Build Engineer I/II (Aerospace)

Location: On-site full time in Torrance, California, in the Los Angeles area. The role may require long hours and weekends to support critical milestones. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, or eligible to obtain the required U.S. Department of State authorizations under U.S. export regulations.

Salary: $90,000–$185,000 annually, plus equity. Mechanical Design Engineer I: $90,000–$105,000; Mechanical Design Engineer II: $115,000–$150,000.

Company

hirify.global is a Series C aerospace and advanced nuclear energy startup building mass-producible, inherently safe microreactors for terrestrial, underwater, and space applications.

What you will do

• Own development, prototype, and pathfinder hardware builds from planning and assembly through testing and as-built closeout.
• Plan assembly sequences, build flows, schedules, procedures, work orders, and configuration records using engineering drawings and 3D CAD models.
• Assemble mechanical and fluid hardware, install instrumentation and wiring, and support verification, validation, qualification testing, teardown, and post-test inspection.
• Design, procure, and build fixtures, handling equipment, development tooling, and quick-turn hardware; inspect incoming parts and resolve fit or quality discrepancies.
• Troubleshoot integration issues, document redlines, coordinate changes with design owners, and preserve requirements, interfaces, and design intent.
• Capture lessons learned and improve build documentation and processes for repeatable production and handoff while maintaining a safe, organized build area.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• At least 1 year of hands-on experience building, assembling, or integrating mechanical hardware; internships and hardware-focused student projects qualify.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and 3D CAD models, with experience owning a hardware build from planning through completion.
• Experience with collegiate rocketry, satellite, or similar project teams; proficiency in geometric dimensioning and tolerancing and tolerance stack-ups.
• 3D CAD experience designing fixtures and tooling; Siemens NX is preferred.
• Experience writing build procedures, travelers, or work instructions for flight or flight-like hardware.
• Hands-on experience with fluid systems, including tube fittings, valves, regulators, seals, precision cleaning, and helium leak checking.
• Strong understanding of bolted joints, including torque, preload, and thread locking; experience with manual mills and lathes, welding, brazing, sheet metal fabrication, and additive manufacturing.
• Experience installing thermocouples, pressure transducers, and strain gauges; building basic wiring harnesses; working with high-temperature, high-pressure, and vacuum hardware; and using PLM and ERP systems.

Culture & Benefits

• Equity is included in the compensation package.
• Work in a new 322,000-square-foot facility supporting collaboration, R&D, and production.
• Teams prioritize in-person collaboration and face-to-face engagement with customers, users, and stakeholders.
• Company values include systems thinking, end-user focus, challenging convention, acting where the work is, and operating in ambiguity.