Engineering Manager, Materials Test (Manufacturing)

Location: Los Angeles, CA, United States; onsite. Travel to other sites is required. Candidates must satisfy ITAR eligibility requirements: U.S. citizenship or nationality, lawful permanent residence, protected individual status, or eligibility to obtain required U.S. authorizations.

Salary: $126,000–$180,000 annually, plus equity.

Company

hirify.global builds autonomous factories using AI, software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing for aerospace and defense companies.

What you will do

• Lead daily operations of the flagship materials test lab in Los Angeles.
• Hire, manage, and develop engineers and technicians while setting technical direction for materials testing.
• Select, purchase, install, and, where necessary, custom-design tensile, impact, hardness, metallography, chemistry, and specimen-preparation equipment.
• Define data collection, labeling, storage, traceability, work instructions, process plans, test automation, and technician training.
• Prioritize testing needs across welding, casting, forging, and additive manufacturing while managing lab safety and quality risks.
• Standardize and package the lab for deployment at additional factories and programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, materials, aerospace, or electrical engineering, or 8+ years of equivalent experience.
• 3+ years designing, buying, or installing test or manufacturing equipment.
• 1+ years leading engineers, technicians, or both.
• Hands-on materials testing experience with metals or composites.
• Working knowledge of ASTM test standards, relevant equipment, and their applications.
• Experience writing work instructions and process documentation for a laboratory or production floor.
• Ability to set and defend technical direction with teams outside direct management.
• Ability to travel to other sites.

Nice to have

• Experience establishing a new laboratory or testing capability from scratch.
• Experience supervising both engineers and technicians.
• System-level testing of hardware more complex than materials specimens.
• Test automation using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar tools.
• Experience in regulated environments with strict traceability requirements, such as AS9100, ISO/IEC 17025, or Nadcap.
• Experience rolling out processes or capabilities across multiple sites.
• 5S or a similar program in a high-mix shop.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment with medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
• 401(k), flexible vacation policy, and equity.
• Relocation support may be provided in certain situations based on business need.
• Work in a newly formed test engineering team building materials-testing infrastructure without a legacy framework.