Manufacturing Engineer

Job description

About the Role Arkeus is looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to design, build and continuously improve the manufacturing processes behind our autonomous optical search systems. You'll take products from prototype through to low-rate and full-scale production, working closely with engineering, quality and supply chain teams to make sure everything we build is repeatable, reliable and compliant with Defence standards. About You Strong problem-solving mindset, with the ability to troubleshoot complex integrated systems. Highly organised, with strong attention to detail in documentation and compliance. Excellent communication and collaboration skills, comfortable working across engineering, quality and manufacturing teams. Comfortable in a dynamic environment, with willingness to travel domestically as needed. Ability to hold or obtain an NV1 security clearance. Key Responsibilities Design, implement and continuously improve manufacturing and assembly processes for complex electromechanical products. Collaborate with engineering during product development to ensure designs are optimised for manufacturability, assembly, reliability and cost (DFM/DFMA). Develop and maintain work instructions, assembly procedures, manufacturing routings and technical documentation. Support the transition from prototype to low-rate and full-scale production, building repeatable and scalable processes. Establish in-process quality controls, inspection criteria, acceptance test procedures and corrective action processes. Lead root cause investigations into manufacturing non-conformances and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). Design, specify and validate assembly fixtures, test equipment and production tooling. Work with suppliers and procurement to qualify components and resolve manufacturing or quality issues. Support Engineering Change Requests (ECRs), Bills of Materials (BOMs) and configuration control across the product lifecycle. Monitor production yield, quality and cycle times, driving Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives. Develop and support production test systems and acceptance testing for electromechanical assemblies. Ensure manufacturing records, processes and product traceability meet Defence, quality and regulatory requirements. Your Experience and Skills Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Mechatronics, or a related Engineering discipline. Experience developing manufacturing processes for complex electromechanical products. Solid understanding of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) principles. Experience creating and managing BOMs, manufacturing routings and engineering change processes. Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S and other continuous improvement methodologies. Experience with root cause analysis techniques such as 8D, Fishbone and Fault Tree Analysis. Familiarity with quality management systems and manufacturing documentation requirements. Experience supporting prototype builds, production ramp-up and new product introduction (NPI). Hands-on experience with test equipment, assembly tooling, jigs and fixtures. Experience in a highly regulated industry such as Defence, Aerospace, Medical Devices or Advanced Manufacturing is highly desirable. Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems and PLM tools is advantageous. Why Join Arkeus We make incredible things, you will be working in a company at the forefront of innovation in Australia. You will collaborate with exceptional leaders who have 40+ years of combined experience in autonomy, optics and defence. You will be learning from — and contributing to — the best in the field. You will become part of a close-knit, ego-free team where ideas compete on merit, not seniority. Low politics, high trust. The kind of team you will still be talking about in ten years. You will work hard and be expected to bring your best — and in return, you will grow faster than you ever would at a large organisation. You will work on technology that is already deployed in real environments — protecting lives and strengthening security across defence and national security applications. You will receive a competitive, market-benchmarked salary, structured career pathways built to grow with you, and the opportunity to participate in our Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP). If this sounds like you, please apply even if you don't check every box listed above and join our growing team in improving security and saving lives! Who we are Arkeus builds AI-powered sensing systems that help autonomous platforms detect, track and understand what's happening in the most complex and contested environments. Our technology is deployed across defence and national security applications — already protecting lives and strengthening security across the U.S. and allied markets. Backed by QIC, Main Sequence, R+VC, Salus Ventures, Folklore Ventures, DYNE Ventures and Beaten Zone Venture Partners, Arkeus is entering a major growth phase. We are a small, fast-moving company with the energy and ambition of a start-up and the technical credibility of a world-class defence technology provider. We work at the intersection of optics, autonomy, robotics and real-time AI and we deploy what we build. If you want to ship technology that matters, not technology that ships decks, this is where you belong. Check it yourself on News | Arkeus We have developed an inclusive, transparent and engaging culture that focuses on building a diverse workforce — realising that to attract the very best, we need to ensure our culture is ready to welcome people from all ages, genders and backgrounds.