Industrial Engineer - Effectors

• 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
• border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly
• 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
• Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle
• 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
• 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.
• #LI-onsite