Senior Structural Assembly Manufacturing Engineer

About Electra

Electra is developing the EL9, a nine‑passenger hybrid‑electric aircraft that can take off and land in 150 feet, enabling direct, quiet, point‑to‑point regional travel. Headquartered in Manassas, VA, the company is backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and Safran, has filed for FAA Part 23 type certification, and has over 2,000 intent‑to‑purchase orders worldwide. The team of ~100 is moving toward first EL9 test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029‑2030.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Product Engineering throughout aircraft development to ensure structural designs incorporate Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) principles and support efficient, repeatable, and scalable production.
• Review aircraft structural designs, assemblies, drawings, models, and engineering changes from a manufacturing perspective, providing recommendations on producibility, assembly sequence, access, tolerance stack‑up, fastening and joining methods, tooling, inspection, and production risk.
• Participate in design trade studies, concept reviews, and design reviews, representing Manufacturing Engineering and identifying manufacturing constraints and opportunities early in the development cycle.
• Provide Manufacturing Engineering oversight and liaison support at airframe and structural suppliers, clarifying design intent, resolving producibility and assembly issues, and maintaining program execution.
• Work closely with the airframe supplier’s Tooling Engineering to define assembly tooling concepts, requirements, locating strategies, interfaces, and implementation plans.
• Review supplier manufacturing approaches, build plans, assembly processes, tooling concepts, and production readiness to ensure alignment with Electra’s engineering requirements and program objectives.
• Support prototype fabrication, development aircraft assembly, first builds, and production implementation, offering hands‑on Manufacturing Engineering assistance to resolve structural assembly issues.
• Coordinate technical resolution of manufacturing issues and nonconformances with Product Engineering, Stress, Quality, Supplier Quality, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders.
• Capture manufacturing lessons learned and supplier feedback from prototype and initial production builds, feeding those insights back into product design, processes, tooling, and planning.
• Assist structural assembly production ramp‑up by identifying constraints, resolving manufacturing issues, improving assembly processes, and driving improvements in quality, cost, schedule, and production rate.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of Electra’s manufacturing engineering standards, methods, processes, and best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Aeronautical, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related engineering field.
• 8+ years of aerospace manufacturing engineering experience, with significant experience in aircraft structural assembly and industrialization.
• Strong hands‑on knowledge of aircraft structural assembly processes, including metallic and/or composite airframe structures, drilling, fastening, joining, shimming, sealing, alignment, and major structural integration.
• Demonstrated experience applying DFMA principles during aircraft product development.
• Experience reviewing engineering drawings, 3D models, GD&T, tolerances, and engineering changes from a manufacturing and assembly perspective.
• Experience developing manufacturing plans, assembly sequences, work instructions, tooling requirements, and manufacturing engineering documentation.
• Experience supporting prototype, development, or first‑production aircraft builds.
• Experience working directly with aircraft structures suppliers or manufacturing partners and supporting production activities in a factory environment.
• Ability to work effectively across Product Engineering, Stress, Quality, Supplier Quality, Supply Chain, Tooling, and Production organizations.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to make sound engineering recommendations in a fast‑moving aircraft development environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to travel to supplier and manufacturing locations as required.
• Bonus: Experience with clean‑sheet aircraft development, major structural assemblies, assembly tooling, digital manufacturing tools (PLM/MES), supplier industrialization, MRB/root‑cause corrective action, and AS9100 quality management systems.

Pay

Compensation range: $130,000 USD – $155,000 USD. Total compensation includes performance bonus and comprehensive benefits. Actual compensation is determined based on experience, skills, and geographic location.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and equity
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance; short‑term disability, long‑term disability, and life insurance
• Generous PTO, sick leave, and company holidays
• Paid winter break
• 401(k) with immediate vesting
• Free catered lunches, coffee, snacks, and drinks at the Manassas headquarters
• Free on‑site parking