Nesting Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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.

The Role:

We are seeking a highly skilled Applications Engineer with deep expertise in additive manufacturing to join our growing team. In this customer-facing role, you will serve as a technical authority for our LPBF solutions — guiding customers through design, process development, and workflow automation while managing programs independently from early engagement through qualification and production. Beyond customer work, you will play a key internal role in building and refining automation tools that improve the efficiency, consistency, and scalability of our additive manufacturing workflows..

What You’ll Do:

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers; capturing requirements, assessing feasibility, and translating program needs into actionable AM manufacturing plans.

• Lead DfAM efforts including build orientation, support strategy, topology optimization, lattice design, distortion risk, and post-processing-aware design decisions.

• Perform AM CAM work: build file development, support generation, nesting, process parameter selection, and print plan optimization for PBF-LB systems.

• Design and develop internal automation tools that streamline DfAM and CAM workflows; reducing manual effort, enforcing best practices, and scaling repeatability across programs; additionally deploy these tools in direct support of customer programs.

• Apply AM simulation tools; thermal, distortion, residual stress, and structural validation; to inform design decisions and de-risk builds.

• Support process development including parameter selection, DOE, process control, and PBF-LB technology maturation with internal teams.

• Coordinate across post-processing (heat treat, HIP, machining, support removal, finishing) to ensure end-to-end manufacturability.

• Assist with qualification planning, validation builds, acceptance criteria, and data packages for customer and aerospace program release.

• Manage assigned projects independently; defining scope, setting milestones, and delivering results with minimal oversight.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with sales, engineering, quality, and operations to translate customer requirements into effective AM solutions.

• Document processes, build records, lessons learned, and best practices to support continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.

What We’re Looking For:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Materials, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience).

• 8+ years of experience in metal additive manufacturing applications engineering, process engineering, or manufacturing engineering, including experience in customer-facing technical roles.

• 2+ years of people leadership experience, including managing or leading technical teams.

• Demonstrated hands-on experience with metal additive manufacturing processes (e.g., laser powder bed fusion), including parameter development, build planning, powder handling, post-processing integration, and production ramp.

• Experience supporting parts and processes from prototype through qualification and full-rate production, including documentation, inspection strategy, process control, and readiness criteria.

What Will Set You Apart:

• Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline.

• Experience working within aerospace, defense, or other regulated manufacturing environments with structured qualification and customer approval processes.

• Experience developing standardized application playbooks, parameter libraries, or design guidelines that scale across programs or sites.

• Demonstrated experience presenting technical strategies and performance outcomes to customer engineering teams and executive stakeholders.

Compensation:

For this role, the target salary range is $150,000 - $200,000 (actual range may vary based on experience).

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.

• 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

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.

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.

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.