Director of Manufacturing Engineering

Manufacturing Engineering
· New York Office
· Hybrid

Assembly is a fast-growing, venture-backed company with the ambition to transform the way we design and deliver imaginative, innovative urban architecture. We combine technology, design, architecture, and manufacturing to create mid/high‑rise urban buildings that are greener and higher‑quality, using a system that is faster and more efficient. As our pipeline grows and the system is refined, we unlock increasing cost efficiencies, ensuring long‑term value for developers and the industry.

As the Director of Manufacturing Engineering, you will define and implement the playbook for fabricating and assembling Assembly modular units within both existing and new manufacturing facilities. You and your team will codify the entire manufacturing process, ensuring that third‑party factories can efficiently and precisely build our high‑rise modules. This includes developing repeatable, scalable work instructions, designing transportable and reusable tooling, integrating digital manufacturing technologies, and serving as sustaining engineers to drive continuous improvement.

While the goal is to scale through external partners, you must also be prepared to establish and manage temporary in‑house assembly operations when necessary, requiring adaptability and strategic problem‑solving.

This role is essential to executing Assembly’s vision for distributed manufacturing, ensuring seamless integration between design, engineering, and production. You will be responsible for standardizing processes across third‑party factories while also maintaining the technical and operational readiness to establish rapid‑deployment assembly facilities when needed. Your leadership will ensure that every Assembly module is built with precision, efficiency, and consistency, regardless of location.

• Shape the future of industrialized construction by applying advanced manufacturing principles to an industry ripe for transformation.
• Design a first‑of‑its‑kind manufacturing system that scales modular high‑rise construction across multiple factories, integrating automation and digital workflows.
• Lead the convergence of aerospace‑ and automotive‑grade manufacturing with building construction, developing processes that drive quality, efficiency, and scalability.
• Develop and implement a scalable manufacturing system that enables partner factories to efficiently fabricate and assemble modular units while maintaining the capability to launch in‑house assembly operations when needed.
• Create a standardized manufacturing playbook, defining labor requirements, detailed work instructions, and quality control measures to ensure consistent production across multiple facilities.
• Leverage digital manufacturing technologies (MES, ERP, and factory automation tools) to optimize assembly processes, monitor production quality, and drive operational efficiency.
• Lead process innovation and continuous improvement, acting as sustaining engineers to refine manufacturing workflows based on feedback from production partners.
• Establish and oversee pilot programs and first article builds to validate new processes, tooling, and quality standards at partner facilities.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with supply chain, logistics, and design teams to seamlessly integrate manufacturability with design intent.
• Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure production efficiency, scalability, and quality performance.
• Develop and lead a high‑performing manufacturing engineering team, fostering a culture of trust, innovation, and professional growth.
• Work closely with executive leadership to align manufacturing strategies with overall business objectives while maintaining cost‑effectiveness through Capex and Opex forecasting.
• Champion lean manufacturing principles in collaboration with partner factories, improving efficiency, quality, and cost‑effectiveness at scale.

• Experience in high‑precision, scalable manufacturing industries such as…