Manufacturing Engineer

Who We Are

North Vector Dynamics is a Canadian-owned and controlled defence technology company specializing in precision interception, autonomy, and advanced propulsion. NVD is building a full-spectrum missile capability, from counter-UAS solutions to hypersonics, designed to serve and defend NATO member states and their allies and partners.

About the Role

North Vector Dynamics is building next-generation defence systems, and the CM70 is moving from prototype builds to a controlled, repeatable production line in a new Calgary manufacturing facility. We’re looking for a Manufacturing Engineer to design and build the tools, fixtures, equipment, and production methods that let us make our platforms faster, cheaper, and the same way every time.

Reporting to the Head of Manufacturing directly, you’ll join a small, hands-on team and own the hardware side of how we build: jigs and fixtures, gauging and inspection tooling, additive and machined parts, equipment selection and setup, and the design-for-manufacturability (DFM) loop with our Systems Engineering team. You’ll work closely with our Process Engineer, who owns routings, work instructions, and quality data, so that the process on paper and the tooling on the floor are designed together.

Your first big projects will be helping stand up our new manufacturing space, from layout and equipment moves to commissioning and re-validation, and turning prototype build know-how into production-ready tooling as the CM70 design baseline is frozen.

This is a ground-floor role for someone who is technically rigorous, happiest with their hands on the hardware, and energized by building from a clean sheet rather than inheriting a mature line. You’ll work side by side with our technicians and design engineers, along with senior leadership, and your work will define how North Vector Dynamics builds hardware as we scale.

If you want to build the machines that build platforms which will one day support soldiers in the field, save lives, and serve sovereign national interest - this role was written for you.

What You’ll Do

Tooling, Fixtures & Equipment

• Design, build, and validate assembly jigs, fixtures, gauges, and inspection tooling for the CM70 and future products, so every technician builds and checks the same way, every time.

• Specify, source, install, and commission production and test equipment, including additive manufacturing systems, machining, automation, wiring harness, and electronics assembly equipment as we bring more work in-house.

• Own our additive manufacturing capability: printer and material selection, print parameters and post-processing, part qualification, and the cost and shelf-life trade-offs that decide what we print versus buy.

• Set up calibration and maintenance plans for the tools and equipment you put on the floor, and keep tooling under identification and revision control.

• Lead tool control and point-of-use storage: tool check-in and check-out, shadow boards, and workstation layouts that support FOD and ESD control.

Design for Manufacturing & Production Support

• Partner with Systems Engineering on DFM and design-for-assembly reviews, BOM and CAD scrubs, tolerance stack-ups, and material and process choices, and feed what we learn on the floor back into the design.

• Support the move from prototype to production as the CM70 design is baselined: build readiness, pilot builds, first article inspections, and engineering change cut-ins.

• Be the first line of engineering support on the floor: solve build problems in real time, lead root cause analysis on equipment, tooling, and process failures, and drive corrective actions through to closure.

• Identify the constraints that limit how many units we can build per cycle (method, machine, material, and manpower) and engineer them out through better tooling, automation, and flow.

• Work with Supply Chain on make-versus-buy decisions, supplier technical questions, and qualification of machined, printed, and electronic parts from new and second-source suppliers.

New Facility & Continuous Improvement

• Help plan and execute the layout of our new manufacturing space: equipment placement, material flow, utilities, workstation design, and controlled areas for quarantine, calibrated tools, and controlled storage.

• Lead equipment moves, commissioning, and re-validation so production restarts at the new site with minimal downtime.

• Track cycle time, yield, scrap, and equipment uptime, and lead kaizen, 5S, and line-balancing efforts as volumes increase.

• Support our MES and ERP rollouts with tooling, equipment, and station data, and help build processes that meet AS9100 and Controlled Goods Program requirements.

• Step into whatever the mission demands: this is a startup, no two weeks will look the same!

What You Bring

Required

• A bachelor’s degree (minimum) in manufacturing, mechanical, mechatronics, industrial, or aerospace engineering, or an equivalent technical discipline from an accredited program and institution.

• 3+ years as a manufacturing, tooling, or production engineer in a hardware production environment, with a track record of fixtures, tooling, or equipment you designed and put into service.

• Strong CAD skills (Autodesk Inventor/Fusion, SolidWorks, or similar), working within a PDM environment, with the ability to take a fixture from concept to drawing to finished part.

• Ability to read, interpret, and create engineering drawings with GD&T, and to run tolerance stack-ups and basic engineering calculations.

• Hands-on experience with additive manufacturing (FDM, SLA, SLS, or similar) and with machined part design, including design for the process.

• Experience specifying, installing, and commissioning production equipment, and working with equipment vendors and integrators.

• Working knowledge of structured root cause analysis (8D, 5 Whys, fishbone) and lean manufacturing practices (standard work, 5S, kaizen) applied on a real shop floor.

• Comfort with data: tracking and presenting cycle time, yield, and equipment metrics in Excel, Power BI, or similar tools.

• Comfort working hands-on: building, adjusting, and troubleshooting tools and equipment yourself, not just designing them.

• Eligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance and registration under the Controlled Goods Program; active clearance is a significant asset.

• A builder’s mindset: you take ownership of the system, not just the task, and you’re as comfortable on the floor with a technician as you are in a design review.

Preferred

• P.Eng. or EIT designation, or eligibility for registration in Alberta or conversion from an eligible province.

• Prior experience in a UAS, aerospace, munitions, or defence manufacturing environment operating under AS9100 or a similar quality management system.

• Experience with industrial additive manufacturing systems and engineering materials, including part qualification for end-use parts.

• An electromechanical assembly background: wiring harnesses, PCB handling and ESD control, torque control, adhesives, or composites.

• Experience with automation, PLCs, or robotics, and with designing semi-automated assembly or test stations.

• Exposure to SMT/PCBA processes, or to energetics or explosives-safe manufacturing practices.

• Familiarity with first article inspection (AS9102), PFMEA, control plans, and measurement system analysis.

• Experience launching a new production line or facility, or ramping volume in a startup or scale-up.

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.

Why North Vector Dynamics

• Real ownership from day one: the systems and processes you help build will be foundational to how this company operates for years to come.

• We’re working on technology that matters at a national and global level, and every person on the team feels that weight and that purpose.

• A tight-knit, high-caliber team that moves fast, holds each other to a high standard, and doesn’t waste time on bureaucracy for its own sake.

• Competitive compensation and meaningful upside from joining an early-stage company at the forefront of the defence technology sector.

• On-site in Calgary, AB, a growing hub for tech and defence, with a culture built around resilience and getting things done.