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Manufacturing Readiness Lead

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Manufacturing Production System Engineer  

 

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.   

The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic. 

Swarm Aero is looking for a highly motivated and hands-on Manufacturing Production System Engineer to own the transition of our manufacturing ecosystem from development through production. This role is responsible for designing manufacturing processes, defining manufacturing readiness, and supporting generation of analysis that supports our customer engagement. You will work across engineering, supply chain, operations, and our Mission teams to tie together the many dimensions of bringing our high-volume manufacturing system forward. 

 

What you’ll do 

  • Work hands-on to iterate on our overall production system — Advance and implement Design for Manufacturing (DFM) concepts, processes, and producibility improvements alongside the engineering team.  
  • Own the Manufacturing Management Plan (MMP) — Build, maintain, and execute a roadmap from current state through high volume manufacturing, integrating technical work, infrastructure, and production scaling.  
  • Maintain manufacturing documentation - Support scaling operations as well as addressing customer required materials. 
  • Stand up production capability — Lead factory build-out; tooling/equipment design, selection, and procurement; and pilot line development required to support production. 
  • Turn ambiguity into execution — Create structure, plans, and frameworks that enable alignment and action across engineering, supply chain, and operations. 
  • Drive cross-functional execution — Identify gaps, enforce accountability, and ensure teams deliver the outcomes required. 
     

What you’ve done 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field. An advanced degree is preferred.  
  • 7+ years of experience in a manufacturing engineering role, preferably in the aerospace or defense industry.  
  • Designed process flow and manufacturing ecosystems in aviation, automotive, robotics, or comparable applications.  
  • Participated in the planning, build-out, and operation of high-rate industrial manufacturing with emphasis on structural assemblies and mechanical systems.  
  • Gained extensive experience with composite and/or metallic fabrication, machining, assembly and inspection techniques. 
  • Created detailed digital simulations of factory operations and manufacturing processes  
  • Demonstrated proficiency with manufacturing software tools and CAD systems, such as Siemens NX, Fibersim, Warpdrive, NetSuite, ION, Manufacturo, or similar tools.  
  • Familiarity with Digital Twin / Digital Thread / Manufacturing 4.0 principles and ecosystems. 
  • Understanding of quality control principles and practices as well as aerospace facility requirements and certifications (such as AS9100). 
  • Led cross-functional technical efforts from concept through execution. 

 

What sets you apart 

  • You like to build and break things. 
  • Builder mindset — you want to create real systems, not just plans 
  • Ability to operate in ambiguity and impose structure 
  • Strong technical judgment across design, manufacturing, and systems 
  • High ownership and accountability — you push work forward across teams 
  • Experience with factory build-out, pilot lines, or scaling production systems 
  • Ability to communicate clearly through written and visual artifacts 

 

Swarm Aero is an equal-opportunity employer, and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. If you are someone passionate to work on problems that matter, we’d love to hear from you.  

As part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and trustworthy work environment, Swarm Aero conducts a thorough screening of prospective employees. Candidates will be subject to a comprehensive background verification process as a prerequisite for employment.

To conform to U.S. Government controlled technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) 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 eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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