Director of Manufacturing Engineering

About the Company

Insight Global is seeking a Director of Manufacturing Engineering for one of our start up clients in the Playa Vista, CA area. Our client is building next-generation aerospace systems designed to operate at the edge of what’s physically possible — enabling rapid, precision delivery from space back to Earth. The organization is entering a critical growth phase, transitioning from prototype development into scaled production, with plans to rapidly expand both manufacturing capabilities and physical footprint.

About the Role

In this role, you will build and scale a world-class aerospace manufacturing organization from the ground up. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for owning the entire manufacturing ecosystem — including machining, assembly, avionics/harnessing, and soft goods systems. You will partner directly with the CTO and engineering leadership to translate complex hardware designs into scalable, production-ready systems while preparing the organization for hypergrowth and increased production rates. This role requires someone who is deeply technical, highly hands-on, and comfortable operating in ambiguity — not just maintaining systems but building them.

Responsibilities

Manufacturing Strategy \& Scale

• Lead the transition from development to repeatable, scalable production
• Drive capacity planning, production forecasting, and rate readiness

Production \& Operational Excellence

• Build and implement lean manufacturing systems across all disciplines
• Optimize cycle time, throughput, and yield
• Establish KPIs across safety, quality, cost, and delivery
• Lead root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives

Machining \& Fabrication

• Oversee precision CNC machining operations (including 5-axis capabilities)
• Partner closely with manufacturing engineering to align design and execution
• Drive tooling strategy, programming standards, and fixture optimization

Electrical \& Harness Manufacturing

• Build scalable harness fabrication processes with strong QA controls
• Improve repeatability, documentation, and traceability for flight hardware

Soft Goods \& Recovery Systems

• Develop production and inspection standards for parachute and soft goods systems
• Ensure quality and traceability for mission-critical recovery hardware

People \& Leadership

• Build, scale, and lead a high-performing manufacturing organization
• Manage and grow a team of manufacturing managers, engineers, and technical specialists
• Develop frontline leadership and foster a culture of ownership, urgency, and accountability
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Flight Ops

Infrastructure \& Expansion

• Define capital equipment strategy and facility layout
• Lead manufacturing floor buildouts and future facility expansions
• Implement MRP/ERP systems and production tracking infrastructure

Qualifications

• Strong engineering foundation (Mechanical, Manufacturing, or related hardware discipline)
• 8–10\+ years of experience in aerospace or defense tech
• Experience working in fast-paced, startup environments with evolving priorities
• Deep understanding of machining, assembly, and aerospace manufacturing processes
• Experience leading cross-functional manufacturing (mechanical \+ electrical)
• Highly hands-on leader who can operate at both strategic and execution levels
• Ability to translate engineering design into production reality
• Willingness to work onsite 100%

Additional Qualifications

• Experience with hypersonics, reentry systems, or high-reliability flight hardware
• Background in building manufacturing organizations or facilities from scratch
• Experience scaling within venture-backed startups
• Advanced degree in Engineering