Senior Manufacturing Engineer

Helsing develops artificial intelligence-enabled capabilities to protect and defend democracies.  We are growing our US operations, cultivating an ambitio u s and committed team of mission-driven professionals to apply their skills to solve challenging problems.  

We are seeking an experienced Senior Manufacturing Engineer to help stand up our brand-new manufacturing facility in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and to help write the next chapter of our company's growth story.  

This is more than a job; it's a rare opportunity to build a factory from the ground up. As a founding member of our manufacturing engineering team, you'll own the design and implementation of process flows, tooling, and equipment that will bring our production line to life — working hands-on from concept through startup and steady-state production.  

Process & Production Line Development  

• Design, build, and continuously improve manufacturing process flows for new and existing product lines.  

• Develop and implement standard work stations, work instructions, and standardized processes to ensure repeatable, high-quality production.  

• Concept, plan, and design custom tooling, jigs, and fixtures to support efficient and ergonomic manufacturing operations.  

• Design and build custom test stands and fixtures to support product validation and end-of-line testing.  

• Lead the procurement of capital equipment, tooling, and fixtures, from specification and vendor selection through installation and qualification.  

Factory Standup & Production Support  

• Manage the timeline and budget for manufacturing engineering workstreams as part of the broader factory standup effort.  

• Support the startup, ramp, and stabilization of production lines, including troubleshooting equipment, tooling, and process issues in real time.  

• Set up and configure MES (Manufacturing Execution System) processes and work instructions to support production tracking, traceability, and quality control.  

• Partner with Supply Chain to ensure tooling, equipment, and materials are procured and delivered on schedule to support production timelines.  

• Collaborate with Quality to build in process controls, inspection points, and validation steps that meet product and regulatory requirements.  

• Work closely with Production to ensure process designs translate into safe, efficient, and scalable operations on the floor.  

Cross-Functional Collaboration  

• Serve as a key technical point of contact between Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Production teams throughout the factory standup.  

• Support continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies) as the factory matures from startup to full-rate production.  

• Document processes, tooling designs, and lessons learned to build institutional knowledge as the site scales.  

• BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related field  

• 5–10 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, ideally within aircraft or automotive production environments  

• Demonstrated experience designing custom tooling, fixtures, and test stands  

• Experience building manufacturing process flows and standard work stations from the ground up  

• Hands-on experience procuring manufacturing equipment and managing vendor relationships  

• Experience setting up MES systems from a process and work instruction perspective  

• Strong project management skills, with experience managing timelines and budgets in a fast-paced environment  

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