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Production Engineer

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Own and structure the execution of satellite AIT production activities in a growing startup environment by combining strong hands-on technical capability with tactical planning, floor management, and scalable process development.

This role is critical in ensuring disciplined daily execution while building the production systems, infrastructure, and technician capability required for long-term growth.

About This Role:

- Deliver satellite AIT activities on schedule with controlled execution risk.
- Establish structured floor management and short-term production planning processes.
- Improve technician productivity and reduce avoidable rework.
- Ensure production and environmental test readiness with zero preventable delays.
- Implement scalable production systems, tools, and station setups to support growth.
- Strengthen training structure and competency management for technicians.
- Core Responsibilities
- AIT Execution Ownership & Technical Leadership
- Own daily execution of satellite assembly, integration, and test activities.
- Provide hands-on technical guidance and coaching to technicians when required.
- Ensure proper execution of integration sequences, configuration control, and documentation discipline.
- Act as first-line responder for production technical issues and anomalies.
- Support testing campaigns (functional, performance, software, environmental...) with strong execution control.
- Identify execution risks early and implement mitigation or recovery plans.
- Direct satellite AIT experience is a strong advantage; equivalent high-reliability aerospace or precision industry experience will also be considered.
- Tactical Planning & Floor Management
- Manage daily and short-term production planning and manpower allocation.
- Balance technician workload based on priorities, station capacity, and schedule constraints.
- Monitor bottlenecks and drive recovery plans when deviations occur.
- Optimize floor layout and workflow to improve efficiency and scalability.
- Provide real-time visibility of production status and risks to management.
- Production Systems & Process Development
- Introduce and improve floor management systems and execution control processes.
- Support creation, review, and continuous improvement of SOPs and Work Instructions.
- Contribute to the development of structured AIT execution frameworks and production governance.
- Drive implementation of lean principles and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Build scalable production processes suitable for future program growth.
- Station, Tooling & Infrastructure Ownership
- Define tooling, GSE, and station requirements for AIT activities.
- Support identification and procurement of tools and production equipment.
- Ensure production and test stations are operational, calibrated, and compliant.
- Contribute to the setup, improvement, and maintenance coordination of AIT stations.
- Support infrastructure planning in collaboration with facilities and engineering teams.
- Technician Leadership & Capability Development
- Supervise and support technicians across assembly, integration, and testing activities.
- Coach technicians on technical execution, quality discipline, and documentation rigor.
- Support the development of structured training plans and competency matrices.
- Promote a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous learning on the production floor.
- Cross-Functional Operational Integration
- Act as an operational bridge between AIT, Manufacturing Engineering, Planning, Supply Chain, Facilities, and Quality.
- Communicate production risks and propose corrective or preventive actions.
- Provide structured reporting on manpower utilization, workload, and station readiness.
- Support readiness for major reviews (e.g., production readiness, test readiness).

Must Haves:

- Bachelorʼs degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or related field.
- 8–12 years of experience in aerospace, satellite manufacturing, or high-reliability
- production environments.
- Strong understanding of assembly, integration, and test execution logic.
- Experience managing technicians and shop-floor execution in cleanroom or controlled
- environments.
- Demonstrated ability to implement or improve production processes and floor
- management systems.
- Strong tactical planning, manpower coordination, and problem-solving capability.
- Excellent communication skills and cross-functional coordination ability.

Nice To Haves:

- Direct experience in satellite AIT programs.
- Knowledge of NASA/ECSS standards and space-grade documentation discipline.
- Exposure to environmental testing (thermal, vibration, vacuum).
- Experience in ERP/MES systems and production tracking tools.
- Lean manufacturing or operations excellence exposure.
- Experience working in a startup or scaling manufacturing environments.

Orbitworks' mission is to make space simple for organizations that want to deploy physical and virtual missions to space. Building on Loft Orbital's heritage, Orbitworks will be the first commercial firm in the United Arab Emirates to mass-manufacture satellites. Orbitworks aims to manufacture tens of satellites annually and operates out of a 50,000-square-foot facility in Abu Dhabi.

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