Build Engineer, Castings

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.

The Role

Hadrian is looking for a Build Engineer, Castings to own large structural castings from the first design review through qualification, ramp, and handoff to standard production, whether we pour them, buy them, or run both paths in parallel. You are the bridge between the product and Capability Engineering: you interpret the product requirements, drive DFM, reverse engineer the product where the data is incomplete, establish the build flow and sequence, and hand Capability Engineering and the foundry a well-defined casting problem to solve.

You will own new product and new process introduction for castings end-to-end. Many of the hardest products we build start as a casting, and decisions made at the pattern carry through machining, weld, and final assembly. You set how each casting is made and inspected, define the processes it needs, and work across Design, Supply Chain, supplier foundries, Capability Engineering, Quality, and Operations to bring it to rate. Decisions made during NPI set the cost, lead time, and quality of these castings for their life, and the processes you introduce become casting capabilities Hadrian uses on the programs that follow.

This role works out of our foundry in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, a Navy-approved steel foundry with simulation, heat treat, NDT, metallurgical testing, and machining on site. You will be on the foundry floor for first castings and own the outcome of every casting on your products. The role is based in Kutztown, or in Los Angeles with regular travel to the foundry.

What You’ll Do

- Interpret and define product requirements from customer specifications, drawings, and contract requirements, and translate them into casting requirements, quality levels, and inspection needs.

- Reverse engineer castings and cast assemblies from legacy drawings, incomplete technical data, or physical parts to establish design intent, critical zones, and a buildable sequence.

- Review models and drawings for castability, including wall thickness, section changes, draft, parting lines, datum structure, machining stock, shrinkage and porosity risk, and NDT access, and drive changes before design freeze.

- Hand a well-defined casting problem to Capability Engineering and the foundry's casting design and simulation team, and review gating, riser, and solidification results against the product requirements.

- Define casting quality levels by zone and weld repair limits with Design and Quality.

- Own the end-to-end casting route, from pattern through pour, heat treatment, cleaning, NDT, weld repair, and dimensional inspection, to the handoff to machining.

- Place datums and machining stock so the first machining setup works the first time.

- Define the high-level process for each operation (alloy and condition, quality levels, heat treatment, NDT method and acceptance criteria, and cycle time against rate) and hand it to Capability Engineering complete and on time.

- Own design intent for patterns, core boxes, and inspection fixtures, each with a clear owner, location, and revision record.

- Build and maintain BOM structures, work orders, and Opus work instructions in Hadrian's PLM, ERP, and MES systems, and own engineering change and configuration control as the design matures.

- Bring Hadrian build plans and Opus work instructions into the foundry so casting work is planned and tracked the same way as the rest of the Hadrian network.

- Work with Quality, NDT, and metallurgical lab teams to set inspection plans and acceptance criteria to customer and naval requirements.

- Recommend which castings we pour and which we buy, write technical packages for buy castings, and assess outside foundries with Supply Chain and Quality.

- Plan and execute subscale development articles and full-scale qualification castings, including dissimilar-metal development where the design calls for it, and own first article delivery.

- Own disposition and root cause for new-casting non-conformances, and drive corrective action into the design or the process instead of the repair bay.

What We’re Looking For

- 5+ years of experience in build, manufacturing, or casting engineering with direct ownership of large castings from requirements through production.

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

- Experience interpreting and defining product requirements from customer specifications, drawings, and contract quality clauses, and translating them into build requirements.

- Working knowledge of large steel castings (sand molding, heat treatment, weld repair) and casting defects, deep enough to drive DFM and set quality levels.

- Experience reverse engineering castings or cast assemblies from incomplete technical data, legacy drawings, or physical parts.

- Understanding of NDT methods for castings (RT, UT, MT, and PT) and how acceptance criteria flow from product requirements.

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

- Strong GD&T and 3D CAD skills.

- Experience working on a foundry floor with melt, molding, heat treat, and inspection teams, and with outside foundries on first article approval.

- Able to work on-site in Kutztown, PA, or be based in Los Angeles and travel to Kutztown up to 25% of the time.

What Will Set You Apart

- Experience with solidification simulation software such as MAGMASOFT, ProCAST, or FLOW-3D CAST.

- Experience with HY-80, HY-100, or other high-yield steel castings for naval programs.

- Experience with Monel, nickel-aluminum bronze, stainless steel, or other difficult alloys.

- Experience with dissimilar-metal joints and cladded surfaces.

- Knowledge of casting weld repair and weld qualification (PQR/WPS).

- Familiarity with NAVSEA casting inspection requirements (T9074).

- Experience standing up a new cell, foundry, or factory while the product was still in development.

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.