Manufacturing Engineer

Manufacturing Engineer

Location: Playa Vista, California (in-person, five days per week)

Outpost is pioneering Earth return logistics for space. We're building vehicles that can return payloads from orbit safely and precisely—enabling faster space-based manufacturing, global delivery, and entirely new capabilities in the space economy. Our spacecraft is already backed by the U.S. government with multiple missions ahead. We’re a mission-focused team, building with urgency, grit, and care for the work we do and the people we do it with.

The Role

As a Manufacturing Engineer, you’ll work at the intersection of design, fabrication, and test—owning the processes and tooling that enable rapid, reliable hardware development. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who thrives in a build-heavy environment and can move seamlessly between the machine shop, vendors, and the engineering floor.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and manufacture ground support equipment that interfaces directly with spaceflight hardware.
• Bring a deep understanding of aerospace/aviation part manufacturing, precision assemblies, and production methods to support prototypes, test units, and flight-adjacent hardware.
• Support engineers and technicians through hardware development, prototype builds, test campaigns, and high-precision part fabrication across multiple materials and processes.
• Partner with supply chain to procure engineered hardware, manage vendors, and contribute to program cost optimization.
• Apply hands-on fabrication experience—including machining (lathe, mill, etc), welding, sheet metal work, and mechanical assembly—to build and modify prototype hardware.
• Personal fabrication projects or shop experience are a strong plus.
• Develop, implement, and refine manufacturing processes that improve efficiency, quality, repeatability, and safety in a fast-paced R&D environment.
• Interpret engineering drawings and apply strong GD&T per ASME Y14.5 and tolerance analysis to guide builds and ensure manufacturability.
• Perform or oversee CNC milling and turning operations, ensuring best practices across materials including aluminum, steels, titanium, and composites.
• Write clear work instructions, build plans, and process documentation to enable repeatable builds and support technicians.
• Execute in-process quality checks, verify tolerances, and ensure parts meet aerospace and government standards.
• Coordinate with machine shop personnel and operate machine shop equipment (lathe, drill, CNC) to support rapid development and iteration.

Qualifications

• 4–8+ years of experience in aerospace or aviation manufacturing.
• Strong foundation in machining, fabrication, materials, and tolerance control.
• Hands-on experience with machining centers, manual machines, welding, and mechanical integration.
• Demonstrated ability to work closely with design engineering and technicians in a fast-moving environment.
• High attention to detail and a quality-first mindset.
• Clear communication, documentation discipline, and the ability to train technicians on new processes.

Compensation & Benefits

• $120k - $165k, Salary may vary with experience
• Incentive Equity
• Annual Performance-Based Bonus
• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance
• PTO
• 401k with Company match
• Subsidized daily catered lunch, snacks and coffee

You must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 ,or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State