Industrial Engineer – Effectors

📍 Location: The Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA (Onsite)

If you’re interested in learning more about this opportunity or beginning the interview process, feel free to connect directly via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ra...

Industrial Engineer – Effectors

An advanced aerospace and defense technology company is seeking an Industrial Engineer to help architect and scale next-generation production systems for high-volume autonomous and interceptor platforms.

This role is focused on factory design, production system architecture, capacity planning, and manufacturing scale-up. The ideal candidate has experience building production systems from the ground up and understands how to optimize manufacturing operations for throughput, cost, quality, and scalability.

This is a highly hands-on and high-ownership role where you’ll help shape manufacturing strategy from early prototype builds through sustained high-rate production.

Responsibilities

• Factory & Production System Design
• Design scalable factory layouts optimized for flow, throughput, takt time, and operational efficiency
• Develop production cell concepts for manual, semi-automated, and automated assembly environments
• Build value stream maps and future-state production workflows
• Define workstation layouts, labor allocation models, and material flow strategies
• Design inventory flow concepts including kitting, supermarkets, and point-of-use systems
• Support production facility build-outs, line expansion planning, and manufacturing infrastructure development
• Capacity Planning & Rate Scaling
• Build detailed production rate and throughput models tied to manufacturing demand forecasts

Analyze

• Takt time
• Cycle time

Throughput

Bottlenecks

Labor efficiency
Capacity constraints
Develop scaling strategies for pilot production, low-rate builds, and future high-volume manufacturing
Create multi-scenario production plans supporting rate ramps and supplier scaling
Identify manufacturing readiness risks and mitigation strategies
Production Optimization & Continuous Improvement
Implement lean manufacturing principles across production workflows
Drive line balancing, waste reduction, and flow optimization initiatives
Conduct time studies and labor productivity analysis
Support OEE tracking and production performance measurement systems
Analyze yield, throughput, cycle time, and rework metrics to improve operational efficiency
Help develop standardized work instructions and scalable manufacturing processes

Cross-Functional Manufacturing Support

• Partner closely with manufacturing engineering, supply chain, facilities, quality, and operations teams
• Participate in design-for-producibility reviews and manufacturing trade studies
• Support make-versus-buy decisions and contract manufacturing evaluations
• Assist with supplier industrialization and manufacturing readiness assessments
• Provide hands-on support during prototype builds, production ramp events, and early manufacturing operations

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical discipline
5+ years of experience in factory design, production system optimization, manufacturing scale-up, or industrial engineering
Experience building or supporting high-rate manufacturing environments

Strong understanding of

Lean manufacturing
Capacity planning
Value stream mapping
Takt time and cycle time analysis
OEE measurement
Line balancing
Throughput optimization
Experience supporting production ramp or greenfield manufacturing build-outs
Experience developing production rate models using Excel, Python, VBA, simulation tools, or similar platforms
Comfortable working in fast-paced startup or development-stage manufacturing environments
U.S. citizenship required; ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance required

Preferred Experience

• Aerospace, defense, automotive, robotics, semiconductor, or other high-volume manufacturing industries
• Production systems supporting complex electromechanical hardware

Factory simulation or digital manufacturing tools such as

FlexSim

AnyLogic

Arena

Simulink

• ERP, MES, or PLM integration experience
• High-rate automated assembly or robotics manufacturing
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations from prototype through production
• Startup or greenfield factory build-out experience
• Contract manufacturing and supplier industrialization exposure

What Makes This Opportunity Unique

This role offers the opportunity to help build a manufacturing operation from the ground up inside a rapidly growing aerospace and defense environment.

The team is looking for engineers who understand not only how to optimize existing factories, but how to architect scalable production systems from scratch — balancing cost, throughput, automation, and manufacturability for future high-rate production.

You’ll work closely with both engineering and operations leadership while helping define the long-term production strategy for next-generation hardware platforms.

Additional Information

• Competitive compensation and equity package
• Comprehensive healthcare coverage
• 401(k) matching
• PTO flexibility
• Relocation assistance may be available
• Full-time onsite collaboration environment
• U.S. citizenship required due to security and export control requirements
• 📍 Location: The Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, CA (Onsite)

To learn more or express interest, connect directly via

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ra...