What are the responsibilities and job description for the Manufacturing Engineer position at Skyways?
At Skyways, we are building the next generation of autonomous air transportation. Our fully autonomous unmanned aircraft systems move cargo faster and more efficiently than traditional logistics networks.
Backed by strong investor support and a $37M STRATFI contract from the U.S. Air Force, we operate at the intersection of commercial logistics and national defense. Our aircraft are not just prototypes—we design, build, fly, and deploy them with real customers today.
Based in Austin and supported by investors including Y Combinator, Skyways combines rapid engineering iteration with real-world operations. As we scale toward larger deployments, we are looking for people who want to help build and operate the future of autonomous aviation.
\nSkyways is hiring a Manufacturing Engineer to help turn aircraft designs into repeatable manufacturing processes as aircraft transition from prototype builds toward scalable production. This role sits at the intersection of engineering and production, ensuring aircraft components and assemblies can be built efficiently and consistently.
Manufacturing Engineers work closely with design engineers during aircraft builds, helping improve manufacturability, develop tooling and processes, and support production as aircraft move from prototype builds toward larger deployments.
- Develop manufacturing processes for aircraft components and assemblies
- Create work instructions, build documentation, and manufacturing workflows
- Design fixtures and tooling that support efficient aircraft assembly
- Support aircraft builds and help resolve manufacturing issues during production
- Work closely with mechanical and electrical engineers to improve design for manufacturability
- Work closely with design engineers during aircraft builds to resolve production issues
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field
- Experience supporting hardware manufacturing or production environments
- Experience creating manufacturing documentation or work instructions
- Strong problem solving skills related to production and build processes
- Ability to collaborate closely with engineering teams to improve manufacturability
- Comfort working directly with hardware and production builds
- Experience with aerospace, robotics, or autonomous systems manufacturing
- Experience working with composite structures or lightweight materials
- Experience scaling prototype builds into repeatable production processes
- Startup or early stage hardware company experience where production systems were still evolving
Want to join our mission? Apply to learn more!
Due to U.S. government contract requirements, this role is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or candidates from specific countries authorized under applicable export control regulations.
Skyways is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.