Dfm Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future
Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost.
Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built.
Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we're building the future of American manufacturing-and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen.
If you're ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you're exactly who we're looking for.
About this role:
DFM (Design for Manufacturability) is the front of Hadrian's manufacturing system: the function that turns a customer RFQ into a manufacturability, cost, and risk decision. Every part passes through it before it reaches the floor, and how fast and how well that work moves directly determines how much new business Hadrian can take on.
We are seeking a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to own the operational engine of that function. You will lead a growing team of manufacturing engineers who assess and quote parts at high volume, and you will be accountable for how quickly and how reliably that work moves. This is an operations-and-people leadership role first. You will treat the quoting process as a production system: design the workflow, run the queues, measure throughput at every step, find and remove the bottlenecks, and coach a team through demanding, high-volume decision work while keeping them engaged and growing.
This is one of two Manufacturing Engineering Lead roles in DFM. You and a peer Lead will divide the team and its work between you and run the function as one system, partnering closely to balance load and hold common standards. How that division lands (by functional focus, by contract type, or by customer segment) will be shaped as the team scales, so you will help define your own scope as much as inherit it.
You will work across the company, partnering with Sales on intake and commitments, with Supply Chain and Applications Engineering on the inputs that gate quoting, and with the software teams that build the tools your team runs on. As Hadrian scales from two factories toward five-plus and expands into new manufacturing domains, you will build the operational structure that lets this function grow without losing speed or control.
Key responsibilities:
Workflow & Throughput

• Own the daily quoting workflow end to end: intake, triage, queues, and work-in-process
• Treat the process as a production system: instrument it, see where work hangs up, and remove the bottlenecks
• Design and maintain the operational mechanics (WIP limits, prioritization, intake metering) that keep throughput high and predictable
• Drive measurable improvement in quoting speed and reliability as volume grows

Performance Measurement & Operating Cadence

• Build and run the team's operating cadence: a daily and weekly read on whether the team is on track
• Define and maintain throughput and performance metrics at the process-step level
• Report performance clearly upward, and use it to drive decisions rather than just describe status
• Make the state of the function visible to leadership and to partner teams

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of manufacturing engineers
• Keep a team doing high-volume, decision work engaged, challenged, and growing
• Build the bench: onboard and ramp new engineers and develop the skills the function needs as it scales
• Set clear expectations and hold the team to them, so the team performs without constant intervention

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Own the working relationship with Sales on intake, capacity, and commitments
• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Applications Engineering, and other partners on the inputs that gate quoting
• Partner with software and product teams to improve the tooling the workflow depends on
• Manage stakeholders so partner teams trust the function's output and its cadence

Continuous Improvement

• Identify and drive operational improvements to how the function works
• Build repeatable processes and documentation that let the team run consistently and scale
• Contribute to how work is routed, prioritized, and escalated

Qualifications:

• 3+ years in manufacturing engineering, operations, or a closely related technical field
• Working knowledge of CNC machining and precision manufacturing, enough to lead engineers making manufacturability and cost decisions
• Experience leading people or directing the work of others (as a manager, team lead, or project/process owner)
• A track record of improving how work gets done: making a workflow, process, or operation measurably faster or more reliable
• Strong cross-functional communication and comfort operating in ambiguity
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent hands-on manufacturing experience

Preferred Qualifications

• A proven track record building and developing a team: hiring, coaching, and managing performance at scale
• Experience managing high-volume or queue-based work and the metrics that govern it
• Experience in estimating, quoting, cost engineering, or a similar decision-at-throughput function
• Deep hands-on CNC experience - machining, CAM programming, or CMM inspection
• Background running operations as a workflow (process engineering, production control, program or throughput management, or similar)
• A track record of keeping teams motivated through high-volume or transactional work
• Experience in high-growth or scaling manufacturing environments
• Familiarity with data tools and building performance visibility (dashboards, reporting, metrics systems)
• Experience partnering with software or automation teams as an internal customer

Compensation
For this role, the target salary range is $126,000 - $176,000 (actual range may vary based on experience and performance).
This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.
Benefits for Full-time Employees

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
• 401k
• Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
• Flexible vacation policy
• Equity

ITAR Requirements
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here .
Use of AI in hiring
Hadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy .
Hadrian Is An Equal Opportunity Employer
It is the Company's policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race inclusive of traits historically associated with race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin (including, in California, possession of a drivers license), ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, height or weight, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, exercise of reproductive rights, any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws, or any combination of the above characteristics. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.