NPI Engineer

About the company

Destinus is a Dutch defence startup that manufactures cruise missiles and autonomous drones.

About this role

About the Role Imagine this. A new engine or RUTA configuration leaves the design stage and needs to become a repeatable, producible reality on the shop floor in Hengelo. As NPI Engineer, you will be the bridge between Design Engineering and Production, taking new products, components, and engineering changes from concept through to stable, industrialized production. This is a hands-on role at the intersection of engineering and manufacturing. You will define how new designs get built, prove out the process on the floor, and hand over a production line that is ready to run at scale. At Destinus, we are revolutionizing the defense industry with cutting-edge Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Our innovative technologies are designed to meet the unique demands of modern defense operations, delivering unparalleled speed, precision, and cost effectiveness. Destinus partners with government agencies and defense organizations worldwide to provide advanced solutions for mission-critical operations, enabling a new era of efficiency and technological superiority. Join us in shaping the future of defense with groundbreaking aerospace innovations. What You'll Do Lead the introduction of new products, components, and engineering changes into production, from first prototype build through to stable serial production Translate engineering designs and BOMs into producible routings, work instructions, and assembly procedures for subassembly and main production lines Plan and run first-build and pilot-build activities, capturing lessons learned and feeding them back into design and process before scale-up Partner with Design Engineering to influence design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly decisions early, before configurations are frozen Coordinate the release and implementation of Engineering Change Requests/Orders (ECR/ECO) into production, aligning MBOM, routing, and tooling updates Define and validate required tooling, fixtures, and test equipment for new builds, working closely with Industrialization Engineering Drive root cause analysis on issues discovered during ramp-up and implement corrective actions before they propagate into rate production Use build and yield data to track NPI milestones and readiness, and report progress and risks to Production and Program stakeholders Support the transition of new products from NPI ownership to steady-state Production and Production Engineering Collaborate closely with Production, Quality, Supply Chain, Industrialization, and Design Engineering to keep new introductions on schedule Requirements What You'll Need Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field Strong experience in NPI, industrialization, or production/manufacturing engineering within aerospace, defense, automotive, or another complex hardware environment Proven experience taking new products or design changes from prototype into a repeatable production process Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, assembly methods, tooling, routings, and technical documentation Experience with root cause analysis, problem solving, and structured engineering change management (ECR/ECO) Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, and BOMs Experience coordinating cross-functional activities between design, production, quality, and supply chain during a product launch or ramp-up Strong hands-on problem-solving skills and willingness to spend time directly on the production floor Professional working proficiency in English. Dutch is a plus. Who You Are You are a hands-on technical leader who is comfortable operating in ambiguity, takes ownership of a product from its first build, and drives it methodically toward a stable, repeatable production process. You thrive at the interface between engineering and the shop floor.