Manufacturing Engineer, Battery Assembly

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that help aerospace and defense companies manufacture rockets, satellites, jets, and ships up to 10x faster and up to 2x cheaper. By combining advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we are reinventing how America produces its most critical parts.

We’re accelerating our mission with the launch of Factory 3 in Mesa, Arizona, a 290,000-square-foot facility creating 350 new jobs. We are expanding rapidly to support thousands of future hires, launching Hadrian Maritime to expand into naval production, and introducing a Factory-as-a-Service model that delivers complete systems instead of individual parts.

Hadrian is backed by leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz, our fast-growing team is united around reindustrializing American manufacturing for the 21st century and beyond.

The Role

Hadrian is expanding our battery pack assembly team and is looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to help bring our pilot battery pack assembly line from concept to a working, repeatable, and safe production line. This is a hands-on role. Working alongside the Battery Pack Engineering Lead and a small team of specialists, you'll develop and refine the processes, fixturing, and tooling that turn cells into qualified packs. You'll get deep exposure to pack and module assembly, cell joining, thermal management, test, and safety, with room to grow your ownership as the line scales.

What You'll Do

• Develop, document, and improve assembly processes across the pilot line: cell intake and sorting/matching, module and pack build sequence, busbar and interconnect assembly, thermal interface application, enclosure, and potting/sealing

• Support cell joining process development (laser / ultrasonic / resistance welding), including weld parameter development, qualification builds, and in-process verification

• Design and build fixturing, stations, and tooling for the pilot line, with an eye toward eventual automation on Hadrian's robotics and software platform

• Write and maintain clear work instructions, process control plans, and standard work for assembly operations

• Support electrical test, formation, and characterization processes, and help define and execute pack-level acceptance testing

• Implement cell-level traceability and lot control on the line, partnering with Quality on inspection plans and nonconformance dispositions

• Run root cause and corrective action on process issues, yield losses, and equipment problems; drive improvements to yield, throughput, and cost

• Support battery safety practices on the floor, including safe handling procedures, thermal runaway mitigation measures, and compliance testing activities (e.g., UN 38.3 transport)

• Partner cross-functionally with design (mechanical/electrical/thermal), automation/controls, supply chain, quality/qualification, and program teams to move the line toward production readiness
  

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, Materials, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field

• 2+ years of manufacturing or process engineering experience, ideally with hands-on exposure to battery pack or module assembly, energy storage, or another electro-mechanical assembly environment

• Working knowledge of at least one cell joining or precision joining process (laser, ultrasonic, or resistance welding, or comparable processes)

• Experience developing fixturing, tooling, or work instructions for assembly operations

• Comfort working on the production floor: building, testing, breaking, and fixing things yourself

• Strong problem-solving fundamentals, including structured root cause analysis and data-driven process improvement

• Ability to operate with limited direction in a fast-moving, ambiguous, build-it-now environment

• Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident) per ITAR; ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
  

What Will Set You Apart

• Direct battery pack or module assembly experience, especially in aerospace, defense, UAS, eVTOL, EV, or other safety-critical applications

• Hands-on weld development experience for tabs and busbars, including weld qualification and destructive/non-destructive evaluation

• Familiarity with battery safety standards and testing (UN 38.3, UL/IEC, abuse testing)

• Experience with electrical test, formation, or pack characterization

• Exposure to automation, robotics, or designing processes for high-rate production

• Experience with traceability systems, MES, or lot control in a regulated or quality-driven environment

• Experience in a high-growth or startup manufacturing environment

Benefits for Full-time Employees

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees

• 401k

• Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.

• Flexible vacation policy

• Equity

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Hadrian Is An Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the Company’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race inclusive of traits historically associated with race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin (including, in California, possession of a drivers license), ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, height or weight, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, exercise of reproductive rights, any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws, or any combination of the above characteristics. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.