Prototype-to-Production Manager

Motivo is a project-based company delivering excellence in mechanical and electrical system design and prototype builds. We have a history in successfully taking concepts through to actual finished solutions. Our work spans a wide range of market segments including mobility/automotive, aerospace, robotics, and clean energy, to name a few. Every team member will experience a wide variety of challenging projects, offering rich opportunities for professional growth.

We are passionate about solving complex engineering challenges, striving for excellence within every unique project constraint, and believe in having fun while we do it!

Motivo is seeking a Prototype-to-Production Manager to lead and scale our newly formalized “Launch” division. At Motivo, “Launch” isn’t about closing the gap between mankind and the moon, it's about closing the gap between prototypes and production. This leader will sit at the critical intersection of engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and client delivery, ensuring that manufacturability, operational readiness, and unit economics are built into product decisions early rather than solved late.

The role is intentionally scoped with a clear path to broader independence and ownership as the capability matures.

• Launch Operations Leadership:
  Lead a matrixed team spanning manufacturing, engineering, sourcing, fabrication, and program execution to ensure products are designed with manufacturability, quality, and production readiness in mind from the outset.
• Minimum Viable Line (MVL) Strategy:
  Define, deploy, and continuously improve Motivo’s Minimum Viable Line approach; a manual-first, right-sized production system that enables low-rate initial production, process learning, and repeatable output before scale capital is committed for high-volume scale manufacturing.
• Building Production Readiness into the Design Process:
  Establish review gates, pilot build manufacturing objectives, and production handoff standards that move programs from concept validation to reliable execution.
• Product Realization Oversight:
  Serve as a senior decision‑maker when technical requirements and scalable manufacturing realities conflict – driving pragmatic trade‑off decisions that protect product intent while enabling production success.
• Proposal and Opportunity Assessment:
  Partner at the proposal stage to evaluate whether a client program requires design‑only support or an integrated Launch approach – shaping scope, risk posture, and commercial strategy. Develop and improve batch‑build and production readiness cost estimation models and rules of thumb.
• Supply Chain Architecture:
  Expand a resilient supply base and sourcing model that supports prototyping, pilot builds, and low‑volume production, including vendor qualification, make‑buy decisions, lead‑time strategy, and commercial negotiation.
• Operational Systems
  
  Roadmap:
  
  Define the roadmap for fit‑for‑purpose systems and tools – including spreadsheets where appropriate, and over time right‑sized ERP, PLM, PDM, MES, or related systems – to support Launch maturity without introducing unnecessary overhead too early.

• Experience:
  
  8+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, industrial engineering, operations, NPI, or product realization, ideally in electromechanical hardware.
• Organizational Leadership:
  Demonstrated success owning the transition from development builds to pilot production, low‑volume or scaled manufacturing, with responsibility for planning, risk, and cross‑functional execution.
• Systems Builder:
  Proven ability to build or formalize operating systems, processes, and governance from the ground up in environments that are scaling quickly or moving from prototype toward production.
• Technical Depth:
  Strong command of DFM, DFA, process validation, PFMEA, production line design, test strategy, and manufacturing trade‑off decision‑making.
• Supply Chain and Commercial Acumen:
  Strong grasp of supplier qualification, sourcing strategy, cost structure, negotiations, and operational planning.

• Experience in automotive, aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, energy, or other…