Lead and grow manufacturing teams to support vehicle hardware builds (assembly, composites, welding, tubing, turbopumps, tanks). Drive manufacturability, KPIs, production targets, capability expansion, training, reliability, and collaborate with design, quality, and supply chain.
As a Manufacturing Director at Impulse, you will hire, manage, and mentor manufacturing engineers, technicians, and leaders to support hardware builds for Impulse’s vehicles. You will support activities ranging from mechanical assembly, composites, mechanisms, welding, tubes, and/or vehicle integration. You will work directly with leaders and individual contributors in other disciplines. This is an opportunity to contribute to all aspects of vehicle development.
Responsibilities
- Grow team of engineers and technicians to support new programs, products and processes (e.g. components, thrust chambers, turbopumps, tanks, harnessing, tubing, welding, etc.)
- Mature existing programs for the business by developing KPI’s, developing training requirements, and driving hardware reliability initiatives
- Collaborate with design engineers and quality teams to ensure manufacturability, DFM compliance, and long-term reliability
- Set daily and weekly production targets, backed by performance metrics
- Establish and maintain high technical standards through specifications and training
- Drive the expansion of capabilities and capacity on the shop floor
- Work hand in hand with supply chain to determine make vs. buy decisions and drive new capabilities internally or offload commodities to external vendors
- Mentor and develop levels of leadership across the organization (leads, supervisors, managers) to establish lines of defense, and succession plans for the business
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelors' degree in mechanical, aerospace engineering or related field
- 10+ years' of demonstrated hands-on manufacturing
- 5+ years' of leading high-performing teams
- Demonstrated ability to thrive within an ambiguous environment
- Demonstrated ability to work with cross-functional departments
Preferred Skills and Experience
- 12+ years' of hands-on engineering within an aerospace environment
- 8+ years' of hands-on manufacturing experience working on spacecraft, satellites, rockets or related hardware
- Demonstrated ability to hire, train & manage engineering teams
- Demonstrated experience with new product introduction
- Demonstrated experience with setting up new manufacturing processes from scratch
Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
About
Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.
Impulse Space El Segundo, California, USA Office
El Segundo, CA, United States, 90245
Similar Jobs
Biotech • Pharmaceutical
Lead FP&A transformation for Manufacturing & Supply by standardizing, automating, and improving reporting, forecasting, and planning. Drive system implementations, KPI frameworks, dashboards, and analytics to support cost, COGS, productivity, and strategic decisions across global manufacturing and supply stakeholders.
Top Skills:
AlteryxData WarehouseExcelIfpPowerPointSAPShape
12 Days Ago
Cloud • Software
Lead and deliver large, complex enterprise CRM transformation programs (50+ people, multiple workstreams) for Consumer Goods/Manufacturing clients. Own program P&L, executive client relationships, governance, risk mitigation, resource and budget allocation, and delivery quality. Mentor and manage program/project managers, align cross-functional stakeholders, drive Agile release planning, and ensure on-time, on-budget outcomes while maintaining high CSAT and adoption.
Top Skills:
AgentforceAgileMulti-CloudSalesforceScrumSFDC
Hardware • Energy • Industrial • Manufacturing
Lead hands-on manufacturing process engineering for switchboard and switchgear products: design and document routings, work instructions, line layouts; own process authority, PFMEA and control plans; mentor and manage the manufacturing engineering team; drive Lean/Six Sigma continuous improvement, capital and tooling planning, and process-side NPI; partner with Product Engineering, Quality, Production, and Planning to ensure capable, controlled, and safe manufacturing.
Top Skills:
8DA3CadCpkErp/MrpKaizenLean ManufacturingMicrosoft Dynamics 365 (D365)PfmeaSix SigmaSolidworksSpc
What you need to know about the Los Angeles Tech Scene
Los Angeles is a global leader in entertainment, so it’s no surprise that many of the biggest players in streaming, digital media and game development call the city home. But the city boasts plenty of non-entertainment innovation as well, with tech companies spanning verticals like AI, fintech, e-commerce and biotech. With major universities like Caltech, UCLA, USC and the nearby UC Irvine, the city has a steady supply of top-flight tech and engineering talent — not counting the graduates flocking to Los Angeles from across the world to enjoy its beaches, culture and year-round temperate climate.
Key Facts About Los Angeles Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 375,800; 5.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Snap, Netflix, SpaceX, Disney, Google
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, adtech, media, software, game development
- Funding Landscape: $11.6 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Strong Ventures, Fifth Wall, Upfront Ventures, Mucker Capital, Kittyhawk Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: California Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC Irvine, Pepperdine, California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Quantum Science and Engineering


