Aerospace

Principal Production Systems Architect

Bothell, WAOnsiteFull TimePrincipal$165,000–$230,000 /yrPosted 11 days ago

Is this role right for you?

Upload your resume and get a skill-by-skill breakdown — see exactly where you match, where you're close, and what to highlight. Not a mystery percentage.

Get a tailored resume highlighting what this role needs.

Required skills

production system architecture
MES implementation
manufacturing system design standards
production process requirements
aerospace manufacturing processes
CAD
PLM
MES
manufacturing process fundamentals
MBOM structure

Nice to have

production system tools
production system practices
CAPEX budgets
OPEX budgets
resource forecasting
manufacturing cost tracking

Role summary

Portal is seeking a Principal Production Systems Architect to own the vision and implementation of a world-class production system architecture. This hands-on role requires close collaboration with various teams to ensure nimble, efficient, and reliable interactions between PLM, ERP, and MES systems. Responsibilities include defining system architecture, authoring documentation, establishing design standards, ensuring SOX compliance, and defining best practices for manufacturing engineering and CAD usage. The role also involves mentoring early-career engineers and ensuring compliance with GD&T standards. A strong background in aerospace production systems, MES implementation, PLM, ERP, and CAD is essential.

About Portal

Portal Space Systems is on a mission to expand humanity’s freedom of movement in space. We’re building the spacecraft that makes that mission possible. From our Bothell, WA headquarters, we design vehicles with the maneuverability, resilience, and adaptability needed for the next era of orbital operations. Every system we build is in service of a simple idea: space should be more accessible, responsive, and capable. Joining Portal means stepping into a team that believes in bold engineering, fast iteration, and the power of small groups to change what’s possible. If you want your work to directly shape the future of in-space mobility, join us.

Position Summary

As a Principal Production Systems Architect, you will own the vision and implementation of a world class production system architecture that combines the flexibility and agility of a startup with the configuration control and design rigorof a mature aerospace OEM. Portal is built on its ability to innovate and ideate instantaneously in an environment that demands precision and surety. Ensuring that interactions between the PLM, ERP and MES systems are nimble, efficient and reliable will be a top priority.

This is a hands-on system development role requiring close collaboration with enterprise IT, design teams, manufacturing, integration, test, systems engineering, and suppliers. You will be expected to move quickly, make sound engineering decisions, and own the interaction of production control systems with design tools, technician interfaces, and manufacturing resource planning.

Responsibilities

Build a bold vision for the production system architecture that will be the foundation of how other teams interact with and support the production system itself.

Author command documentation for design standards, standard operating procedures, process definition.

Define requirements around MBOM structure and composition including reconciliation with the EBOM.

Ensure system support of financial reporting tools including clear audit trails and SOX compliance.

Define how manufacturing engineering will interact with the PLM system and what configuration control looks like for production.

Create manufacturing artifacts to act as a single source of truth for process and production requirements as they relate to space craft hardware design.

Own the definition and application of DFx principles ensuring that hardware design not only meets ambitious performance targets but is also producible in the real world.

Define best practices for manufacturing engineering usage of CAD software facilitate the development of production system hardware, processes and more.

You will ensure overall system simplicity in passing manufacturing data from one sub-system to another such that engineers and technicians will not have to manually input manufacturing data that is already contextualized in the system.

Ensure that automation connectors attached to the production system maintain consistent contextualization with order numbers, batch numbers, serial numbers and more.

Define a robust integration of GSE design elements with MES system structure so that the tools something is built with seamlessly tie into the rest of the build definition.

Develop and mentor early career engineers into the next generation of industry leading experts ensuring that future leaders have a sound footing production system excellence.

You will be Portal’s foremost expert on GD&T per ASME Y14.5-2009 ensuring engineering compliance with the standard, developing and maintaining best practices as well as being responsible for mentoring others on the practice.

Basic Qualifications

Seven + years of professional experience defining aerospace production systems including MES implementation, manufacturing system design standards and production process requirements.

Demonstrated expert experience of aerospace manufacturing processes.

Strong CAD, PLM and MES experience in defining new and mature production system artifacts and interactions.

Experience in manufacturing process fundamentals as well as adjacent design and analysis principles as they relate to manufacturing requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Direct experience defining and executing production system tools and practices.

Experience owning and maintaining CAPEX and OPEX budgets as well as resource forecasting.

Understanding of financial reporting and SOX compliance requirements as they relate to manufacturing cost tracking and transitioning from development to production.

Experience defining spacecraft physical architecture and integrating propulsion, avionics, mechanisms, thermal hardware, payloads, harnessing, and other subsystems within a constrained vehicle envelope.

High proficiency with CAD and PLM software; Siemens NX and Teamcenter experience is strongly preferred, especially with complex interfaces to production system elements and tooling.

Experience with Teamcenter integration to ERP and ownership of MBOM development and reconciliation with an EBOM.

Experience with QMS systems accredited through AS9100 as well as other defense regulations around manufacturing such as material traceability and first article inspection.

Knowledge of spacecraft hardware design techniques, requirements and validation principles. Knowledge of spacecraft materials properties and specific processing requirements.

Experience with CNC machines, robotics and other production system automation.

Pay Range $165K to $230K

Compensation and Benefits:

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.At Portal, your base salary is just one part of your total rewards package. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company equity at an exciting time of company growth as well as potential bonuses. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage (premiums paid by Portal 100%), access to a 401(k)-retirement plan, paid parental leave, you may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 12 or more paid holidays per year as well as sick time.

ITAR Statement

This position may involve access to technical data and defense-related materials controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Eligibility to access ITAR-controlled items requires that candidates be U.S. persons, which includes U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and other protected individuals as defined by U.S. law. Employment is contingent upon verification of ITAR eligibility and, where applicable, obtaining any required export authorization or license.

Equal Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Ready to apply?

You'll be redirected to Portal Space Systems's application page.