Head of Manufacturing
Core
Establishing a manufacturing function from scratch for a defense technology company, focusing on scaling pilot production lines and achieving AS9100 certification.
Role type
Head of Manufacturing (VP-level)
Builds
Pilot production lines for complex hardware systems (missiles, munitions, precision-guided systems)
Domain
Defense technology / Aerospace manufacturing
Required skills
Scaling complex hardware systems from prototype to production, building quality management systems from scratch, leading AS9100/ISO 9001 certification, managing supply chain and production teams, workflow and tooling design, project management, KPI-driven continuous improvement
Preferred skills
Manufacturing missile/munitions systems, standing up manufacturing at early-stage hardware startups, managing export-controlled components supply chains
Technologies
AS9100, ISO 9001, pilot line tooling, fixturing
Responsibilities
Own scale-up of CM-70 production from prototype to mature line, lead first AS9100 certification and QMS implementation, design and run pilot production line, build and lead manufacturing organization, partner with engineering on manufacturability, own supply chain function, manage production KPIs, build SOPs and training programs
Seniority
Executive, hands-on IC
