Head of Manufacturing

Job Description Job Description We are seeking a Head of Manufacturing to lead and scale our manufacturing organization. This is a highly hands-on leadership role for someone who understands how to manufacture complex hardware in a fast-paced environment. You will own the strategy, processes, people, facilities, and systems required to deliver high-quality products reliably and at increasing volumes. The ideal candidate has built or scaled manufacturing operations within the defense, aerospace, autonomous systems, robotics, or other complex hardware industries and is equally comfortable on the production floor, working through technical issues with engineering, and developing the long-term manufacturing strategy. Leadership Profile We’re looking for a leader who can build the manufacturing organization, not simply inherit one . You should be comfortable setting the long-term strategy while still spending significant time on the production floor solving today’s problems. You know how to bring structure and discipline to manufacturing without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. You understand that in a rapidly growing defense company, manufacturing is not simply a downstream function—it is a critical partner to engineering and an essential part of getting capable systems into customers’ hands quickly and reliably. Key Responsibilities Own the overall manufacturing strategy, production operations, and execution across the organization. Build and scale manufacturing capabilities to support the transition from prototype and low-rate initial production (LRIP) to higher-volume production . Establish production processes, workflows, tooling, work instructions, and manufacturing standards that improve quality, throughput, and repeatability. Lead manufacturing teams across areas such as production, manufacturing engineering, technicians, integration, and test . Partner closely with Mechanical, Electrical, RF, Systems, Test, and other engineering teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, assembly, and test. Drive Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA) into the product development lifecycle. Own production planning and capacity planning to ensure manufacturing can meet aggressive customer and program schedules. Develop manufacturing KPIs around yield, throughput, cycle time, quality, cost, schedule performance, and capacity . Identify production bottlenecks and implement processes, automation, tooling, or equipment to improve manufacturing efficiency. Establish strong configuration control, documentation, traceability, and production discipline appropriate for defense and aerospace products. Stand up and enable Quality to establish inspection, acceptance, non-conformance, corrective-action, and continuous-improvement processes. Work closely with Supply Chain to identify critical suppliers, mitigate material constraints, and ensure production readiness. Develop make-versus-buy strategies for critical components, assemblies, and manufacturing capabilities. Own manufacturing facility planning, including production layout, equipment, tooling, lab space, ESD-controlled environments, and future capacity requirements. Support customer deliveries, production readiness reviews, audits, and other manufacturing-related customer or government requirements. Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing manufacturing organization while maintaining a culture of accountability, urgency, quality, and continuous improvement. Qualifications 5+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, manufacturing engineering, or production leadership , preferably within defense, aerospace, autonomous systems, robotics, or complex electromechanical hardware. Demonstrated experience building or scaling a manufacturing operation , ideally from prototype or low-rate production into repeatable production. Strong understanding of manufacturing complex electromechanical systems , including mechanical assemblies, electronics, wiring/harnessing, integration, and system-level test. Experience working closely with engineering organizations to transition products from R&D/NPI into production . Strong understanding of production planning, manufacturing engineering, quality systems, supply chain, and inventory management. Experience developing production processes, work instructions, tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and manufacturing documentation. Familiarity with aerospace and defense quality and compliance environments, such as AS9100, ISO 9001, configuration management, and product traceability . Experience managing manufacturing schedules and delivering hardware against aggressive program milestones. Strong analytical skills and experience using manufacturing data and KPIs to drive operational improvements. Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and manage manufacturing engineers, production personnel, and technicians. Ability to operate effectively in an environment where priorities move quickly and leaders are expected to be hands-on problem solvers rather than purely organizational managers . Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent relevant experience. Bonus Points Experience manufacturing UAS, RF/EW systems, avionics, communications systems, sensors, or other mission-critical defense hardware . Experience scaling production for a defense technology startup or other rapidly growing hardware company. Experience with NPI, LRIP, production qualification, and production readiness reviews . Knowledge of ITAR/EAR requirements and manufacturing within controlled defense environments. Experience implementing or improving ERP/MRP/MES systems . Experience with Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, root-cause analysis, and continuous-improvement methodologies. Experience establishing new production facilities or significantly expanding manufacturing capacity. Familiarity with government programs, defense customers, and manufacturing requirements associated with DoD contracts. ITAR Regulations To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a US Citizen, Green Card holder, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. What We Offer Competitive salary, stock options and benefits, including health, vision and dental. 401K enrollment at 90 days. Unlimited PTO plus most Federal Holidays observed. High levels of responsibility and autonomy. Professional growth and development opportunities. Exact compensation may vary based on skills and experience. Equal Opportunity Employer CX2 is committed to equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in compliance with the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance