---
title: 'Manufacturing Test Engineer at KH Aerospace'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-test-engineer-kh-aerospace-hayward-mdxm9cpqwhd0'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-14'
---

# Manufacturing Test Engineer at KH Aerospace

- **Company:** KH Aerospace
- **Location:** Hayward, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-09-23
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/khaerospace/jobs/4737317005

## Job description

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) is an aerospace company specializing in long-endurance unmanned aerial platforms for a wide variety of industries. KHA supports a number of customers to carry out missions involving aerial reconnaissance, survey, communication relay and communications provisioning. Endurance, enabled by effective design, is key to these applications and KHA aircraft utilize cutting-edge aircraft design together with on-board intelligence to deliver value for these customers.

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.

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, Inc. (“Company”) collects and uses Personal Information (as defined by the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”)) for human resources, employment, health and safety, and business-related purposes and to be in legal compliance. For more information, please read the full [notice](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZYLxxUzH5V5Vew7FmM4ho5og3Jr9gHVr/view?usp=sharing).

If you are an EU applicant, by sharing your personal information with Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, Inc. you hereby (a) acknowledge and consent to the international transfer of your personal information to the United States, despite the risks associated due to the absence of an adequacy decision and appropriate safeguards, and (b) acknowledge that you have carefully read and understood this [notice](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A2YkRHyWbcV_nMnOQry2vXHvKLQvb-Ul/view?usp=sharing).

## EEO Statement

Kraus Hamdani Aerospace is committed to providing Equal Opportunity in Employment, to all applicants and employees regardless of, race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, military status, veteran status, handicap, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.

## About KH Aerospace

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KH Aerospace) develops ultra-long-endurance, fully electric, AI-powered unmanned aerial systems for persistent airborne infrastructure, defense, and emergency response missions.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage; total funding $2.3M)
- **Headquarters**: Emeryville, California, United States (with offices in Hayward, CA; Reno, NV; and Glasgow, UK)
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Stefan Kraus (CTO) and Fatema Hamdani (CEO)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Defense & Space / Aerospace Manufacturing
- **Target Customers**: U.S. and allied military, national security agencies, emergency response organizations, critical infrastructure operators, and commercial geospatial/data customers (B2G, B2B)
- **Mission Statement**: “To empower the people responsible for national security, critical infrastructure, and emergency response with the trusted autonomous systems and persistent connectivity they need to operate with confidence in any environment.”

## Products & Services
- **K1000ULE**: Ultra-long-endurance, fully electric, AI-enabled unmanned aerial system (UAS). Proven in operational environments (world record flight of 75 hours, 53 minutes). On DIU’s Blue UAS Cleared & Select Lists. No runway required, no fuel logistics.
- **ATNE++ (Aerial Tier Network Extension ++)**: Airborne communications mesh that provides self-healing, multi-waveform voice and data bridging across legacy and modern tactical data links. Supports connectivity across sea, land, air, and space.
- **MD-ACT (Multi-Domain Autonomous Collaborative Teaming)**: AI-driven coordination of manned and unmanned platforms across domains, reducing operator cognitive load and optimizing mission outcomes.
- **Autonomous Tasking / Persistent Monitoring**: Real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance for defense, oil & gas pipeline monitoring, environmental data collection, and disaster response.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Total Funding**: $2.3 million (Seed round of $1.5M in March 2016; government grant of ~$799k in January 2021)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Integrated into U.S. Army’s Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) ecosystem via Anduril’s Lattice platform. Listed on DIU Blue UAS Cleared & Select Lists. Partners include U.S. Customs, AEWE (Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment).
- **Growth Signals**: 45 employees (as of mid-2025), with offices in the US, UK, Switzerland, and Australia. LinkedIn follower growth of +41.4% year-over-year. Proven operational deployments with government and commercial customers (over 6k hours flown globally). Team includes many military veterans and former defense/aerospace engineers.

## Competitive Advantages
- **World’s longest endurance fully electric UAS** in its size/weight class (75+ hour flight record).
- **No runway required** – vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability.
- **Solar-assisted, zero-emissions** – onboard AI enables silent gliding and energy harvesting.
- **Self-healing mesh network** (ATNE++) ensures resilient comms in contested/denied environments.
- **Blue UAS Cleared & Select status** accelerates military procurement.
- **Operator cognitive offload** through AI-driven multi-domain teaming.

## Strategic Focus
- Continue scaling production and fielding of the K1000ULE for defense and national security missions.
- Expand ATNE++ integration across joint and allied forces to become a standard airborne communications bridge.
- Develop autonomous teaming capabilities (MD-ACT) for manned-unmanned collaboration.
- Pursue commercial applications (pipeline monitoring, environmental sensing, disaster communications) while maintaining core defense focus.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: “Mission First. Team Built.” – many employees are engineers, technologists, and military veterans united by a purpose to save lives and support critical missions.
- **Impactful work**: Build next-generation autonomous aerospace systems that are already deployed and battle-tested.
- **Growth environment**: Privately held with a dedicated team (~45 people across multiple locations); opportunities to take ownership in engineering, manufacturing, and operations.
- **Work locations**: Offices in Emeryville/Hayward, CA; Reno, NV; and Glasgow, UK. Engineering roles are on-site (manufacturing, technician, supply chain). Remote/hybrid policy not specified.
- **Perks**: Working on cutting-edge AI, UAS, and communications tech with a small, agile team; direct exposure to leadership and real-world customer missions.

## Sources
1. [khaero.com](https://www.khaero.com/)
2. [khaero.com/about](https://www.khaero.com/about)
3. [LinkedIn - Kraus Hamdani Aerospace](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kraus-aerospace)
4. [Greenhouse - KH Aerospace Jobs](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/khaerospace)

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