Head of Manufacturing

A high-growth aerospace company in Canada is building next-generation launch capability and is now hiring a Head of Manufacturing to lead the transition from development into scalable production.

This is a rare opportunity to build a manufacturing function from the ground up within a mission-driven space company entering a critical phase of growth.

If you’ve led complex aerospace manufacturing environments and enjoy building teams, systems, and facilities that directly impact flight hardware, this will be a career-defining role.

You will define and execute the manufacturing strategy, deciding what should be built in-house versus outsourced, building the team and facility capability, and ensuring that every component meets the highest standards of quality and reliability.

You will sit at the centre of engineering, supply chain, and quality, turning cutting-edge design into repeatable, flight-ready hardware.

• Lead make vs buy decisions
• Define which components and processes are brought in-house
• Build capital equipment plans and production roadmaps

• Hire and lead technicians and manufacturing engineers
• Select and commission key equipment
• Establish workshop layout, workflow, and production processes
• Implement SOPs and production documentation

• Partner with engineering to improve producibility and cost efficiency
• Support the transition from prototype to scalable production

• Establish non-destructive testing capability where required
• Define incoming inspection standards for internal and external hardware

• Vet and validate third-party manufacturers
• Support process setup and qualification
• Own intake quality control and performance monitoring

• Proven leadership experience in aerospace or complex hardware manufacturing
• Strong experience with make vs buy strategy
• Experience building or scaling manufacturing facilities
• Deep understanding of quality systems and NDT
• Demonstrated Design for Manufacturing expertise
• Experience qualifying and managing external manufacturing partners
• Comfortable in fast-paced, high-accountability environments

This hire will directly shape production capability, cost structure, and reliability. Manufacturing will be central to delivering flight-ready systems on schedule.

You will not be inheriting a finished system. You will be building it.