Lead Additive Manufacturing Applications Development Engineer

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that help aerospace and defense companies manufacture rockets, satellites, jets, and ships up to 10x faster and up to 2x cheaper. By combining advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we are reinventing how America produces its most critical parts.

We’re accelerating our mission with the launch of Factory 3 in Mesa, Arizona, a 290,000-square-foot facility creating 350 new jobs. We are expanding rapidly to support thousands of future hires, launching Hadrian Maritime to expand into naval production, and introducing a Factory-as-a-Service model that delivers complete systems instead of individual parts.

Hadrian is backed by leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz, our fast-growing team is united around reindustrializing American manufacturing for the 21st century and beyond.

We are seeking a highly skilled Applications Engineer with deep expertise in additive manufacturing to join our growing team. In this customer-facing role, you will serve as a technical authority for our LPBF solutions — guiding customers through design, process development, and workflow automation while managing programs independently from early engagement through qualification and production. Beyond customer work, you will play a key internal role in building and refining automation tools that improve the efficiency, consistency, and scalability of our additive manufacturing workflows..

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  Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers; capturing requirements, assessing feasibility, and translating program needs into actionable AM manufacturing plans.

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  Lead DfAM efforts including build orientation, support strategy, topology optimization, lattice design, distortion risk, and post-processing-aware design decisions.

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  Perform AM CAM work: build file development, support generation, nesting, process parameter selection, and print plan optimization for PBF-LB systems.

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  Design and develop internal automation tools that streamline DfAM and CAM workflows; reducing manual effort, enforcing best practices, and scaling repeatability across programs; additionally deploy these tools in direct support of customer programs.

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  Apply AM simulation tools; thermal, distortion, residual stress, and structural validation; to inform design decisions and de-risk builds.

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  Support process development including parameter selection, DOE, process control, and PBF-LB technology maturation with internal teams.

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  Coordinate across post-processing (heat treat, HIP, machining, support removal, finishing) to ensure end-to-end manufacturability.

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  Assist with qualification planning, validation builds, acceptance criteria, and data packages for customer and aerospace program release.

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  Manage assigned projects independently; defining scope, setting milestones, and delivering results with minimal oversight.

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  Collaborate cross-functionally with sales, engineering, quality, and operations to translate customer requirements into effective AM solutions.

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  Document processes, build records, lessons learned, and best practices to support continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Materials, Aerospace, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience).

• 8+ years of experience in metal additive manufacturing applications engineering, process engineering, or manufacturing engineering, including experience in customer-facing technical roles.

• 2+ years of people leadership experience, including managing or leading technical teams.

• Demonstrated hands-on experience with metal additive manufacturing processes (e.g., laser powder bed fusion), including parameter development, build planning, powder handling, post-processing integration, and production ramp.

• Experience supporting parts and processes from prototype through qualification and full-rate production, including documentation, inspection strategy, process control, and readiness criteria.

• Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline.

• Experience working within aerospace, defense, or other regulated manufacturing environments with structured qualification and customer approval processes.

• Experience developing standardized application playbooks, parameter libraries, or design guidelines that scale across programs or sites.

• Demonstrated experience presenting technical strategies and performance outcomes to customer engineering teams and executive stakeholders.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

It is the Company’s policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race inclusive of traits historically associated with race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin (including, in California, possession of a drivers license), ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, height or weight, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, exercise of reproductive rights, any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws, or any combination of the above characteristics. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.