
Engineering Manager, Compute Components
Muon Space · San Jose, CA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Manufacturing
- Base pay
- $240k–$265k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 3+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management manufacturing role at Muon Space (aerospace & defense) in San Jose, CA. Partner with the Staff Architect and the Platform Engineer on the team to translate architecture and roadmap into predictable, high-quality deliveries, and you'll be a coach and advocate for your team as it scales.
- They ask for
- 3+ years · degree required
- Base pay
- $240k–$265k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $114k–$167k. This one lists $240k–$265k.
Median of the low and high ends of 117 live postings that list pay, out of 320 manufacturing engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 319 other live manufacturing postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 89% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- Less than usual (3+ vs 5+)
Typical $111k–$157k, from 104 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Tooling 53%
- New product launch 51%
- Root cause 40%
- Automation 35%
- Machining 29%
- CATIA / NX 29%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Manufacturing team at Muon Space
We found 2 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Paul → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Is the work mostly new product launches or sustaining existing lines?
- How much time do you spend on the floor versus at a desk?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Muon Space in San Jose
8 other open roles at this site · 2 people we found in manufacturing roles at Muon Space.
- Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing
- Quality Engineer, Electrical · Quality
- Quality Engineer, Mechanical · Quality
- Director, Manufacturing Architecture · Manufacturing · Director+
- Manufacturing Engineer II, Testbeds & EGSE · Manufacturing
- Engineering Manager, Avionics · Manufacturing · Manager
Full description from Muon SpaceAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
About the role
Muon Space is hiring an Engineering Manager (Manager or Senior Manager level, based on experience) to lead our Compute Components team as part of the High Performance Compute (HPC) team: the engineers building the FPGA and GPU compute blocks that power Muon spacecrafts. This is a people-management role, focused on the "how": how the team delivers, how it grows, and how its engineers stay focused, supported, and successful.
You'll partner with the Staff Architect and the Platform Engineer on the team to translate architecture and roadmap into predictable, high-quality deliveries, and you'll be a coach and advocate for your team as it scales. You will report to the head of the High Performance Compute (HPC) team and partner with additional experts across their broader organization.
This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.
Responsibilities
- ◆Be an empathetic, hands-on people manager: coach engineers, run 1:1s, own performance and career growth, and create a healthy team culture.
- ◆Together with your team, agree on deliveries and ensure they land on time and to quality.
- ◆Clear the path for your engineers so they can focus on building: removing blockers, absorbing organizational overhead, and shielding the team where needed.
- ◆Own the team's design-flow robustness: strengthen module- and integration-test practices to reduce rework and late-cycle surprises.
- ◆Ensure all of the team's technical environments (build systems, simulation, lab benches, delivery pipelines) are maintained and continuously improved, in partnership with the Platform Engineer.
- ◆Support with hiring (sourcing, interviewing, and closing) to scale the team responsibly as the company grows.
- ◆Partner with the Staff Architect on technical direction and with the Platform Engineer on planning, reporting, and roadmap tracking.
- ◆Support the long-term scaling of the team: team structure, mentorships, and knowledge sharing.
Required Qualifications
- ✓Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- ✓3+ years of engineering management experience (with additional years qualifying you for the Senior Manager level), on top of a solid IC background in FPGA, embedded, GPU, or hardware-adjacent software engineering.
- ✓Direct prior hands-on implementation experience in FPGA, GPU or general software development.
- ✓Track record of shipping complex hardware-integrated systems on time and to quality.
- ✓Demonstrated ability to grow and retain engineering talent, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and career development.
- ✓Strong training in modern engineering delivery practices: design reviews, unit and integration testing, delivery pipelines, incident review, and continuous improvement.
- ✓Excellent communication skills and the ability to represent the team's work and needs to executive leadership, adjacent teams, and external partners.
Requirements
This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to acces
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Nice-to-Have Skills
- •Extensive prior hands-on implementation background in FPGA, GPU, or embedded compute.
- •Experience managing teams delivering into space, aerospace, or other mission-critical environments.
- •Experience scaling a team through a growth phase (roughly doubling headcount, forming sub-teams, or standing up new competencies).
Salary
About Muon Space
Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.
Taking Care of Our Team
Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA
