Production Engineering Lead - Build and Scale Next Generation Unmanned Aircraft Systems!

Fort Worth, TX | On-site

Opportunity Summary

A rapidly growing aerospace technology company is seeking a Production Engineering Lead to help bridge the gap between advanced aircraft design and scalable manufacturing. This role will focus on ensuring that complex unmanned aircraft systems can transition smoothly from engineering concept to reliable, repeatable production. The position plays a critical role in shaping how aircraft structures and systems are manufactured while supporting growth from prototype builds into sustained production. The Production Engineering Lead will act as the technical authority for design for manufacturability across the aircraft platform. This individual will work closely with engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to create production systems that are efficient, scalable, and capable of supporting mission ready aircraft. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys both technical leadership and hands-on involvement in building advanced aerospace systems.

About Us

We are an emerging aerospace company focused on designing and producing advanced unmanned aircraft systems for government and commercial applications. Our aircraft platforms are engineered with scalability, reliability, and rapid deployment in mind. By combining modern engineering practices with production focused design philosophy, our team is working to deliver high performance aircraft that can move quickly from development into operational deployment.

Job Duties

• Serve as the primary authority for design for manufacturability across aircraft structures and integrated systems
• Guide engineering teams to ensure design decisions support efficient assembly, lower build complexity, and improved production scalability
• Develop and refine aircraft assembly processes including build sequences, tooling strategies, and production workflows
• Establish manufacturing documentation including work instructions, process definitions, and standardized assembly procedures
• Verify and validate CNC tool paths, fixtures, composite tooling, and manufacturing methods to ensure accurate translation from digital models to physical hardware
• Identify manufacturability challenges related to tolerances, fitment, or tooling and resolve them prior to production release
• Create repeatable production systems that can scale from early builds through low rate production and into sustained manufacturing
• Develop standardized manufacturing methods that can be replicated across facilities or deployed as transferable production solutions
• Ensure production configurations remain controlled and aligned with released engineering baselines
• Support production readiness during the transition from prototype builds through low rate production and into full rate manufacturing
• Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in production processes and implement improvements that increase yield and reduce labor hours
• Collaborate closely with engineering, quality, supply chain, and manufacturing teams to align design intent with production execution
• Provide manufacturing feedback to design teams to improve future iterations of aircraft hardware

Qualifications

• Ten plus years of experience in aerospace manufacturing engineering, production engineering, or related technical roles
• Demonstrated experience implementing design for manufacturability principles in complex hardware or aircraft systems
• Experience supporting transition from prototype development into production manufacturing
• Strong understanding of CNC machining, composite manufacturing, or similar fabrication processes
• Experience with tooling design, assembly processes, and tolerance management
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical field
• Ability to work on site in a production environment and travel as needed

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting development or production of fixed wing unmanned aircraft systems
• Background working in high rate or scalable aerospace manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with configuration control, engineering release processes, and production documentation systems
• Experience verifying tool paths, fixtures, and manufacturing processes prior to production release
• Exposure to cost reduction initiatives, production ramp planning, or design to cost methodologies

Why Join Us

• Opportunity for growth within a rapidly expanding aerospace company
• Ability to influence production systems for next generation aircraft platforms
• Collaborative engineering culture focused on real world hardware deployment
• High ownership environment with meaningful impact on product and production outcomes
• Work on advanced aerospace systems supporting critical missions
• Paid time off
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• 401k

Compensation Details

Salary range: $160,000 - $200,000 per year

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