Senior Manager, Pilot Manufacturing Operations

Description

We are looking for an exceptional operational leader for our  state-of-the-art prototyping and development facility that co-locates product and manufacturing engineering under one roof to accelerate development. This is a high-mix, high-evolution environment where the product is in active development, and the operational leader must thrive in ambiguity while building robust systems that scale with the program.

In this role, you will serve as the pilot operation backbone for the development program across three core domains: (1) owning and executing build campaigns for multiple product iterations, (2) operating a rapid prototyping and testing shop in service of the various engineering teams, and (3) operating manufacturing prototype lines to accelerate manufacturing process development. You will be the design for manufacturing voice, translating engineering intent into build reality and feeding back insights to influence designs.

You will be deeply integrated with product design, supply chain, and manufacturing engineering to ensure seamless handoffs and rapid iteration cycles. This role requires a leader who combines an engineering mindset with the ability to build and manage a technician workforce, and who is exceptional at creating effective operational systems - build planning, warehouse management, operational efficiency metrics - all grounded in data.

You will use data to drive manufacturing recommendations, identify bottlenecks, and continuously improve operational performance.

Key job responsibilities

Build Operations

- Own the end-to-end operation for multiple concurrent build campaigns across product iterations. Develop, maintain, and deliver on the build plan.

- Build and maintain effective operational systems for build planning, resource allocation, traceability, yield, industrial analytics, and progress tracking. Establish clear metrics and reporting mechanisms for the team's visibility.

- Manage integration between product design, supply chain, testing and manufacturing to ensure material availability, design-for-assembly feedback, and smooth production flow in a high-mix environment.

- Ensure alignment with the vendors ecosystem supplying the required parts for the builds.

- Coordinate with the test engineering team to ensure product builds and testing plans are aligned.

- Partner with the factory software team to implement and pilot the various manufacturing software systems.

Rapid Prototyping Shop

- Staff, manage, and operate the rapid prototyping shop (CNC machining, 3D printing/additive manufacturing, and other fabrication capabilities, metrology lab, and testing capabilities) in service of the various engineering teams.

- Prioritize and manage job queues across multiple concurrent programs to maximize throughput and accelerate development timelines.

- Ensure equipment uptime, capacity planning, and continuous improvement of shop capabilities to meet evolving engineering needs.

Manufacturing Prototype Line Operations

- Operate the manufacturing prototype lines to support and accelerate manufacturing process development in partnership with manufacturing and process engineers.

- Provide the operational environment, workforce, and data to enable process engineers to develop, validate, and refine manufacturing processes.

- Serve as the voice of manufacturing in product and process design reviews - providing data-driven feedback on manufacturability, assembly sequence, and process feasibility to influence upstream design decisions.

Leadership & Operational Excellence

- Recruit, hire, develop, and manage a high-performing team of manufacturing leads, technicians, machinists, and operations associates. Foster a culture of safety, ownership, and continuous improvement.

- Build effective operational systems for warehouse management, inventory control, material flow, and facility operations. Drive operational efficiency through data, metrics, and mechanisms.

- Use data to support manufacturing recommendations, identify bottlenecks, track operational performance, and drive continuous improvement across all three operational domains.

- Act as the primary operational interface to product engineering teams (your customer) - ensuring their development velocity is enabled by world-class operational support.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or an equivalent field

- 10+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, pilot production, or prototyping environments for complex electromechanical products.

- Demonstrated experience hiring, building, and leading operational teams including technicians, machinists, and production associates.

- Experience managing build campaigns or production runs across multiple concurrent product configurations (high-mix environments).

- Proven ability to build and implement operational systems (build planning, scheduling, inventory management, metrics/reporting).

- Track record of using data and metrics to…