Todd Treichel

About Todd Treichel

Experience includes internal and external space flight hardware and spacecraft subsystems. Strategic business plans, identifying new business opportunities, building strategic partner and customer relationships, and maintaining a strong knowledge base for technical interface with high fidelity product designers, researchers, and program managers to name a few.Experienced in quality, reliability, manufacturing, & design engineering environments. Extensive experience in applying systemic engineering & quality approaches in product development, design control, & life test projects. Recent work involves applied experience in the area of design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA). Serves as life sciences technical committee member and Wisconsin section officer for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA ).Served as a member of the Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council’s (JEDEC) space parts working group & has presented investigative research & reliability topics at agencies such as Defense Logistics Agency, NASA’s Ames Research, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA White Sands Test Facility, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Langley Research Center, the European Space Agency (ESA), & The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).Environmental Test & Engineering experience includes extensive work with MIL-STD-790 (Established Reliability & High Reliability Qualified Products List (QPL) Systems for Electrical, Electronic, & Fiber Optic Parts Specifications) & project work with a variety of aerospace companies; Boeing, Sierra Nevada, Thales Alenia, Orbital ATK, Bigelow Aerospace, Lockheed-Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins, ITT, General Dynamics, Space Systems Loral, BAE Systems, & Honeywell Missiles.Associate Fellow - American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Experience

1. Operations Manager

   Sierra Space

   Mar 2025 — Present · Madison, WI, US

   Precision Aerospace Machining & FabricationStrategic hands-on aerospace leader with extensive experience managing high-performing teams and overseeing a multi-million-dollar machining and fabrication facility. I bring a broad background in design, reliability, quality, manufacturing, environmental testing, and program management, with a proven track record of delivering end-to-end production of high-fidelity spaceflight hardware and propulsion systems.Leveraging advanced precision machining for complex geometries and rare earth metals, I focus on driving operational excellence through Lean manufacturing principles, continuous improvement, and close customer collaboration. My leadership has consistently improved efficiency, enhanced quality, and strengthened mission success.I am proud to lead a state-of-the-art machining operation staffed by the industry’s most skilled machinists, with full capabilities in CNC (5-axis, 4-axis, 3-axis), CNC lathe, and manual mill/lathe operations. Our specialized expertise includes orbital welding, friction welding, and precision tube bending—supporting propulsion products with the highest standards of accuracy in an AS9100 and NASA-compliant environment.At the core, my work is guided by a culture of mission assurance, engineering excellence, and pride in building hardware that pushes the boundaries of space exploration and national defense.

Education

• Cardinal Stritch University

  MS, Management

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Industrial Engineering

• University of Wisconsin-Stout

  BS, Manufacturing Engineering

• Northcentral University

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Management of Engineering & Technology

Skills

• Product Development
• Avionics
• Reliability
• Configuration Management
• Aerospace Engineering
• Dod
• Design for Manufacturing
• Labview
• Military
• Integration
• Engineering
• Aerospace
• Six Sigma
• Engineering Management
• Mechanical Engineering
• Matlab
• Ansys
• Electronics
• Systems Engineering
• Solidworks
• Reliability Engineering
• Test Equipment
• Fmea
• Satellite
• Lean Manufacturing
• System Design
• Spacecraft
• R&D
• Finite Element Analysis
• Testing
• Propulsion
• Failure Analysis
• Root Cause Analysis
• Requirements Management
• U.s. Department of Defense
• Simulations
• Design of Experiments
• Manufacturing
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Space Systems