Engineering Manager, Tooling and MGSE

YOUR MISSION

We are seeking a Manager of Tooling & mechanical ground support equipment (MGSE) Engineering to build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of tooling and MGSE engineers across our Space Systems and Missile Defense programs. This is a people leadership role that also maintains your connection to the work through executing scope. You will own the organizational health, develop department best practices, standard process, requirements, technical direction, hiring, and career development of a team spanning entry-level through staff-level engineers working on spacecraft AI&T tooling, mechanical GSE, special test equipment, and missile defense integration tooling. You will partner closely with program management, flight engineering, as well as manufacturing and test to ensure the tooling function delivers with speed, precision, and quality across all active programs and balance stakeholder needs. If you are a seasoned tooling engineer who is ready to lead a team doing some of the most consequential manufacturing engineering work in the defense space industry, this is your mission.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Leadership & People Management

• Build, lead, and develop a team of Tooling & MGSE Design Engineers across Spacecraft and Missile Defense programs at GravityWorks Denver and Long Beach facilities.
• Own all people management responsibilities: hiring, onboarding, performance management, compensation reviews, career development, and succession planning.
• Partner with recruiting to define roles, calibrate levels, and close top talent; actively contribute to technical screens and hiring decisions.
• Set clear performance expectations and individual development plans; identify and grow future technical leads and staff engineers.
• Foster an inclusive, high-trust team culture grounded in True Anomaly's values of relentless ownership, intellectual curiosity, and first-principles thinking.

Technical Authority & Engineering Standards

• Serve as the engineering authority and escalation point for tooling and MGSE design decisions across all active programs.
• Develop and maintain tooling engineering standards, design practices, and configuration control disciplines; own the process from requirements definition through fabrication, acceptance, and production use.
• Establish design review cadence, perform technical checker duties on high-criticality deliverables, and ensure quality and completeness of all tooling data packages.
• Ensure the MGSE function is effectively represented at program-level design reviews (PDR/CDR); interface with program managers, chief engineers, and government customers on tooling status, risk, and schedule.

Program Execution & Vendor Management

• Lead resource planning and capacity management; balance engineer assignments across concurrent Spacecraft and Missile Defense programs and flag resourcing gaps to leadership.
• Own the vendor management framework: guide SOW/RFQ development, support source selection, and provide executive oversight of supplier performance across the fabrication portfolio.
• Drive DFM/DFMA culture across the team and into upstream hardware design organizations; establish formal touchpoints between tooling engineers and external stakeholders.
• Champion continuous improvement in tooling design efficiency, fabrication cycle time, and manufacturing repeatability.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related STEM field. Graduate degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience in tooling, MGSE, or manufacturing engineering within aerospace or defense, with at least 3 years in a formal people management role leading a team of engineers.
• Clear understanding of product life cycles and program execution – ability to develop execution plans with little information provided
• Demonstrated success hiring, developing, and retaining engineering talent across multiple experience levels (entry through staff).
• Expert proficiency in 3D CAD (CREO, NX, or CATIA V5) and PLM/PDM configuration management (Windchill or Teamcenter).
• Strong application of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and advanced tolerance analysis; qualified to serve as technical checker for team and vendor designs.
• Proven track record managing a complex tooling portfolio across multiple concurrent programs from concept through sustained production.
• Deep vendor management experience: SOW development, source selection, performance management, and disposition of non-conformances.
• Strong cross-functional leadership; ability to influence program management, flight engineering, manufacturing, and quality organizations without direct authority.
• Executive-level communication skills; experienced presenting to senior leadership, customers, and government stakeholders.
• U.S. citizenship required; active Secret clearance required. TS/SCI eligibility required for certain program assignments.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Direct management experience leading tooling or manufacturing engineering teams of 5 or more engineers in an aerospace or defense environment.
• Hands-on experience in both spacecraft/satellite AI&T tooling and missile defense tooling or GSE; depth in one domain or the other is preferred - meaningful exposure to the other is a added bonus.
• Experience building tooling engineering functions from the ground up at a high-growth defense or new space company, including role ladders, hiring processes, and team standards.
• Structural weldment design for aerospace GSE: weld joint design, AWS A2.4 symbol specification, distortion control, material weldability, and WPS/welder certification vendor qualification.
• Structural analysis capability (ANSYS, FEMAP/NASTRAN); experience qualifying lifting and handling equipment to ASME BTH-1, NASA SP-8077, and MIL-STD-882E.
• Familiarity with MDA program office requirements and DoD/MDA acquisition processes for tooling and GSE on classified or sensitive programs.
• Experience managing ATF Employee Possessor status programs and ordnance-adjacent manufacturing safety regimes.
• Active Secret or TS/SCI clearance.

COMPENSATION

• Colorado Base Salary: $145,000-$195,000
• California Base Salary: $150,000-$205,000
• Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to maintain or obtain TS//SCI clearance
• Work Location: this role will be onsite at either our Centennial, CO or Long Beach, CA location, with travel to other sites as needed.
• Work environment is in a standard office, working at a desk or in a production factory.
• Physical demands may include frequent standing, sitting, walking, bending, and lifting or carrying items up to 20lbs.

This position will be open until it is successfully filled. To submit your application, please follow the directions below. #LI-Onsite