Head of Motor Manufacturing

A rapidly scaling U.S.

-based defense and robotics company is standing up a motor

manufacturing division from the ground up to secure supply, reduce cost, and create

durable competitive advantage across its unmanned systems portfolio. The Head of

Motor Manufacturing will own the end-to-end creation and scaling of this capability—

from design-for-manufacture through high-rate production—under domestic sourcing

and regulated-industry constraints.

This role is a build-from-zero mandate: facilities, processes, suppliers, talent, quality

systems, and cost structure.

Core Objectives

• Establish a domestic, compliant motor manufacturing capability
• Achieve cost, performance, and supply assurance advantages
• Scale production for mass-deployment programs
• Build a repeatable, defense-grade manufacturing operation

Motor Division Stand-Up

• Lead site selection and commissioning
• Define make vs. buy boundaries
• Establish production flow from prototype to scale
• Own capital planning and ramp schedules

Manufacturing & Process Engineering

• Drive DFM/DFA with engineering
• Define winding, balancing, and assembly processes
• Implement process controls and automation
• Establish testing and acceptance criteria

First-Principles Motor Oversight

This role is not expected to be the day-to-day motor designer, but must be capable of

overseeing, challenging, and validating technical decisions. The Head of Motor

Manufacturing must demonstrate working understanding of electromagnetic

fundamentals and how they translate into manufacturable products, including:

• Torque density vs. thermal and reliability limits
• Magnetic circuit behavior and loss mechanisms
• Efficiency, cont rollability, and durability tradeoffs
• Impact of tolerances and materials on real-world performance

Supply Chain & Materials Control

• Secure compliant sources for critical inputs
• Mitigate raw material risk
• Build supplier qualification and dual-source strategies

Quality, Compliance & Reliability

• Define inspection and traceability standards
• Own reliability and continuous improvement

Cost, Scale & Performance Accountability

• Drive cost-down through yield and scale
• Balance performance with manufacturability

Team & Culture

• Recruit and develop founding team
• Build a culture of execution and accountability
• Operate with urgency

Requirements

• 10+ years manufacturing experience
• Experience standing up or scaling manufacturing
• Strong understanding of motor design and materials from a first-principles perspective
• Regulated industry experience
• Proven cost and yield improvement track record

Preferred

• Familiarity with domestic sourcing
• Systems integration experience
• Automation or lean manufacturing background

Why This Role Matters

Control of motors is control of performance, cost, and scale. This role directly determines

success in mass-deployment unmanned systems markets.