Manager, Build Engineering - Commodities

HADRIAN - MANUFACTURING THE FUTURE

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost.

Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built.

Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen.

If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.

Role Summary

Hadrian is looking for a Manager, Build Engineering – Commodities to lead the team that owns how our commodity parts get made across machining, tube and pipe, and sheet metal. You will own new product introduction for these commodities end-to-end, from first article through qualification, ramp, and transition into standard production, and you will be accountable for the build outcomes of every engineer on your team.

Commodity parts feed nearly every product we build, so your team's work shows up across the whole business. Your team owns new product and new process introduction for these parts end-to-end. That means setting how they flow through the factory, defining the processes they need, and working across Supply Chain, Capability Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Tooling, Quality, and Test to bring them to rate. You will set one standard for how build plans, process definitions, and work instructions are written across all three commodities. Decisions made during NPI set the cost, lead time, and quality of these parts for their life, and the processes your team introduces become capabilities Hadrian uses on the programs that follow.

This is a working manager role, and the team is being built now. You will hire, coach, and level up Build Engineers across three disciplines while commodity cells come online. You will prove out processes and first articles at an existing factory before transferring them into our new factory in Cherokee, Alabama, and you will stay close enough to the floor to make a real-time technical call or step in yourself during a high-priority build.

Key Responsibilities

- Build and lead a team of Build Engineers across machining, tube and pipe, and sheet metal, and own hiring, staffing, and leveling decisions for the team.

- Own commodity-level new product introduction (NPI) outcomes, from requirements definition and subscale development through first article and stabilized production, for every part your team supports.

- Make sure your team interprets and defines product requirements from customer specifications, drawings, and contracts before build plans are set.

- Set a common standard for product requirements definition, build plans, high-level process definitions, BOM structures, work orders, and Opus work instructions across all three commodities, and for how they are managed in Hadrian's PLM, ERP, and MES systems.

- Tie the work of individual Build Engineers into one coherent execution plan, setting sequencing, prioritization, and risk mitigation across commodities and the product programs they serve.

- Make sure Capability Engineering receives complete, stable process definitions early enough to select equipment that meets rate and quality requirements.

- Own make/buy recommendations across commodities, balancing in-house cell capacity against supplier capability with Supply Chain and Quality.

- Drive shared development work across the team, such as subscale development articles, weld joint qualification (PQR/WPS), fixturing, and datum strategy, so each commodity doesn't solve the same problem separately.

- Partner with Supply Chain, Capability Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Tooling Engineering, Quality, and Test to unblock constraints before they impact the build.

- Serve as the primary escalation point for commodity build issues, resolving problems with drawings, tolerances, tooling, materials, and process flow in real time.

- Lead the transfer of qualified processes and first article builds from development into new production cells, keeping ownership explicit at each handoff.

- Represent the commodities team in program reviews, cross-functional planning, and leadership updates.

- Drive lessons learned across builds and transition stabilized processes into standard production.

Required Qualifications

- 6–10+ years of experience in build, production, or manufacturing engineering, including hands-on experience with new product introduction (NPI) or zero-to-one manufacturing efforts.

- 2+ years of experience leading or managing a team of engineers in a manufacturing environment, or a demonstrated track record of informal technical leadership.

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial, or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience.

- Hands-on depth in at least one of machining, tube and pipe, or sheet metal fabrication, and working knowledge of the other two.

- Strong ability to interpret and define product requirements from customer specifications, engineering drawings, GD&T, and contract requirements.

- Experience structuring BOMs, work orders, and work instructions in PLM, ERP, or MES systems, including engineering change and configuration management.

- Demonstrated success coordinating across engineering, supply chain, quality, and production functions to deliver complex or first-of-kind builds.

- Ability to make sound decisions under schedule pressure with incomplete or evolving information.

- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to align technicians, engineers, and leadership around a single execution plan.

- Able to work on-site at our factory and travel regularly to our Cherokee, AL factory, up to 25% of the time.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience owning a product or program from concept/prototype through production ramp at a high-growth manufacturing or hardware company.

- Background in precision manufacturing, machining, assembly, or inspection within aerospace, defense, or other mission-critical industries.

- Exposure to test engineering, materials & processes, or capability engineering functions.

- Experience managing a team through frequent design or priority changes.

- Familiarity with ERP/MES/PLM systems and digital work instruction tools.

- Lean manufacturing or continuous improvement experience.

BENEFITS FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES

- Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees

401k

- Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.

- Flexible vacation policy

- Equity

ITAR REQUIREMENTS

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

USE OF AI IN HIRING

Hadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy https://www.hadrian.co/privacy-policy.

CONSIDERATION OF CRIMINAL HISTORY

Hadrian will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable laws. We do not ask about criminal history on our application, and we do not consider criminal history before making a conditional offer of employment.

HADRIAN IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Hadrian does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental status, physical disability or any other legally protected status. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.