Manufacturing Test Engineer

Location: Hayward, CA
Reporting To: Director of Manufacturing
Travel: Approximately 25%, including domestic and international travel as business needs require

About the Role

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace is seeking a hands-on and multidisciplinary Manufacturing Test Engineer to develop, implement, and support the test systems and processes required to manufacture our Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) reliably and at scale.

This role sits at the intersection of manufacturing, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and software. The Manufacturing Test Engineer will be responsible for translating product and engineering requirements into practical production test solutions, including test equipment, fixtures, test boxes, automated and semi-automated test methods, procedures, and supporting software.

The successful candidate will work closely with Engineering and Manufacturing to ensure that components, subassemblies, and completed systems can be efficiently tested, troubleshot, and validated throughout the production process. As KHA expands its use of external manufacturing partners, this role will also help establish and transfer manufacturing test capability to contract manufacturers in the U.S. and internationally.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Test Development

• Design, develop, implement, and maintain manufacturing test systems for UAS components, subassemblies, and integrated systems.
• Translate engineering and product requirements into repeatable production test methods and acceptance criteria.
• Develop test fixtures, test boxes, harnesses, interfaces, and other equipment required to support manufacturing and acceptance testing.
• Develop automated and semi-automated test methods to improve repeatability, efficiency, data quality, and production scalability.
• Support electrical, mechanical, electromechanical, and system-level manufacturing test activities.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual test effort and improve production throughput through test automation.

Test Software & Data

• Develop or support software, scripts, and tools used to control test equipment, automate test sequences, collect data, and evaluate results.
• Establish clear methods for capturing, reviewing, and retaining manufacturing test data.
• Analyze test results and failure trends to identify recurring product, process, or test-system issues.
• Ensure test methods provide clear pass/fail criteria and useful diagnostic information when failures occur.

Troubleshooting & Production Support

• Provide hands-on technical support during prototype, NPI, and production builds.
• Troubleshoot failures involving aircraft hardware, electrical systems, electronics, interfaces, test equipment, and manufacturing processes.
• Determine whether failures originate from the product, manufacturing process, test equipment, or test methodology.
• Work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, and Quality to investigate failures and implement corrective actions.
• Support root-cause analysis and continuous improvement activities related to manufacturing test and product performance.

Test Equipment & Process Control

• Develop and maintain documentation for manufacturing test equipment, procedures, setups, and operating instructions.
• Support qualification and validation of new test equipment and manufacturing test processes prior to production use.
• Maintain configuration control of production test equipment, software, fixtures, and associated documentation.
• Ensure manufacturing test solutions are reliable, maintainable, scalable, and suitable for use by production personnel.
• Support calibration, maintenance, and troubleshooting requirements for manufacturing test equipment as applicable.

Contract Manufacturing & Production Expansion

• Support the transfer of KHA manufacturing test equipment, processes, procedures, and technical knowledge to contract manufacturing partners.
• Travel to supplier and contract manufacturing locations to support test-system installation, production launches, troubleshooting, and process implementation.
• Train and support manufacturing personnel in the proper use of KHA test equipment and procedures.
• Ensure external manufacturing partners can consistently execute required production tests and generate reliable test results.
• Provide feedback to KHA Engineering, Manufacturing, and Quality regarding issues identified during external production activities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with design engineers to ensure products are designed with practical manufacturing testability in mind.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to integrate test requirements into production processes and work instructions.
• Collaborate with Quality Engineering to ensure production testing supports applicable inspection, acceptance, and quality requirements.
• Participate in design, manufacturing, and production-readiness reviews.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives involving product quality, test coverage, reliability, throughput, and manufacturability.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Professional experience developing or supporting manufacturing, production, or automated test systems for complex electromechanical products.
• Strong hands-on technical capability across electrical, mechanical, and software-related systems.
• Experience developing test fixtures, test equipment, test interfaces, or automated test solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex hardware and system-level problems in a manufacturing or engineering environment.
• Experience interpreting engineering drawings, schematics, technical requirements, Bills of Materials (BOMs), and other engineering documentation.
• Familiarity with common electrical and electronic test equipment and measurement techniques.
• Experience developing or working with software, scripting, or automation used for hardware testing and data collection.
• Ability to analyze test data, diagnose failures, and communicate findings clearly to engineering and manufacturing teams.
• Strong documentation skills with the ability to create clear test procedures, technical instructions, and supporting documentation.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership of technical problems, and drive them through resolution.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 25%, with the potential for more concentrated travel during manufacturing launches or production transitions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• U.S. citizenship.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government SECRET security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing manufacturing test systems in aerospace, UAS, robotics, autonomous systems, electronics, or another complex electromechanical industry.
• Experience supporting prototype builds, NPI, low-rate production, or transition into higher-volume manufacturing.
• Experience with automated test systems, data acquisition, hardware/software integration, or test sequencing.
• Experience designing or developing electrical test fixtures, harnesses, interface equipment, or test boxes.
• Experience with test-system programming or scripting.
• Familiarity with configuration management and engineering change processes.
• Experience with formal aerospace or manufacturing quality systems such as AS9100 or ISO 9001.
• Experience supporting suppliers or contract manufacturers.
• Experience working with electric aircraft, batteries, avionics, communications systems, sensors, or embedded electronics.

Personal Attributes

• Practical, hands-on engineer who enjoys building and troubleshooting real hardware.
• Strong technical curiosity and willingness to work across traditional engineering boundaries.
• Comfortable operating in an environment where products and processes are still evolving.
• Analytical and methodical when diagnosing complex problems.
• Self-motivated, dependable, and accountable.
• Takes ownership of problems and follows them through resolution.
• Adaptable to changing priorities and production requirements.
• Collaborative and able to communicate effectively across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and external partners.

Who We Are

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace develops the world’s longest endurance fully electric Unmanned Aircraft System in our size and weight category. We solve large-scale worldwide problems by providing persistent overhead services to help our soldiers remain safe in theater, provide rapid emergency communications for disaster relief efforts, enable search-and-rescue services to assist emergency response efforts, help protect endangered species, and provide geospatial data to assist in slowing climate change.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge UAS technology.
• Collaborative and innovative engineering environment.
• Exposure to the full product development lifecycle.
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and contact information. We will reach out directly regarding next steps.