Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost.

Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built.

Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen.

If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.

The Role

Test Engineering is a brand new team at Hadrian! As Engineering Manager, Materials Test, you'll build and lead our materials testing capability, working without the constraints of a legacy test framework. You'll run the flagship materials test lab at our Los Angeles HQ and lead the engineers and technicians who work in it.

Our welding, casting, forging, and additive teams all depend on this lab for the data behind their process decisions. Welding has the first needs, and the other teams are growing fast. You'll choose the equipment, set how we collect and store data, and decide how the lab balances work across all of those teams. Once the flagship lab is running, you'll turn it into a package we can stand up at any of our factories on short notice.

There is very little existing structure around materials testing at Hadrian. If you want to build a lab from an empty floor, lead a team through it, and own the outcome, this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

Lead day-to-day operations of the flagship materials test lab

Hire, manage, and develop a team of engineers and technicians

Make the final call on technical direction for materials testing

Select, buy, and install tensile, impact, hardness, metallography, and chemistry equipment, plus specimen prep machines like saws, waterjets, and EDMs. Design custom test equipment when nothing off the shelf fits.

Set data collection, labeling, and storage requirements for all materials testing. Work with our software and data teams to build the tools.

Write test automation, work instructions, process plans, and technician training

Set priorities across welding, casting, forging, and additive so every team gets on-time, quality data

Own lab safety and quality risks through engineering controls

Work with quality to keep full traceability on every material and test result

Standardize workflows and tools with the rest of the test team

Package the lab so we can deploy it to new factories and programs

What We’re Looking For

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, materials, aerospace, or electrical engineering, or 8+ years of equivalent experience

3+ years designing, buying, or installing test or manufacturing equipment

1+ years leading people. You've managed engineers, technicians, or both.

Hands-on materials testing experience on metals or composites

Working knowledge of ASTM test standards, the equipment used to run them, and when each one applies

Experience writing work instructions and process documentation for a lab or production floor

Able to set technical direction and defend it with teams you don't manage

Able to travel to other sites

What Will Set You Apart

You've stood up a new lab or test capability from scratch

You've supervised both engineers and technicians

System-level testing on hardware more complex than materials specimens

Test automation in Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, or similar

Work in a regulated environment with strict traceability requirements (AS9100, ISO/IEC 17025, Nadcap, or similar)