Lead Production Technician (Aerospace)

TL;DR

Lead Production Technician (Aerospace): Building, testing, and integrating Xona spacecraft with an accent on complex mechanical and electrical assembly, quality control, and production coordination. Focus on leading hands-on technicians, solving assembly and test anomalies, and scaling repeatable spacecraft production processes.

Location: On-site in Burlingame, California, United States. U.S. export-control requirements apply; applicants must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or other protected individuals under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Salary: $35–$55 per hour, approximately $5,600–$8,800 per month based on 160 hours.

Company

Xona develops Pulsar, a low-Earth-orbit satellite infrastructure platform providing precise, resilient positioning and navigation capabilities.

What you will do

• Coordinate production activities, run stand-ups, support scheduling, and lead technicians by example.
• Assemble and integrate spacecraft components and subsystems, including electrical harnesses and mechanical structures.
• Perform cable routing, thermal insulation, soldering, bonding, torque-controlled fastening, and spacecraft-level testing.
• Conduct PCB handling, inspection, continuity and functional testing, measurement, documentation, and anomaly resolution.
• Maintain production equipment, QA test benches, fixtures, 5S/FOD controls, and ESD-safe work practices.
• Improve assembly and integration procedures to increase quality and production efficiency.

Requirements

• 10+ years of hands-on mechanical or electrical assembly experience, preferably in space, aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, or electronics.
• 5+ years in a lead role, including coaching, coordinating, and communicating with production technicians.
• Experience interpreting schematics, mechanical drawings, assembly instructions, and basic GD&T.
• Proficiency with hand and torque tools, multimeters, ohmmeters, DC power supplies, oscilloscopes, and PCB inspection equipment.
• Experience operating production and test equipment such as environmental chambers, deployment fixtures, lifting equipment, vibration and thermal cycling systems, and 3D printers.
• Must be eligible to work on U.S. space technology subject to applicable export-control regulations.

Nice to have

• Current or previous IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, or IPC/WHMA-A-620 certification.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on work in a newly built satellite production facility.
• Close collaboration with production, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and engineering teams.
• High-impact role supporting the scale-up of repeatable, high-quality spacecraft production.
• Inclusive workplace committed to diversity and equal employment opportunity.