Manufacturing Engineer Intern

About the Role

We are looking for a manufacturing engineer intern to support manufacturing, quality improvement, and operations.

Program Highlights

• Define, architect, and establish an optimized, efficient product flow of flight hardware through the Factory.
• Champion process improvements across multiple work centers to improve assembly operations and incorporate feedback and learnings for future Terran R builds.

Key Responsibilities

• Help drive the development of business tools and processes that will be used to manufacture Aeon R and Aeon V engines and their subassemblies.
• Work closely with other manufacturing engineers, technicians, and cross-functional partners to produce and test engine hardware to meet critical path demands.
• Lead projects that support precision tube fabrication, including introducing new technologies, new processes, and/or new methods.
• Design fixtures, select equipment, and author work instructions to enable production.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (engineering, quality, and technicians) to resolve manufacturing issues and implement process improvements.
• Document process parameters, best practices, and continuous improvement efforts to support traceability and production scalability for rocket hardware.
• Own part of a primary structure work center for Terran R, resolving barriers on the shop floor and keeping production moving.
• Collaborate closely with a diverse team of engineers specializing in design, manufacturing, and quality, as well as internal production teams and external vendors, leveraging their collective expertise to drive progress.
• Generate high quality work instructions, specifications, and best practices across multiple high-fidelity processes.
• Help standardize processes, reduce cycle times, and disposition recurring manufacturing discrepancies.
• Provide Design for Manufacturing feedback to structures teams throughout the development of current and future Terran R block upgrades.
• Support conceptual and detailed design of tooling assemblies, as well as procurement, commissioning, and initial trial builds to ensure tooling is delivered on time and with the right capabilities.
• Support manufacturing operations of non-metallic products and processes for the Terran R launch vehicle, including Thermal Protection Systems, Composites, and primer application.
• Drive several first build efforts through process development, assembly sequencing, and documentation authoring.
• Develop strong working relationships with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Production and other internal partners to support company objectives.
• Provide technicians, production personnel, and manufacturing engineers with responsive issue resolution and support for launch vehicle assembly builds.
• Participate in time studies, tool selection, and fixture design to enhance machining performance and reduce cycle times.

Qualifications

• Identify and solve tooling and work center needs and lead the efforts of standing up key Factory capabilities.
• Pursuing a BS or MS in aerospace, mechanical, manufacturing, or industrial engineering.
• Hands-on experience through labs, projects, internships, or hardware teams (rockets, robotics, Formula SAE).
• Strong collaboration skills across engineering, manufacturing, and production teams.
• Self-motivated problem-solver who balances a scrappy, get-it-done attitude with a vision for scalable, long-term processes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Internship or co-op experience in manufacturing, aerospace, or related fields.
• Machine shop, CNC machining, 3D printing, or CAD/CAM software experience (Siemens NX, Mastercam, Fusion 360).
• Familiarity with GD&T, technical drawings, and aerospace materials/processes.
• Experience with metal fabrication, welding, or precision manufacturing operations.
• Exposure to lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies.
• Project management or new product introduction experience in fast-paced environments.

Compensation

• $34–42 per hour.