Lead Build Engineer, Avionics

About the role

Mach Industries is a rapidly growing defense technology company focused on developing next-generation autonomous defense platforms. The Lead Build Engineer for Avionics role is essential for driving the successful development, integration, manufacturing, and scaling of avionics systems across our unmanned platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary manufacturing and build engineering owner for avionics systems across multiple products.
• Drive avionics hardware from development through qualification and production.
• Partner closely with Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Flight Test, Supply Chain, Quality, and Production teams.
• Develop manufacturing strategies, assembly processes, work instructions, and test methodologies for avionics hardware.
• Lead design-for-manufacturing (DFM), design-for-test (DFT), and design-for-assembly (DFA) efforts during product development.
• Own avionics integration readiness, including BOM maturity, documentation release, tooling requirements, production planning, and test equipment readiness.
• Identify and resolve production issues through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Develop and execute manufacturing readiness reviews and production gate reviews.
• Design and deploy production test systems, acceptance testing strategies, and avionics validation processes.
• Analyze yield, reliability, cycle time, and production performance data to improve manufacturing outcomes.
• Support qualification testing, environmental testing, and flight test campaigns.
• Work directly on the production floor supporting technicians and operators during builds and integration activities.
• Help establish scalable avionics manufacturing processes capable of supporting high-rate production.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of experience developing, integrating, manufacturing, or testing complex avionics systems.
• Experience with one or more of the following: Flight computers, Embedded electronics, Navigation systems, Communications systems, Power distribution systems, Sensors and payload electronics.
• Experience supporting hardware through development, qualification, and production.
• Strong understanding of PCBAs, wire harnesses, connectors, and electrical integration practices.
• Experience developing manufacturing processes and production test systems.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot hardware issues in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent cross-functional communication and project execution skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing avionics for aerospace, autonomous systems, defense, launch vehicles, satellites, robotics, or automotive products.
• Experience with environmental qualification testing and flight hardware certification.
• Experience with production test equipment, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and automated acceptance testing.
• Familiarity with RF systems, telemetry systems, or mission communications hardware.
• Experience with MES, ERP, or digital manufacturing systems.
• Experience scaling products from prototype builds to sustained production.