Manufacturing Engineer – CNC Programmer Operator

Description

Do you love turning designs into high-precision parts on the shop floor? We’re looking for a hands-on Manufacturing Engineer to take ownership of our machining processes — from first prove-out to smooth, repeatable production.

This isn’t a desk job. You’ll be programming, setting up, proving out, refining, and running parts. You’ll sit at the intersection of design and production, turning engineering intent into robust, repeatable machining processes — and your judgement will genuinely matter.

Responsibilities

CNC Programming & Machining

• Create CAM toolpaths for high-precision components.
• Design and implement fixturing for safe, repeatable machining.
• Prove out NC programs and bring them into production.
• Refine CAM programs for reliable, hands-off operation.
• Run production jobs and monitor quality, tolerances, and process control.

Design for Manufacture (DFM)

• Collaborate with design engineers to improve machinability.
• Review drawings for tolerance, manufacturability, and risk.
• Influence designs toward efficient, robust manufacturing solutions.

R&D & Development Work

• Support low-volume, time-sensitive, evolving parts.
• Work pragmatically with imperfect data — but push back if it’s unsafe or unrepeatable.
• Communicate clearly and use judgement to get results.

Production Lifecycle & Decision Making

• Decide the right level of effort based on part lifecycle (R&D, early production, mature production).
• Escalate risks when hands-off production can’t be achieved.
• Own your processes, communicate constraints, and ensure quality.

Qualifications

• Hands-on, shop-floor enthusiasm.
• Ownership, not just following instructions.
• You are a pragmatic, commercially aware problem-solver.
• Comfortable in fast-moving R&D environments.
• You can  communicate clearly and flag issues early.
• You are obsessed with quality, repeatability, and robust processes.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Dawn Aerospace, we believe that diverse teams build better solutions. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences are valued and supported to do their best work.

About Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company with a purpose.
Our mission is to enable the next generation of space users by providing more sustainable and scalable ways to access and move around in space. We believe this access, in the form of a transportation network, will fundamentally change what’s possible from space. We currently focus on three areas of space transportation:

• In-space propulsion
  We're a leading supplier of turnkey green propulsion systems for various classes of satellites. Our systems utilise safe, accessible propellants and we have over 170 of these propulsion units on more than 40 operational satellites already. A further 200 units are in production.
• In-space servicing
  Coupled with our propulsion expertise, we are ensuring that our customers' satellites are refuellable. In the coming years, Dawn will offer a refueling service to enable life extension of customer satellites. This new market is aligned with our sustainability goal to ensue a clean and safe space for everyone! 
• Spaceplane
  We are developing the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever to take off from a runway, combining the extreme performance of rocket propulsion with the reusability of conventional airplanes to enable high-frequency, low-cost access to sub-orbital space.

Our international teams are distributed across four locations: the Netherlands, France, New Zealand, and the USA.

Apply for this Job

Important!

If you think you have what it takes but are unsure that you check every box, we still want to hear from you.

To all recruitment agencies: Dawn Aerospace does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our job’s alias, our employees, or any other company location. Dawn Aerospace will not be responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.