Thermal Protection System (TPS) Manufacturing Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in El Segundo, California, United States. The role requires employees to be lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. and to qualify as a U.S. person for access to export-controlled technology.

Salary: $119,543–$152,749 for Engineering Level II; $140,333–$179,314 for Senior level. Additional incentives may include stock options and/or long-term cash awards.

Company

hirify.global develops commercial space infrastructure, including in-orbit pharmaceutical processing systems, reentry capsules, heat shields, and satellite buses.

What you will do

• Own manufacturing processes for ablative tile and panel preparation, bonding, densification, and closeout operations.
• Develop and maintain work instructions, process travelers, and specifications for TPS fabrication and installation.
• Implement surface preparation, adhesive application, and cure-cycle procedures for required bond strength and thermal performance.
• Collaborate with TPS design engineers on tile geometry, bond joints, tooling access, and design-for-manufacturing feedback.
• Define inspection methods and production quality gates for bonds, surface finish, and dimensional conformance.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for bond voids, tile cracking, contamination, and other TPS non-conformances.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science, Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• At least 3 years of manufacturing experience with thermal protection systems, composite materials, or advanced material bonding in aerospace or defense.
• Hands-on experience with ablative or reusable TPS materials such as PICA, AVCOAT, SLA-561, cork composites, or ceramic tiles.
• Experience with adhesive bonding, surface preparation, cure-cycle control, engineering drawings, TPS assembly models, and GD&T.
• Experience creating and maintaining manufacturing documentation for specialized materials operations.
• Must be able to work on-site in El Segundo, regularly lift 25 lbs., bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods.

Nice to have

• Experience manufacturing TPS for reentry vehicles, hypersonic vehicles, or planetary entry capsules.
• Knowledge of TPS inspection methods, including visual inspection, tap testing, and applicable NDE methods.
• Understanding of ablation rates, density gradients, outgassing behavior, environmental controls, and moisture-sensitive material handling.
• Experience transitioning bespoke TPS development builds into repeatable documented production processes.
• Experience with robotic or semi-automated tile application, reentry thermal analysis, or flight-proven reentry and hypersonic systems.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment with flexible paid time off and 12 paid holidays.
• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, with FSA and employer-matched HSA options.
• Parental leave, family-building support, wellness reimbursement, and sponsored One Medical memberships.
• 401(k) plan with a 6% immediately vested employer match and relocation support for new hires when needed.
• Daily lunch, twice-weekly dinner, company events, team-bonding activities, and complimentary EV charging.

Hiring process

• Leveling is determined based on job-related skills, education, and experience, with the role available at Engineering Level II or Senior level.
• Employment is subject to U.S. work authorization and U.S. person requirements for export-controlled technology access.