You will focus on problems in all of the following areas:

• Manufacturing Process Design: Review existing manufacturing processes, then design and optimize the sequence of operations, workflows, and systems to improve quality, throughput, and cost across the production line.
• Problem Solving & Automation: Identify root causes of production problems, implement effective solutions, document the resulting processes, and automate them once the manual workflows are proven, including your own repetitive work and that of production technicians.
• SOPs & Documentation: Develop and maintain clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that ensure consistent builds, support technician training, and enable rapid onboarding of new hires.
• Facility Layout & Production Flow: Design, organize, and continuously improve the layout of our production facility as manufacturing volume grows and operations scale toward round-the-clock production.
• Fixture & Tooling Design: Design, model, and build fixtures, jigs, and manufacturing mechanisms that improve assembly speed, repeatability, and quality while reducing dependence on individual technician skill.
• Design for Manufacturing & Assembly: Work closely with the hardware team to implement DFM/DFA improvements to production airframes, improving manufacturability and ease of assembly without compromising system performance.
• Rapid Prototyping: Use 3D printing, CNC machining , and other fabrication methods to rapidly develop tooling, parts, fixtures, and production process improvements.
• Manufacturing Operating System: Lead the development of a unified manufacturing software platform using AI/LLM and agent-assisted development. Build systems that track inventory, build and process statistics, customer orders and purchase orders, technician performance, calibration results and issues, and automated vehicle labeling.
• Production Visibility & Change Management: Develop software-driven systems that provide real-time visibility across the production floor, enabling rapid integration of new hardware, software, and features while maintaining process control and manufacturing quality.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Partner with operations, supply chain, hardware, robotics software, perception, and GNC to resolve problems across team interfaces and ensure manufacturing processes remain efficient and reliable.
• New Product Introduction: Support NPI efforts for new Askari products, translating prototype designs into repeatable, production-ready manufacturing processes.
• Equipment & Shop Operations: Maintain, troubleshoot, upgrade, and improve production equipment, including 3D printers, while supporting the eventual development and operation of an in-house machine shop.
• Technical Leadership: Help establish scalable manufacturing processes and grow into leading a manufacturing team as production volume and organizational needs expand.

Basic Qualifications

• Manufacturing Process Ownership: Demonstrated experience personally designing, improving, or operating a manufacturing process for a physical product, with measurable improvements in quality, throughput, or cost.
• Problem Solving: A proven ability to rapidly identify root causes, implement effective solutions, document processes, and automate workflows only after the manual process is reliable.
• Experience: 2+ years of professional or equivalent hands-on experience in manufacturing, process, or production engineering, including serious hobbyist and personal-build experience, which we weight heavily.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent demonstrated ability.
• Mechanical Design: Strong proficiency in 3D CAD for fixture, tooling, and mechanism design, including Fusion, SolidWorks, NX, or related tools.
• DFM & DFA: Demonstrated experience modifying mechanical designs for manufacturability and ease of assembly.
• Rapid Prototyping & Fabrication: Extensive hands-on experience with 3D printing and CNC machining , with a strong understanding of the tradeoffs between fabrication methods and materials.
• Process Design: Experience writing SOPs, sequencing production operations, and designing the layout of a production space.
• Software Fundamentals: A foundational understanding of software systems, databases, and data flows, sufficient to leverage AI/LLM agents to build and iterate on internal tools, with an appreciation for software as the backbone of production transparency and speed.
• Independent Execution: Ability to enter an ambiguous environment, identify the highest-priority problems, and drive improvements independently.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively across operations, supply chain, hardware, software, perception, and GNC teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in any of the following areas is a plus:

• Education & Experience: 4+ years of relevant experience and/or a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 3D Printer Expertise: Experience upgrading, repairing, and maintaining 3D printers, including print farms.
• Machine Shop: Experience establishing, operating, or managing a machine shop.
• Lean & Quality Systems: Familiarity with lean manufacturing , statistical process control, or quality management systems.
• Manufacturing Software: Experience with MES, ERP, inventory, or traceability systems , or developing internal manufacturing tools using AI and LLMs.
• Drone & Aerospace Production: Experience manufacturing drones, aerospace, or defense hardware, particularly during the transition from prototype development to repeatable production.
• Team Leadership: Light managerial or team-lead experience, or an interest in growing into a manufacturing management role as the organization scales.

Export Control

This position may involve access to technology, material, technical data, defense articles, or information subject to U.S. export-control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), and applicable contract requirements. Assignment to covered work is contingent upon the company’s ability to verify that the candidate is authorized to receive access to such items or information, including by qualifying as a “U.S. person” as defined in 22 C.F.R. § 120.62, or through any required export-control authorization, notice, approval, or access-control process.

EEO

Askari Defense, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.