Senior Manufacturing Engineer - DFM
Hypersonica Prod · London · onsite
Help Build Europe's Hypersonic Capability
At Hypersonica, we’re redefining what’s possible in European defence technology. We exist to deliver speed, resilience, and technological independence at a pace that sets a new standard. We are a small, elite team working on problems that matter, and solving them fast.
By joining Hypersonica, you’re not stepping into a predefined role. You’re joining a talent dense environment where every individual shapes the direction of the company. Our philosophy is to hire a small number of exceptional people with broad, deep technical capability, strong judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously.
We hire for talent, not rigid boxes. This role represents a business need, but the way it evolves will be shaped by the individual. If you’ve achieved what others said was impossible, or you bring a unique combination of skills that doesn’t fit a traditional mould, we want to hear from you. The work you do here directly contributes to Europe’s technological independence.
What you'll do:
- You’ll be the focal point between product development (Engineering) and industrialization (Manufacturing)
- Ensure manufacturing optimized design decisions from early project phases. Advise and consult the engineering team based on your expertise in manufacturing.
- Represent manufacturing in concept development, design meetings and design reviews. Flagging risks and proactively developing solutions and suggestions for improvements.
- Follow the entire manufacturing engineering process until full production rate to capture lessons learned and best practices from each program to implement into following design projects.
- Develop tools and processes to ensure an effective and efficient DFM process, supportive to Engineering teams and overall accelerating the time to market and efficiency.
- Suggest technologies and processes to be considered. Initiate strategic competence build-up if beneficial and required to a program.
- Work with vendors and equipment manufacturers to identify innovative solutions to manufacturing problems. Drive co-development for highly specialized processes & technologies.
- Operate as a manufacturing all‑rounder, bridging detailed process design with factory‑level thinking to ensure coherent design and seamless integration into the manufacturing system at exceptional industrialization speed.
- Identify process‑level risks and trade‑offs early, driving mitigations through design, analysis, or process changes.
- Produce and maintain clear documentation, including drawings, specifications, and design justifications.
- Act as a technically credible problem‑solver in ambiguous environments, closing decisions and keeping programs moving at pace.
Who you are:
- A senior Manufacturing Engineer with firsthand expertise and experience in manufacturing / assembly. Ideally combined with experience in product design or previous DFM roles.
- Experienced working on complex, integrated manufacturing systems. Ideally in aerospace, defence, or other high‑performance, cross functional environments under intense time pressure.
- Managing partners and suppliers proficiently and effectively. Motivating everyone to go above and beyond to achieve common goals and timelines.
- Dealing well with ambiguity and uncertainty, willing to anticipate, test and reconsider if necessary.
- Comfortable operating at multiple levels of abstraction from detailed design to work center‑ or system‑level.
- Experienced working on complex, integrated systems, ideally in aerospace, defence, or other high‑performance hardware environments.
- Strong engineering fundamentals covering process- and product design
- Pragmatic and delivery‑focused, able to make sound engineering trade‑offs without over‑engineering
- Comfortable collaborating across disciplines and acting as a technical integrator, not just a specialist.
- Hands‑on by instinct, willing to support build, integration, and test when needed.
- Calm and effective in ambiguous, fast‑moving environments where priorities evolve.
- Motivated by building real, high‑consequence hardware where mechanical and system correctness truly matter.
What we offer:
- A mission driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security.
- Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow.
- High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.
- A fast paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from test and flight drives real decisions.
- A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly.
- Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.