Director of Manufacturing Operations

Our client is a fast-growing satellite manufacturer designing, building and delivering spacecraft and subsystems for Earth observation, defence and commercial constellation customers. With demand rising across their programmes, they are investing heavily in production capacity.

About the role You will own the full spacecraft production operation, from sub-assembly through integration, environmental test and launch readiness. You will lead the Production, AIT and Manufacturing Engineering teams and work closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality and Programmes to deliver satellites on cost, schedule and quality.

Your responsibilities

Set and deliver the manufacturing strategy as the business moves from low-rate builds to constellation-scale production

Lead and grow a team of production managers, manufacturing engineers and AIT technicians

Own production scheduling, capacity planning, budget and capital equipment investment

Oversee AIT from subsystem level through fully integrated spacecraft testing

Drive design-for-manufacture and design-for-test with engineering teams

Embed lean manufacturing and continuous improvement across cleanroom and shop floor operations

Manage key subcontractors and suppliers to protect delivery timelines

Report production status, risks and recovery plans to the leadership team and customers

Your profile

12+ years in spacecraft, satellite or high-reliability aerospace production , with at least

5 years leading multi-disciplinary teams

Proven track record scaling production from prototype or pilot builds to volume manufacturing

Hands-on knowledge of spacecraft AIT, including environmental test (vibration, TVAC, EMC)

Experience in ISO 5 / cleanroom environments, ESD-sensitive assembly and harness manufacture

Working knowledge of AS9100, ECSS or equivalent quality standards

Strong grounding in lean manufacturing (5S, kaizen, value stream mapping)

Experience setting up or expanding production facilities is a strong advantage

Eligibility to obtain national security clearance may be required

What's on offer

A senior leadership role building a production capability at scale

Competitive package with performance-linked upside

The chance to see spacecraft move off a production line you shaped

Strong career development in a growing business

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