Head of Production, Compute & Comms

Head Of Production, Compute & Comms

Costa Mesa, California, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center.

As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

We are seeking a Head of Production to own the strategic development, operational direction, and execution of production for high-volume compute devices. In this role, you will serve as both a strategic leader and a hands-on operator, responsible for defining and driving the future success of the production portfolio and ensuring consistent, flawless execution across engineering, supply chain, and contract manufacturing.

You will own the end-to-end relationship with contract manufacturers (CMs), lead the transition from New Product Introduction (NPI) through to sustained high-rate mass production, and build supply chain resilience — all while ensuring operational excellence, scalability, and adherence to rigorous quality and cost targets.

Contract Manufacturer Management (High-Volume Compute)

• Own CM Relationships & Performance:
  Own the relationship, performance, and output of contract manufacturers producing compute devices at high volume. Drive CM communications, onboarding, capacity planning, and new product introduction (NPI) through to mass production ramp.
• KPI Management:
  Establish and manage KPIs across yield, quality, cost, throughput, and on-time delivery; hold CM partners accountable to them. Use data to drive continuous improvement and business impact.
• Production Ramps:
  Lead production ramps and volume transitions across multiple CM sites and geographies, ensuring on-time delivery against aggressive targets.

Supply Chain Management

• Supply Chain Strategy:
  Own supply chain strategy for high-volume production: demand/supply planning, component sourcing, inventory management, and logistics.
• Risk & Resilience:
  Build resilience against component shortages, single-source risk, and geopolitical or lead-time disruption.
• Component Sourcing:
  Partner with procurement and engineering to secure allocation of critical and long-lead components at scale.

Contract Negotiation

• Manufacturing Agreements:
  Negotiate manufacturing agreements, pricing, capacity commitments, SLAs, and cost-down roadmaps with CMs and suppliers.
• Commercial
  
  Terms:
  
  Structure commercial terms that protect margin, ensure supply, and align partner incentives with volume and quality targets.
• Cost Reduction:
  Drive year-over-year cost reduction through negotiation, design-for-cost, and competitive sourcing.

Strategic & Operational Leadership

• Executive Partnership:
  Serve as the production voice to the executive team and board; translate operational status, risk, and trade-offs into clear executive-level recommendations. Act as a key partner to Anduril's SVP of Manufacturing and broader Executive Leadership, contributing to company-wide production strategy and vision.
• Cross-Functional Partnership:
  Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Product, Procurement, Quality, Program Management, Deployment Operations, and Finance to align production plans with company goals and ensure seamless product maturation and delivery.
• Talent & Team Building:
  Build, lead, and develop a high-performing production/operations organization. Attract, develop, and retain top-tier talent, fostering a culture of ownership and excellence.
• Process & Systems Excellence:
  Establish, mature, and continuously refine manufacturing processes, operational playbooks, and systems to enable efficient scaling and consistent quality.
• Digital Manufacturing Infrastructure:
  Advise on…