Industrial Engineer - Effectors

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CHAOS Industries seeks an Industrial Engineer to design and scale production for interceptors, owning factory layout, line design, labor allocation and material flow from pilot to rate production. You will architect systems, optimize cells, apply lean and continuous improvement, and build rate models tied to demand with collaboration across manufacturing, supply chain, facilities and quality. Requirements include 5+ years in factory design, time studies and ROI planning, a BS in Industrial Engineering, US citizenship with the ability to obtain DoD clearance. Onsite in Hawthorne, CA with compensation and benefits. Tips: tailor your resume to show production ramp, ERP/MES experience, and defense or high-rate electromechanical work; highlight safety and explosives handling familiarity; demonstrate ROI mindset.

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. 

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Summary:

• We are seeking an Industrial Engineer responsible for factory design, production system architecture, and rate-scaling strategy for low-cost interceptor manufacturing.
• This role owns the design and optimization of the production system itself — including facility layout, line design, labor modeling, material flow, capacity planning, and capital deployment strategy.
• You will architect scalable, cost-efficient production systems capable of rapidly transitioning from pilot builds to sustained high-rate interceptor production.

Responsibilities: 

• Factory & Production System Design
  • Design end-to-end factory layouts optimized for flow, takt, and throughput.
  • Develop value stream maps (current and future state).
  • Architect assembly lines (manual, semi-automated, automated).
  • Define cell structures, workstation configurations, and labor allocation models.
  • Design material flow systems (kitting, supermarkets, point-of-use inventory).
  • Ensure layout designs account for safety, explosive handling, and regulatory requirements.
• Capacity Planning & Rate Modeling
  • Develop detailed production rate models tied to demand forecasts.
  • Calculate: takt time, cycle time, throughput, bottleneck identification, OEE targets
  • Build multi-scenario capacity models (surge, dual-source, rate ramp).
  • Define headcount and capital scaling plans.
  • Quantify rate readiness risks and mitigation strategies.
• Capital Planning & Industrialization Strategy
  • Identify capital equipment needs aligned with production rates.
  • Develop ROI justifications for automation investments.
  • Support factory build-out, expansions, and new site activation.
  • Plan phased facility ramp from LRIP to FRP.
  • Partner with facilities and operations on construction sequencing.
• Production Optimization & Continuous Improvement
  • Drive lean manufacturing implementation:
    • Line balancing
    • Waste reduction
    • Flow optimization
    • Standard work development
  • Implement performance management systems for:
    • Yield
    • Cycle time
    • Labor efficiency
    • Throughput
  • Support MES integration and digital production tracking.
  • Conduct time studies and labor productivity analysis.
• Cross-Functional Integration
  • Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to align product design with factory constraints.
  • Coordinate with:
    • Supply Chain (inventory strategy, material replenishment models)
    • Facilities (utilities, floor loading, environmental constraints)
    • Quality (inspection flow and test cell integration)
    • EHS (hazardous material handling, explosives compliance)
  • Support supplier industrialization assessments when required.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• 5+ years experience in factory design, line design, or production system optimization.
• Demonstrated experience building production rate models.
• Experience conducting time studies and line balancing.
• Working knowledge of:
• Lean manufacturing principles
• Value stream mapping
• Capacity planning methodologies
• Takt and cycle time calculations
• OEE measurement
• Experience supporting production ramp or factory build-out.
• U.S. Citizenship required; ability to obtain and maintain DoD clearance.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, or high-rate electromechanical production.
• Experience supporting missile, munitions, UAV, or complex electromechanical assembly environments.
• Experience with:
• Factory simulation tools (FlexSim, AnyLogic, Arena, etc.)
• ERP/MES integration
• Digital factory modeling
• Experience planning greenfield or brownfield production sites.
• Experience with explosive or energetics production environments.
• Background in automation integration and ROI modeling.

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 200 employees and counting across 5 global offices

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. 

Recruiting Agencies: CHAOS Industries does not accept unsolicited resumes or outreach. Unsolicited submissions will not be reviewed or compensated.

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