Senior Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Manager | Aerospace & Autonomous Systems

Senior Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Manager | Aerospace & Autonomous Systems At WingXpand®Locations:Chicago (Schaumburg), IL‍Type:Full-time | Open 6/29/26 | Close 7/13/26About WingXpandWingXpand is Expanding What’s Possible™ with Autonomous Systems, building long-endurance, backpackable smart plane drones and robotics systems that support defense, public safety, disaster response, and commercial missions. Our platforms operate across air, ground, and maritime domains, integrating autonomy, AI-powered sensing, edge computing, and networked systems to deliver real-world intelligence and threat detection. We design, build, and deploy complete systems — hardware, software, and data — and we move fast. As WingXpand scales, we are seeking high performers to grow with our team.Position DescriptionWingXpand is scaling production of the next generation of autonomous systems. We are seeking a Senior Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering Manager to build the factory, processes, and team behind our aircraft and robotic platforms. This is a hands on leadership role for someone who thrives on building efficient manufacturing systems, solving difficult production challenges, and leading teams that execute at an exceptional level. You will own manufacturing operations from prototype through production, developing scalable processes that transform engineering designs into mission ready products. You will work closely with engineering, supply chain, quality, and operations to improve throughput, eliminate waste, increase reliability, and continuously raise the bar for manufacturing excellence. This is a role for builders who lead from the floor, embrace ownership, move with urgency, and are energized by solving hard problems. If you want to help build one of the most advanced autonomous manufacturing operations in the industry alongside other high performers, we want to meet you.Key Responsibilities:Lead manufacturing engineering and day to day production operationsDevelop scalable manufacturing processes that improve throughput, quality, and efficiencyBuild, mentor, and lead a high performing production teamPartner with engineering to transition new products from prototype into productionDrive continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing, tooling, workflows, and assemblyDevelop work instructions, manufacturing documentation, and standardized production processesIdentify bottlenecks and rapidly implement practical solutionsCollaborate with supply chain to ensure materials are available to meet production schedulesTrack manufacturing metrics and drive data informed operational improvementsEnsure products are built safely, consistently, and to the highest quality standardsHelp build the manufacturing organization, systems, and culture that will support WingXpand's long term growth Qualifications:Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field5 to 10+ years of experience leading manufacturing engineering or production operations in aerospace, robotics, electronics, or advanced manufacturingExperience scaling products from prototype through productionStrong understanding of lean manufacturing, continuous improvement, production planning, quality systems, and process developmentExperience leading technical teams in a fast paced manufacturing environmentExcellent problem solving, organizational, and leadership skillsBias for action with a strong sense of ownership and accountability Additional qualifications:Experience implementing or operating within AS9100D Quality Management Systems.Experience with ISO 9001 quality systems and continuous improvement methodologies.Experience with configuration management and document control in regulated manufacturing environments.Experience leading internal quality audits and preparing organizations for third-party certification audits.Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S, and Value...