Head of Manufacturing Engineering Automation & Controls
Core
Lead the development and scale-up of manufacturing systems for high-volume small unmanned aircraft production, focusing on factory automation, controls engineering, and equipment development.
Role type
Head of Manufacturing Engineering (Automation & Controls)
Builds
Automated manufacturing equipment, production systems, and factory automation infrastructure for small unmanned aircraft.
Domain
Aerospace manufacturing, industrial automation, electromechanical systems
Deliverable
production ML models | product features | dashboards & analysis | research | client delivery | infrastructure | physical/clinical work
Required skills
Manufacturing engineering, automation engineering, controls engineering, equipment engineering, factory automation strategy, PLC programming, industrial robotics, motion control, machine vision, industrial networking, sensors, servo systems, safety systems, automated material handling, DFM/DFA, capital equipment strategy, process validation, MES integration, data analytics for manufacturing
Preferred skills
Aerospace manufacturing experience, building automation functions from ground up, complex electromechanical product scaling, AS9100 frameworks, Industry 4.0 architectures, automated inspection systems, standardized automation platforms
Technologies
PLC, industrial controls architectures, robotics, servo and motion-control systems, machine vision, industrial networking, SCADA/HMI, MES, automated test systems
Responsibilities
Build and lead a multidisciplinary manufacturing engineering organization; define manufacturing strategy and technical roadmap; partner with Design Engineering and Operations for design for manufacturability; establish manufacturing standards and production-readiness criteria; lead architecture and lifecycle management of automated equipment; develop strategies for balancing manual and automated manufacturing; establish disciplined equipment development processes; build internal capabilities in controls and automation; partner with external integrators; create a highly instrumented manufacturing environment; use manufacturing data to improve yield and predict failures.
Seniority
Senior, hands-on IC leadership