Impulse Space

Manager, Opto-Mechanical Manufacturing

Posted 11 Hours Ago

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Redondo Beach, CA, USA

In-Office

175K-205K Annually

Senior level

Aerospace • Software

The Role

Lead opto-mechanical manufacturing across the company, including recruiting and mentoring engineers and technicians, designing production lines and alignment tooling, optimizing metrology and manufacturing processes, and establishing cleanroom and acceptance-testing capabilities. Collaborate with optical and mechanical design teams on manufacturability, DFM/DFA, and design reviews. Drive improvements in production rate, quality, reliability, and space-qualified hardware testing.

Summary Generated by Built In

As the Manager, Opto-Mechanical Manufacturing at Impulse, you will provide leadership and mentorship to a team of opto-mechanical manufacturing engineers. You will own opto-mechanical manufacturing across the company for all our products. Your leadership will directly impact the performance and reliability of all vehicles we send into orbit.

Responsibilities

Recruit and lead a team of opto-mechanical manufacturing engineers and technicians, including providing mentorship and developing the team
Provide guidance to a team of engineers designing manufacturing lines for star trackers, cameras and sun sensors
Develop and optimize metrology processes for opto-mechanical assemblies in production
Design tooling for alignment of lens assemblies and drive assembly and ATP of opto-mechanical assemblies
Collaborate with optical design engineers to ensure manufacturability, DFM/DFA of optical assemblies, including custom spherical and aspherical lenses/mirrors
Streamline manufacturing processes while improving rate, quality and reliability
Stand up a new cleanroom for the production of opto-mechanical devices
Build up acceptance testing (ATP) capability of opto-mechanical hardware, including functional and environmental testing
Lead the effort in collaborating with design engineers to ensure manufacturability and provide input in PDR and CDR reviews
Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to drive innovation

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelors' degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or related field
6+ years of demonstrated opto-mechanical manufacturing experience (or related field), preferably in a high-reliability environment
6+ years of optical metrology equipment experience, such as centration measurements, interferometry and wavefront sensors
3+ years of experience in a people management role
Strong track record of and commitment to developing and mentoring people
Deep understanding of manufacturing processes and materials used in opto-mechanical manufacturing
Familiar with mechanical design and GD&T using NX and Teamcenter

Preferred Skills and Experience

MS/PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or related field
6+ years of demonstrated manufacturing experience in opto-mechanical manufacturing for space applications
6+ years of experience in a people management role
Experience with scaling up a team in a startup environment
Knowledge of thermal cycling, vibration and TVAC for space applications
Experience with adhesives, glasses, ceramics and metals used for space applications
Knowledge of theodolites, autocollimators, laser trackers and basic planar optical alignment
Knowledge of setting testing light sources, including solar simulators, laser diodes and black body sources
Knowledge of finite and infinite conjugate lens set-ups
Knowledge of both refractive and reflective methods of collimation

Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

About
Impulse Space, the in-space transportation company founded by Tom Mueller, is opening access beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with its fleet of in-space transportation vehicles. The high-energy Helios vehicle unlocks orbits beyond LEO with its powerful Deneb engine, dropping off payloads in MEO, GEO, heliocentric, lunar, and other planetary orbits. The flight-proven Mira vehicle uses a nontoxic, high-impulse chemical propulsion system to offer orbital transport, constellation deployment, and precision reentry services to customers throughout LEO. Led by a team that delivered the most reliable rockets in history, Impulse provides economical and efficient in-space transportation by reliably and rapidly getting customers where they want to go.

Skills Required

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
6+ years of opto-mechanical manufacturing experience or a related field
6+ years of optical metrology equipment experience, including centration measurements, interferometry, and wavefront sensors
3+ years of experience in a people management role
Strong record of and commitment to developing and mentoring people
Deep understanding of manufacturing processes and materials used in opto-mechanical manufacturing
Familiarity with mechanical design and GD&T using NX and Teamcenter
MS or PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
6+ years of opto-mechanical manufacturing experience for space applications
6+ years of experience in a people management role
Experience scaling a team in a startup environment
Knowledge of thermal cycling, vibration, and TVAC for space applications
Experience with adhesives, glasses, ceramics, and metals used for space applications
Knowledge of theodolites, autocollimators, laser trackers, and basic planar optical alignment
Knowledge of testing light sources, including solar simulators, laser diodes, and black body sources
Knowledge of finite and infinite conjugate lens setups
Knowledge of refractive and reflective methods of collimation