Staff Supplier Development Engineer - Structures & Welding (Aerospace)

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States; on-site

Salary: $170,000–$260,000 per year, plus bonus, benefits, and equity for regular employees.

Company

hirify.global is a venture-backed defense-technology company developing intelligent systems, including autonomy software, unmanned aircraft, and simulation technologies.

What you will do

• Lead technical development and performance improvement for suppliers producing welded assemblies, large metallic structures, sheet metal components, and complex structural assemblies.
• Conduct supplier capability assessments, manufacturing readiness reviews, process audits, capacity analyses, and onsite technical evaluations.
• Lead supplier industrialization, including manufacturing planning, tooling and fixture readiness, process validation, qualification, capacity planning, and production ramp-up.
• Evaluate welding procedures, welder qualifications, inspection methods, forming processes, tooling strategies, and dimensional-control risks.
• Drive design-for-manufacturability, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, lean improvements, and resolution of weld, forming, tooling, and assembly issues.
• Coordinate First Article Inspection under AS9102, supplier recovery efforts, alternate-source development, and communication of technical risks to senior leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, welding, industrial engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience in supplier development, manufacturing engineering, welding engineering, supplier quality engineering, or a related role in aerospace, defense, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience with welded structural assemblies, large metallic structures, sheet metal forming and fabrication, tooling, fixtures, or complex mechanical assemblies.
• Strong knowledge of welding processes, welding procedures, welder qualifications, distortion control, weld inspection, sheet metal manufacturing, engineering drawings, GD&T, and weld symbols.
• Experience with supplier audits, production readiness reviews, AS9102 First Article Inspection, AS9100 quality systems, PFMEA, control plans, process capability, and structured corrective-action methods.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance and travel to domestic and international supplier facilities.

Nice to have

• Active U.S. government SECRET clearance.
• Experience with aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, flight-critical hardware, or aerospace production ramp-up.
• Knowledge of AWS D17.1, nondestructive testing, aerospace materials, large-scale tooling, dimensional inspection, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, NADCAP, FAR, DFARS, or ITAR.
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Welding Inspector, or Six Sigma certification.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time regular employment with benefits, bonus, and equity.
• Work in a venture-backed defense-technology environment supporting aircraft and intelligent systems.
• Opportunities to lead supplier improvement, recovery, and production-readiness initiatives across domestic and international facilities.
• Offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.