Manufacturing Engineer

Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. We have been flying real missions with real customers since 2017. Our V2 carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles and our V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000 miles with 20+ hours of endurance. Both use a dual-hybrid design that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane. We are currently flying on three continents, in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight, and in support of U.S. military operations. Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M STRATFI contract from the U.S. Air Force, we are moving from prototype to full-rate production with a path to Program of Record. Based in Austin, we are scaling fast and hiring people who want to build the world's largest fleet of autonomous logistics aircraft. Want to join our mission? Apply to learn more! Due to U.S. government contract requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or candidates from specific countries authorized under applicable export control regulations. Skyways is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws. country: US all locations: [Austin, TX] commitment: Full-time department: Open Roles location: Austin, TX team: Skyways The Opportunity: Skyways is hiring a Manufacturing Engineer to help turn aircraft designs into repeatable manufacturing processes as aircraft transition from prototype builds toward scalable production. This role sits at the intersection of engineering and production, ensuring aircraft components and assemblies can be built efficiently and consistently. Manufacturing Engineers work closely with design engineers during aircraft builds, helping improve manufacturability, develop tooling and processes, and support production as aircraft move from prototype builds toward larger deployments. What You'll Do:: Develop manufacturing processes for aircraft components and assemblies Create work instructions, build documentation, and manufacturing workflows Design fixtures and tooling that support efficient aircraft assembly Support aircraft builds and help resolve manufacturing issues during production Work closely with mechanical and electrical engineers to improve design for manufacturability Work closely with design engineers during aircraft builds to resolve production issues What You'll Bring:: Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field Experience supporting hardware manufacturing or production environments Experience creating manufacturing documentation or work instructions Strong problem solving skills related to production and build processes Ability to collaborate closely with engineering teams to improve manufacturability Comfort working directly with hardware and production builds Bonus Points:: Experience with aerospace, robotics, or autonomous systems manufacturing Experience working with composite structures or lightweight materials Experience scaling prototype builds into repeatable production processes Startup or early stage hardware company experience where production systems were still evolving