Principal, Manufacturing Design Engineer

The posting, as Firestorm wrote it

Firestorm Labs is seeking a Principal, Manufacturing Design Engineer to join our engineering team in San Diego. You will be in an individual contributor role and will need to be as comfortable in a design review as on the shop floor. You'll join the aircraft design team at the start of a program, make sure what we design can be built well, and then carry that work through process design, tooling, and the transition into production.

You will move with the program. Early on, you're a member of the design team, bringing DFM/DFA input before the design is locked. As the design matures, your focus shifts to process design, tool and fixture design, ground support equipment, and shipping solutions, and to handing the product off to our manufacturing operations team. This role reports to the SVP of Engineering.

What You’ll Do

• Design team member: Serve on the aircraft design team from program inception, contributing design work on structures, parts, and assemblies alongside the rest of the team.
• DFM/DFA: Drive DFM/DFA from day one. Review designs early and often, bring manufacturing constraints and cost drivers into trade studies, and push for parts and assemblies that are simpler to build, inspect, and assemble.
• Design and drawings: Create and release models and drawings in NX, and in SolidWorks where needed, applying GD&T per ASME Y14.5 and model-based definition practices.
• Configuration management: Work in our PLM system at the level of a design lead, managing releases, revisions, and engineering changes, and keeping design, tooling, and process data aligned.
• Process design: Define the manufacturing approach for new products across composites, metallics, assembly, fastening, bonding, integration, inspection, and test. Develop the process roadmaps and supporting documentation through each design review gate.
• Tooling and fixtures: Design composite layup tools, trim and drill fixtures, bond fixtures, assembly jigs, and inspection and test fixtures that can be duplicated and used at every Firestorm production site, including regional and deployed production.
• Ground support and shipping: Design ground support equipment and shipping, handling, and logistics solutions for production, test, and fielded systems.
• Tool procurement and commissioning: Support tool procurement, supplier technical questions, tool proofing, and commissioning in partnership with the manufacturing team.
• Transition to production: Hand off process roadmaps to the Manufacturing Engineering team to develop into full production documentation, and support early builds as the product moves into manufacturing operations.
• Cross-functional problem solving: Work with design, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain to resolve producibility issues, support root cause investigations, and feed lessons learned back into the design.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing,

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&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family.

• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well.

Export Control Compliance

To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce. Because this position requires a security clearance, U.S. citizenship is required.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.

Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com so we can provide the support you need.