About Us
L·Garde is a full-service aerospace design, development, manufacturing, and qualification test supplier supporting Tier 1 primes, government agencies, and commercial customers. For more than 50 years, we've partnered with innovators to develop deployable systems that push the boundaries of what's possible—in space, on the Moon, and beyond.
Build What Matters - If you’re an experienced Manufacturing Engineer looking for an opportunity to do more than maintain existing processes—and want to help build the manufacturing capability behind the next generation of spacecraft hardware—we’d love to talk to you.
A Day in the Life
We're looking for a Senior Manufacturing Engineer to lead the transition of lightweight deployable spacecraft payload structures and related electro-mechanical assemblies from qualification and First Article through LRIP and ultimately Full Rate Production. You will work closely with Design Engineering and production, and develop the processes, tooling, documentation, and production methods needed to turn innovative designs into reliable, repeatable, and scalable hardware.
This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll move between CAD and tooling development, process and work-instruction development, and the manufacturing floor. You’ll work directly with engineers and technicians to solve problems, improve manufacturability, and build the manufacturing systems needed to successfully scale production.
What You’ll Do
- Lead manufacturing engineering activities from concept through prototype, qualification, First Article, LRIP, and production scale-up.
- Develop manufacturing processes for lightweight deployable spacecraft payload structures, including composite hand lay-up and electro-mechanical assemblies.
- Translate engineering drawings, models, BOMs, GD&T, specifications, and requirements into practical manufacturing processes.
- Develop and maintain Manufacturing Work Instructions (MWIs), assembly instructions, routings, and travelers for AS9100D-controlled production.
- Design tooling, fixtures, jigs, assembly aids, and inspection aids using SolidWorks.
- Use 3D printing, 80/20 aluminum extrusion, and rapid-prototyping techniques to develop practical manufacturing solutions.
- Work directly with technicians on the manufacturing floor to troubleshoot problems, improve processes, and make designs more manufacturable.
- Partner with Design Engineering on Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA).
- Lead manufacturing readiness activities and pilot production runs.
- Support First Article builds, qualification hardware, configuration control, nonconformance resolution, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
- Apply Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles to improve quality, yield, throughput, repeatability, and efficiency.
- Develop scalable manufacturing processes, work cells, tooling strategies, material flow, and capacity plans as programs move toward LRIP and full-rate production.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and manufacturing personnel.
- Participate in MRB activities and provide manufacturing engineering input on nonconformances and corrective actions.
- Support technical discussions with suppliers, customers, and cross-functional teams, including design reviews and technical interchange meetings.
What You’ll Bring
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering from an accredited four-year university.
- 7+ years of manufacturing engineering experience, with significant hands-on responsibility in aerospace, spacecraft, or similarly demanding hardware environments.
- Experience supporting spaceflight hardware or spacecraft-related systems.
- Experience taking manufacturing activities from early development through pilot production and First Article.
- Experience with composite hand lay-up and/or lightweight structural assemblies.
- Strong experience developing MWIs, travelers, routings, and controlled manufacturing documentation.
- Strong SolidWorks skills, including tooling and fixture design.
- Hands-on experience with tooling development, fabrication support, 3D printing, 80/20 framing, and rapid prototyping.
- Experience working directly with production technicians to troubleshoot and resolve manufacturing challenges.
- Strong understanding of engineering drawings, GD&T, BOMs, configuration control, and manufacturing processes.
- Working knowledge of AS9100D, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma principles.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with engineers, technicians, Quality, Program Management, suppliers, and customers.
- Ability to obtain a U.S. Security Clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship.
Who We’re Looking For
You’re an experienced engineer who likes to build things and solve problems.
You don't wait for a manufacturing problem to become someone else's problem. You see an issue, get to the floor, talk to the people doing the work, understand what's happening, and figure out how to make it better.
You can spend part of the day at a CAD workstation designing a fixture, then walk onto the manufacturing floor and work alongside a technician to make sure it actually works. You understand that a process that works for three qualification units may not be the right process for 30, 100, or more flight units—and you enjoy figuring out how to make that transition successful.
Most importantly, you're looking for more than just a job. You want to join a team where your experience is valued, your ideas can make a difference, and you can play a meaningful role in building something that will be around for years to come.
What We Offer
- Be part of a team developing innovative aerospace technologies that support some of the industry's most exciting programs.
- Competitive salary.
- Top-Tiered Benefits, 100% of both employee and dependents are covered by the company = Medical, Dental, Vision
- Flexible Spending Account
- Retirement and Company Match
- Company-Sponsored Life and LTD Insurance
- Generous Paid Time Off Policy with up to 4 weeks in the first year.
- Robust Paid Holiday Schedule
- Professional development and growth opportunities.
Pay Range: $110,000 – $130,000 annually (commensurate with experience)
At L·Garde, you won't be one engineer among hundreds. Your work will be visible. You'll have the opportunity to influence how products are built, how processes are developed, and how the organization prepares for its next stage of growth.
This is a chance to bring your experience, take ownership, mentor others, and help build the manufacturing foundation for the company's transition from qualification hardware to sustained production.
If you're ready for a hands-on senior role where you can make a real impact, we'd like to hear from you.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, including individuals with disabilities and veterans, and participate in the E-Verify Program.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $110,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you have the ability to obtain a U.S. Security Clearance for which the U.S. Government requires U.S. Citizenship?
Education:
Experience:
- Manufacturing engineering: 7 years (Preferred)
- SolidWorks: 4 years (Preferred)
- GD&T: 3 years (Preferred)
- creating MWIs and controlled mfg documents: 4 years (Preferred)
Security clearance:
Ability to Commute:
- Tustin, CA 92780 (Required)
Ability to Relocate:
- Tustin, CA 92780: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
