Manufacturing Engineer

At Skyways, we are building the future of air transportation with fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Backed by significant funding, including a $37M STRATFI contract from the U.S. Air Force, we operate at the intersection of commercial and defense markets. We have designed, built, and flown aircraft with real customers and government partners, and are now entering the next phase of the company: scaling toward production.

Based in Austin, TX and supported by top investors including Y Combinator, Skyways blends rapid iteration with real world deployment. We design, test, and operate our systems in the field, then bring those learnings directly back into engineering and product decisions. As we grow, we are looking for builders and leaders who want real ownership, technical depth, and the opportunity to help take an aircraft from successful deployments to full production.

The Opportunity

Skyways is expanding rapidly, and we are looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to play a critical role in scaling our autonomous aircraft production. This is a high-impact position where you will be instrumental in developing, optimizing, and implementing manufacturing processes. Your work will directly enable the seamless transition of our innovative prototypes into high-volume, high-quality production.

What You'll Do:

• Collaborate with the engineering and manufacturing teams to develop and optimize manufacturing processes, tooling, and fixtures for scalable and efficient production.
• Provide design for manufacturing (DFM) feedback to engineering, ensuring cost-effective and production-ready designs for high-volume output.
• Partner with engineering and manufacturing teams to implement lean principles, advanced automation solutions, and continuous improvement initiatives, driving efficiency and quality across all production stages.
• Collaborate with engineering, supply chain, and quality to resolve issues.
• Document processes, conduct root cause analysis, and select equipment.
• Help manage interactions with Contract Manufacturers

What You'll Bring:

• 4+ years experience successfully scaling products from prototype to high-volume production.
• Strong foundational knowledge of various manufacturing processes, with particular expertise in composites.
• Proficiency in CAD software and a deep understanding of Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles.
• Exceptional problem-solving abilities, clear and concise communication skills, and robust project management expertise.
• Experience with ERP or MRP systems. For production readiness, we will be getting everything set up so that the ERP system can track aircraft builds, inventory, quality issues, individual parts, and several other things

Bonus Points If You Have:

• Direct experience scaling products within the demanding aerospace industry.
• Hands-on experience with automated manufacturing systems and robotics.
• Comprehensive knowledge of aerospace quality standards (e.g., AS9100) and certification processes.
• A background thriving in a dynamic, fast-paced startup environment.

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.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.