Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. Founded in 2017, the company has spent the last eight years developing and deploying autonomous logistics systems for real-world operations. Our V2 aircraft carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles, while our next-generation V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000+ miles with 20+ hours of endurance. Both use a hybrid-electric architecture that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane, enabling long-range autonomous delivery without traditional runway infrastructure. Today, Skyways aircraft operate across three continents in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight and in support of U.S. military operations. We are transitioning from prototype development to full-rate production and scaling toward large autonomous cargo fleets. Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M AFWERX STRATFI award from the U.S. Air Force, Skyways is creating a new form of transportation to advance our civilization from Austin, Texas. The Opportunity This role helps scale aircraft production from prototype builds to repeatable manufacturing. You will develop manufacturing processes, tooling, and production workflows that improve build quality, efficiency, and repeatability across the aircraft. Your work will directly impact production throughput, aircraft reliability, and the company’s ability to scale deployments. You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, flight, and production teams to identify manufacturing bottlenecks, improve assembly processes, and support rapid iteration as aircraft systems evolve. The ideal candidate is comfortable working directly with hardware, solving problems on the production floor, and building processes that support both fast iteration and long-term scalability. What You'll Do: What You'll Bring:

5+ years developing manufacturing processes for complex hardware, including ownership of process or production workstreams

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field

Experience supporting hardware builds, integration, or production environments

Experience creating work instructions, assembly procedures, and production documentation

Strong troubleshooting and root-cause problem-solving skills

Ability to work directly with technicians, engineers, and production teams

Experience improving manufacturability, assembly efficiency, or production quality

Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

Bonus Points:

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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.