Role: Mechanical Manufacturing Engineer
Employment Type: Full Time
Educational Qualification: B.E./B.Tech/M.S/M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
Work Experience: Minimum 2+ years of experience in mechanical manufacturing, production engineering, or AIT within aerospace, automotive, precision manufacturing, or defence industries. Experience working with CNC-machined parts, structural assemblies, composite panels, or aerospace-grade hardware is highly desirable.
Role Description:
Mechanical Manufacturing Engineer in the Production group of the Space Department at Pixxel.
Responsibilities & Duties:
- As part of Pixxel's Production group, you will be responsible for end-to-end ownership of externally manufactured mechanical subsystems, including CNC-machined structures, honeycomb panels, thermal hardware, and Mechanical GSE.
- You will drive vendor-led manufacturing of precision CNC-machined components, including vendor selection, technical evaluation, process alignment, inspection planning, and final acceptance as per GD&T and drawing requirements.
- You will own vendor management for post-processing and surface treatments (anodization, coatings, etc.), ensuring compliance with applicable aerospace standards and Pixxel's quality policy across suppliers.
- You will be responsible for outsourced manufacturing and qualification of honeycomb sandwich panels, working closely with vendors on bonding processes, material selection, curing cycles, and inspection criteria etc.
- You will lead the development, realization and maintenance of Mechanical Ground Support Equipment (MGSE) through external vendors, including design coordination, fabrication follow-ups, validation, and deployment for AIT operations.
- You will generate test plans in accordance with Pixxel's Quality SOP and interact with vendors for the qualification of MGSE.
- You will manage procurement and qualification of standard mechanical hardware and tooling through vendors and distributors, ensuring traceability, compliance, and timely availability for production.
- You will own BOM management and production planning, coordinating closely with vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure material readiness, manufacturing timelines, and on-time delivery across programs.
- You will track and drive vendor performance and production KPIs (quality, yield, cycle time, delivery adherence), and implement corrective actions through structured Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
- You will ensure quality, safety, and documentation compliance across all vendor-delivered hardware, including inspections, certifications, process documentation, and audit readiness. Leadership & Strategy
- You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, including design, AIT, quality, and supply chain, to plan and execute manufacturing and integration activities.
- You will support the scaling of mechanical manufacturing processes by identifying bottlenecks, improving workflows, and implementing best practices.
- You will drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance manufacturability, optimize timelines, reduce cost, and improve product quality and reliability.
- You will interface with vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure alignment on technical requirements, timelines, and quality expectations.
Desirable Skills & Certifications:
- Strong understanding of CNC manufacturing processes (milling, machining, EDM, drilling etc), GD&T, tolerance stack-ups, and precision manufacturing practices.
- Experience with surface treatments such as anodization, alodine, passivation, and aerospace-grade coatings.
- Experience in composite and metallic honeycomb sandwich panel manufacturing, including bonding, curing, and inspection techniques.
- Familiarity with fabrication and handling of thermal systems, such as MLI and mechanical GSE design principles.
- Strong vendor management capability, including technical evaluation, process qualification, and performance tracking.
- Experience in BOM management, production planning, and driving manufacturing KPIs.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, creating CAD models, and technical documentation, along with strong inspection and metrology understanding.
- Familiarity with relevant standards such as ASTM, ISO/DIN (fasteners), MIL specifications (e.g., anodizing, coatings, corrosion), and ECSS for aerospace manufacturing.
- Experience with quality systems and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) methodologies such as 5-Why, Fishbone, and FMEA, FMECA, and ability to drive corrective and preventive actions.
Candidate Acumen:
A strong desire to work in an unstructured, high-growth, fast-paced start-up environment. Ability to deal with challenges and work out innovative solutions to tackle them. Building a team and guiding them towards success.
Benefits:
Health insurance coverage
Unlimited leaves & flexible working hours
Role-based remote work and work-from-home benefit
Relocation assistance
Professional Mental Wellness services
Creche facility for primary caregivers (limited to India)
Employee Stock Options for all hires
About Pixxel
Pixxel is a space data company and spacecraft manufacturer redefining Earth observation with hyperspectral imaging. The company's first three commercial hyperspectral satellites—Fireflies—deliver imagery at 5-meter resolution and 135+ spectral bands, providing 50x richer detail than traditional Earth observation systems and unlocking insights across agriculture, climate, energy, environment, and more.
Once fully deployed, Pixxel's constellation of 18-24 satellites will capture imagery across up to 250 bands in VNIR and SWIR ranges, with a 40 km swath and daily global revisit capability. Pixxel's most unique strength is its full-stack approach, integrating every layer of the value chain from satellite hardware and manufacturing to AI-powered analytics.
Pixxel's satellite constellation is complemented by Aurora, its in-house Earth Observation Studio that simplifies satellite imagery analysis and democratises remote sensing for all. Designed to make hyperspectral data more accessible, Aurora by Pixxel combines high-frequency imagery with AI-powered tools to generate actionable insights, even for users without technical backgrounds. The third pillar of Pixxel's ecosystem is its in-house satellite manufacturing capability. Beyond building its own spacecraft, Pixxel also provides satellite systems and subsystems to other organisations. This dual capacity sets it apart in a sector where most companies focus on either payload design or data operations, but not both.
Pixxel's team is young but deeply mission-aligned, with a culture rooted in curiosity, speed, and long-term thinking. As the company grows its constellation and expands Aurora, the focus remains on making space-based insights practical, scalable, and genuinely helpful so that the health of the planet becomes measurable and action becomes possible.
Pixxel was the only Indian startup selected for the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in Los Angeles and has been recognised in TIME's Best Inventions of 2023, Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, and Via Satellite's Top Innovators list.
For more information, see ourCareers page or follow Pixxel onLinkedIn andX/Twitter.
Culture
Pixxel is an organization where we enable our employees to work on world-changing problems that they are passionate about, and a place where they can be their best selves day in and day out while ensuring they have fun every day.
Central to our employee-first ethos is a commitment to ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard. We nurture a healthy and supportive work environment where we prioritise well-being and growth in all aspects of life
Link to Pixxel in Media
