Director of Manufacturing - Spaceborne Radar Payloads

Job Description

Below covers everything you need to know about what this opportunity entails, as well as what is expected from applicants.

Kapta Space, a VC-funded early-stage startup in Seattle, WA, is breaking new ground in Geospatial Intelligence. Our technology centers around a proven, scalable electronically-steered radar for sophisticated spaceborne applications such as earth observation using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques, as well as enabling advanced defense missions such as target tracking on the ground and in the air.

Kapta is seeking a Director of Manufacturing – Spaceborne Radar Payloads to lead the manufacturing strategy and execution from production planning and material flow through assembly, integration, environmental testing, qualification, and final delivery. The ideal candidate combines deep hands-on experience in high-reliability electronics manufacturing with the leadership skills required to scale production while maintaining the rigorous quality, traceability, and configuration-control standards required for space hardware.

The Director of Manufacturing will work closely with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Operations leadership to transition products from development into repeatable, scalable production.

Role

Manufacturing Leadership

• Lead all manufacturing activities for space-qualified radar, RF, microwave, digital, and electronic assemblies.
• Develop and execute the overall manufacturing strategy, processes, and procedures to support current programs and future production growth.
• Establish manufacturing capacity, staffing, equipment, tooling, and facility requirements, including the implementation of a new Manufacturing Execution System (MES).
• Build a high-performing manufacturing organization with clear accountability, processes, and performance metrics.
• Establish production schedules and ensure on-time delivery of hardware to program milestones.
• Drive continuous improvement in throughput, yield, cycle time, labor efficiency, and manufacturing cost.
• Manage all facilities maintenance and sustainability initiatives ensuring reliable and repeatable business operations infrastructure across all departmental functions.

Space Hardware Production

• Partner with Hardware and Software Engineering and provide direct "hands-on" Manufacturing Engineering inputs to baseline product development efforts ensuring high-probability, first-pass yield of complex, high-reliability electronic assemblies and systems from prototype through qualification and production.
• Implement Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Test (DFT) practices.
• Develop and implement robust processes for PCB assembly, electronic box builds, RF/microwave assemblies, harnesses, mechanical integration, and system-level integration and test.
• Ensure manufacturing processes are appropriate for space-qualified hardware, including workmanship, contamination control, ESD control, handling, cleanliness, and configuration management.

Production Process & Operational Excellence

• Develop standardized work instructions, manufacturing processes, travelers, routings, tooling, fixtures, and work-cell layouts.
• Implement lean manufacturing and continuous-improvement methodologies appropriate for a range of medium-to-high volume, high-complexity space hardware.
• Establish manufacturing KPIs including first-pass yield, schedule adherence, cycle time, labor hours, rework, scrap, and warranty costs.
• Develop scalable processes that can transition from prototype production to higher-rate manufacturing without compromising reliability.

Quality & Mission Assurance

• Partner closely with Quality Assurance to maintain compliance with applicable space and aerospace quality requirements.
• Ensure manufacturing operations comply with applicable workmanship standards and customer requirements, such as AS9100, NASA, ECSS, IPC, J-STD-001, and related space/aerospace standards, as applicable.
• Establish strong process controls, inspection points, acceptance criteria, and manufacturing records.
• Participate in root-cause investigations and corrective/preventive actions.
• Support customer audits, qualification activities, failure investigations, and production readiness reviews.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in electronics, aerospace, defense, space, RF, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments.
• 5+ years of manufacturing leadership or management experience.
• Demonstrated experience manufacturing complex electronic assemblies or systems.
• Experience taking hardware from prototype/development through qualification and production.
• Strong understanding of PCB assembly, electronic integration, harnessing, mechanical assembly, and system-level integration.
• Experience implementing manufacturing processes, documentation, tooling, fixtures, and production controls.
• Strong understanding of configuration management, quality systems, nonconformance management, and hardware traceability.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead technical manufacturing teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret/SCI security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience manufacturing space-qualified radar, RF, microwave, phased-array, AESA, or related sensing electronics.
• Experience with RF/microwave electronics and high-frequency assemblies.
• Experience with military, defense, or commercial satellite programs.
• Experience with environmental qualification and acceptance testing, including thermal cycling, thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, EMC/EMI, and related testing.
• Experience with NASA, DoD, or commercial space customer requirements.
• Familiarity with AS9100, IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620, NASA workmanship standards, ECSS, and related requirements.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems and production planning.
• Experience scaling manufacturing organizations and production capacity.
• Experience with vertically integrated manufacturing environments.
• Lean/Six Sigma or other continuous-improvement experience.

Leadership and Technical Expectations

The Director of Manufacturing will be expected to be a hands-on operational leader who can move comfortably between strategic planning and the factory floor.

The successful candidate will:

• Build a culture of quality, accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement.
• Provide direct, hands-on Manufacturing Engineering practices and methodologies in partnership with Hardware and Software Engineering staff.
• Develop manufacturing talent and create clear career paths for technicians, engineers, supervisors, and managers.
• Establish a data-driven operating cadence for production performance.
• Make sound decisions balancing quality, schedule, cost, and technical risk.
• Work effectively in a fast-paced environment where products and processes are continually evolving.
• Maintain a strong focus on delivering reliable hardware on schedule.

Success in the First 12 Months

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Work closely with Hardware and Software Engineering to ensure DFM best practices are implemented into the baseline product development efforts.
• Design, Develop, and Implement custom designed manufacturing tooling, fixtures, and test equipment to support low-rate initial production (LRIP) transitioning to full rate production (FRP).
• Work with company Leadership to complete new facility build out, capital equipment deployment, and implement maintenance and service processes for maximum equipment uptime.
• Partner with Engineering, PMO, and Finance to identify, assess, select, and implement a new ERP/MES system. Provide Manufacturing leadership and oversight to the MES portion of the implementation process.
• Establish clear manufacturing processes, ownership, and performance metrics.
• Develop manufacturing documentation, traceability, and configuration control.
• Start to develop a manufacturing organization capable of supporting the company's next stage of growth.
• Establish a roadmap for increasing production capacity while maintaining space-grade quality and reliability.

The estimated salary range for this role reflects base pay only and is influenced by a variety of factors. Actual offers may vary based on—though not limited to—a candidate's experience, education or training, specialized expertise, and the needs of the business. In addition to base pay, full-time roles include competitive equity grants that reward innovation, impact, and long-term growth. Our total compensation philosophy is designed to recognize excellence while fostering a culture of collaboration, curiosity, and shared success.

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Kapta Employees must be U.S. citizens, lawful U.S. permanent residents (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or Commerce as applicable.

Kapta Space is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that diversity drives innovation, strengthens our team, and broadens our capabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

Kapta Space does not engage with external recruiters or agencies without prior written agreement. If you are a recruiter (individual or agency) and wish to engage with Kapta Space for talent acquisition, please email

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. xhyhwjd All final hiring decisions are made by humans.