Senior Manufacturing Specialist at Firestorm in San Diego, CA

Job description

Who We Are At Firestorm, we're on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors—regardless of their defense budget—through innovative, cost-efficient technologies. We call this vision "democratized deterrence." As a VC-backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we're pioneering the development of mission-adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators. By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we're pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world-class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost. Join us at Firestorm as we redefine defense procurement, making cutting-edge technology accessible to all at a fraction of the cost. About the Role Every aircraft program has a gap between what engineering releases and what a technician can actually build. This role exists to close it. As a Senior Manufacturing Specialist, you are the connective tissue between design engineering and the shop floor. You'll take released CAD, drawings, and BOMs and turn them into work that a technician can execute the same way twice — routings, travelers, manufacturing BOMs, and step-level work instructions, backed by the tooling and fixtures needed to hold tolerance at rate. Then you'll stand at the bench during the first builds and find out where you got it wrong. This is a builder's job, not a desk job. You'll spend real time on the floor with a torque driver in your hand. You'll also spend real time redlining documentation, arguing a manufacturability issue back to a design engineer, and laying out a cell that flows. We are looking for two decades of aircraft manufacturing judgment — the kind you get from building airplanes, not from a classroom. No degree is required for this role. You'll work across the full arc of a product: new aircraft coming out of development, first articles, engineering builds, and platforms already running at rate. The processes you write and the tooling you build here are what we package and stand up at our forward production sites, so the work travels well beyond San Diego. What You'll Do · Turn released engineering data into production-ready manufacturing planning: work orders, routings and travelers, manufacturing BOMs, and detailed work instructions. · Author and maintain step-level work instructions in our digital work instruction system, linked to CAD, and keep them current as the configuration moves. · Interpret and enforce aerospace specifications governing manufacturing processes, engineering requirements, and quality systems; verify the build conforms to what the spec actually calls for. · Plan and support first article and engineering builds. Work the bench alongside technicians, capture every deviation, and drive redlines and change actions to closure. · Design, source, build, and prove out tooling, jigs, fixtures, and gages — from identifying the need through shop acceptance and first use. · Perform hands-on aircraft assembly and integration: bonded and fastened composite and metallic structure, finishing, propulsion installation, and mechanical/electrical integration. · Lay out and optimize work cells. Sequence standard work, balance stations against a target rate, and eliminate the motion, waiting, and rework nobody has gotten around to fixing. · Own the manufacturing side of new product introduction — take a platform from design through NPI verification and into full rate production without dropping the process detail on the way. · Partner with Quality on inspection methods, buy-off points, first article inspection, and nonconformance disposition. Build inspection requirements into the plan rather than bolting them on after. · Train technicians to the documented method and confirm they can execute it. Where the method is wrong, fix the method. · Feed manufacturability and producibil