Principal Manufacturing Engineer

Parallax Space is building a new model for the space industry-delivering satellites and critical space components with the speed, scale, and reliability demanded by the next generation of space missions. We combine advanced engineering, vertically integrated manufacturing, and production-focused design to make space hardware production more repeatable, predictable, and scalable.

Position Overview

Parallax Space is seeking a Principal Manufacturing Engineer to architect, implement, and scale manufacturing capabilities across satellite systems, subsystems, and critical space components. This foundational technical leader will build the production architecture, manufacturing engineering organization, factory infrastructure, and disciplined processes required to progress from early builds to sustained rate manufacturing.

The ideal candidate has personally built manufacturing operations, can translate product designs into controlled and repeatable processes, and is equally effective defining strategy, leading teams, and solving technical problems on the production floor. The mandate is to industrialize complex space hardware with a focus on throughput, quality, cost, and scalability.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Strategy & Production Architecture

• Develop manufacturing strategy and production ramp plans supporting increasing satellite and component output.

• Architect work cells, assembly lines, factory layouts, production flows, and repeatable operating concepts.

• Model takt time, cycle time, throughput, work-in-process, capacity, staffing, and capital equipment needs.

• Introduce lean manufacturing and industrial-engineering methods to transition from low-volume builds to standardized production.

• Define manufacturing maturity milestones and production readiness criteria across programs.

Manufacturing Systems & Robust Processes

• Establish documented, controlled manufacturing processes, work instructions, routings, travelers, inspection gates, and training standards.

• Lead implementation and integration of MES, ERP/MRP, PLM, digital work instructions, and production data systems.

• Implement serialized traceability, material control, configuration management, and complete as-built records.

• Develop process qualification and verification approaches; deploy error-proofing and controls to reduce variability and rework.

• Create operational dashboards for real-time visibility into status, yield, throughput, and bottlenecks.

Rate Manufacturing & Continuous Improvement

• Design and balance production cells against takt and demand; establish labor standards and measurable cycle times.

• Plan and execute production ramps, capacity expansions, and constraint-removal initiatives.

• Improve first-pass yield, schedule attainment, recurring labor hours, inventory flow, and cost per unit.

• Deploy root cause analysis, PFMEA, corrective actions, process capability analysis, and statistical controls where appropriate.

• Maintain a data-driven improvement roadmap spanning labor, quality, equipment utilization, and production throughput.

Factory Infrastructure, Tooling & Automation

• Specify, procure, commission, and qualify production equipment, assembly fixtures, tooling, and ground support equipment.

• Develop facility and cell requirements for cleanroom operations, ESD, contamination control, FOD prevention, and calibrated equipment.

• Partner with integration and test engineering to optimize build, functional test, and environmental test flow.

• Evaluate automation and capital investments using sound economic and production-rate trade studies.

• Develop factory standards and modular systems that can be replicated across programs, products, and sites.

Manufacturing Team Development & Technical Leadership

• Build and mentor a high-performing manufacturing engineering organization, including staffing and competency plans.

• Define responsibilities and interfaces with production, product engineering, quality, supply chain, and integration and test.

• Act as senior technical authority on manufacturing methods, producibility, process controls, and rate readiness.

• Lead cross-functional problem solving, technical reviews, personnel development, and recruiting.

• Cultivate hands-on execution, accountability, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.

New Product Introduction & Product Industrialization

• Partner with design teams early to drive DFMA, commonality, assembly simplicity, and manufacturable architectures.

• Plan the transition from prototypes and engineering models through qualification to recurring flight production.

• Develop MBOMs, production routings, process specifications, tooling plans, make/buy inputs, and labor estimates.

• Manage manufacturing impacts of engineering changes and production configuration baselines.

• Identify manufacturing risks and drive practical mitigations before rate production.

Quality & Reliability

• Build quality into the process rather than depending on downstream inspection.

• Implement AS9100-aligned practices and relevant customer, NASA, and IPC workmanship requirements.

• Partner with quality engineering on control plans, acceptance criteria, nonconformance disposition, and corrective actions.

• Drive measurable improvements in product consistency, process repeatability, first-pass yield, and escapes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.

• Typically 12+ years of progressive manufacturing engineering or complex-hardware production experience.

• Proven record building and scaling manufacturing processes, production systems, and operating infrastructure.

• Experience designing cells, layouts, workflows, capacity models, and production ramp plans.

• Strong command of lean manufacturing, DFMA, manufacturing quality, configuration control, and process engineering.

• Working experience with MES, ERP/MRP, PLM, or equivalent digital production systems.

• Demonstrated technical leadership, team building, cross-functional influence, and hands-on problem solving.

• Ability to thrive in a high-growth organization with evolving priorities and significant individual ownership.

Preferred Qualifications

• 15+ years of complex hardware manufacturing experience and direct accountability for rate increases.

• Satellite, spacecraft subsystem, avionics, electromechanical, aerospace, automotive, or advanced electronics background.

• Experience launching greenfield facilities, new product lines, or repeatable factory systems.

• Experience with AS9100, IPC J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, NASA workmanship requirements, or related standards.

• Background in factory automation, digital manufacturing, test integration, and statistical process control.

• Experience building and directly leading manufacturing engineering teams; Lean Six Sigma training is a plus.

Leadership Attributes

Builder mentality

• Production-first thinking
• Deep technical ownership
• Bias for action
• Systems thinking
• Operational discipline
• Team development
• Relentless continuous improvement

Measures of Success

Focus Area

Expected Outcome

Manufacturing architecture

Scalable production cells, documented workflows, and capacity plans

Production readiness

Released, repeatable, traceable, controlled processes

Rate capability

Predictable throughput and achievement of planned production ramps

Efficiency & cost

Lower recurring labor hours, cycle time, rework, and unit cost

Quality

Higher first-pass yield and sustained process stability

Digital factory

Effective production visibility, traceability, and execution systems

Team development

Manufacturing engineering capability that expands with the business

Replication

Standard production architecture usable across programs and facilities

Why Join Parallax Space

Manufacturing is a central part of Parallax Space’s competitive advantage. This position offers direct ownership over how hardware is built, how production systems scale, how teams develop, and how a new generation of spacecraft manufacturing facilities is established. We are seeking someone who wants to build the manufacturing system-not simply sustain an existing line.