Manufacturing Engineer - Space Hardware and Test, Project Kuiper

Project Kuiper is an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Its mission is to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. Project Kuiper will help close the digital divide by delivering fast, affordable broadband to a wide range of customers, including consumers, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in places without reliable connectivity.

We're looking for an experienced Manufacturing Engineer to lead Battery Pack production development.

As the lead Manufacturing Engineer for a Line Replaceable unit at Project Kuiper, you will be directly responsible for the production process development, introduction, improvement, & maintenance of a key module on our spacecraft. You’ll be the leading technical voice for a team of lab engineers, assembly/test technicians working on the product, solving challenging technical problems associated with manufacturing and delivering a battery pack for integration on a spacecraft and ultimately to space.

You will serve as a key lynchpin connection design/development, factory operations, quality engineering, program management, and more as you drive the manufacturing processes, we use from initial production introduction to full rate production.

You’ll solve complex industrial challenges associated with balancing production velocity, exceptional quality, and cost competitive production concepts while ensuring smooth technical execution of current production operations. You’ll be a key animating force in the increase in production capacity through vision & execution of capital investment for production scaling & automation.

Key job responsibilities
- Develop and maintain all manufacturing artifacts (MBOM, Routing, Work Order Template, Work Instructions, etc.).
- Become the subject matter expert in the build and test processes of manufacturing a battery pack
- Serve as the catalyst to un-block and improve production processes through direct production support with non-conformances, troubleshooting, process improvement activities, and training.
- Conceptualize, design, develop, and improve production processes (assembly, integration, test processes).
- Serve as primary technical interface to development team for Battery Pack assembly and test, participating as the lead technical voice from the factory in Design Reviews, key technical escalations, and new product development activities.
- Own the capacity increase roadmap for production including defining the relevant capital equipment required for rate increase and helping to lead the design, procurement, install, and qualification of new rate enabling equipment.

Export Control Requirement:
Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

A day in the life
- 50% - On the shop floor, working with production teams to implement new processes, review & solve key technical blockers in production, performing production development testing, etc.
- 40% - Independent development work such as identifying and implementing key production improvement actions, acting on quality escapes by developing and implementing new quality control measures, developing & executing to existing roadmaps for capacity increase, process simplification, etc.
- 10% - Meeting settings, collaborating with others on topics such as new design introductions, production process change management, production solution finding reviews, etc.