Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Job description

Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. Founded in 2017, the company has spent the last eight years developing and deploying autonomous logistics systems for real-world operations. Our V2 aircraft carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles, while our next-generation V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000+ miles with 20+ hours of endurance. Both use a hybrid-electric architecture that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane, enabling long-range autonomous delivery without traditional runway infrastructure. Today, Skyways aircraft operate across three continents in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight and in support of U.S. military operations. We are transitioning from prototype development to full-rate production and scaling toward large autonomous cargo fleets. Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M AFWERX STRATFI award from the U.S. Air Force, Skyways is creating a new form of transportation to advance our civilization from Austin, Texas. **The Opportunity** This role helps scale aircraft production from prototype builds to repeatable manufacturing. You will develop manufacturing processes, tooling, and production workflows that improve build quality, efficiency, and repeatability across the aircraft. Your work will directly impact production throughput, aircraft reliability, and the company’s ability to scale deployments. You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, flight, and production teams to identify manufacturing bottlenecks, improve assembly processes, and support rapid iteration as aircraft systems evolve. The ideal candidate is comfortable working directly with hardware, solving problems on the production floor, and building processes that support both fast iteration and long-term scalability. ### What You'll Do: - Develop manufacturing processes for aircraft components and assemblies - Create and maintain work instructions, build documentation, and production workflows - Mentor junior manufacturing engineers and technicians, and set the standard for process quality and documentation on the production floor - Design tooling, fixtures, and assembly aids that improve manufacturing efficiency and repeatability - Support aircraft integration, assembly, and production activities - Troubleshoot manufacturing and integration issues during aircraft builds - Work closely with engineering teams to improve design for manufacturability and assembly - Collaborate with suppliers and vendors to support hardware production and quality - Identify process improvements that increase build efficiency, quality, and production readiness - Support the transition from prototype aircraft builds toward scalable production systems ### What You'll Bring: - 5+ years developing manufacturing processes for complex hardware, including ownership of process or production workstreams - Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field - Experience supporting hardware builds, integration, or production environments - Experience creating work instructions, assembly procedures, and production documentation - Strong troubleshooting and root-cause problem-solving skills - Ability to work directly with technicians, engineers, and production teams - Experience improving manufacturability, assembly efficiency, or production quality - Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills ### Bonus Points: - Experience with aerospace, robotics, or autonomous systems manufacturing - Experience working with composite structures or lightweight aircraft assemblies - Experience supporting low-volume or early-stage production environments - Experience developing tooling, fixtures, or production automation systems - Familiarity with CAD and manufacturing documentation workflows