Sr Manufacturing Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Sr Manufacturing Manager

Company:  Confidential

Employment Type: Full - Time

Work Location: On-Site

Headquarters Location: San Diego, CA

Compensation & Benefits:

• Annual salary range $145,000 to $165,000
• Potential for Stock Equity
• 401K Matching
• Competitive Benefits Package including Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Three weeks of PTO and Paid Holidays

Position Overview: We are seeking an experienced, technically proficient, and highly professional Sr Manufacturing Manager to lead the assembly, integration, and testing of complex ruggedized computing systems and electro-mechanical products. This hands-on leadership role is accountable for daily production execution, personnel performance, quality and process discipline, workplace organization, material control, and continuous improvement in a high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environment. Materials/Planning owns material availability, timing of job releases, and target completion dates. The Sr Manufacturing Manager provides capacity input, validates feasibility, assigns personnel and resources, and executes released work to agreed deadlines. Production testing and assigned assembly/test personnel remain within the Sr Manufacturing Manager’s scope.

Reporting Relationships:

The Sr Manufacturing Manager reports to the Vice President of Manufacturing. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Production Execution & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Lead daily production activities across electro-mechanical assembly, electronics integration, functional testing, and related RMA repair/upgrade work.

• Translate released jobs into daily priorities, work assignments, staffing and resource allocations, WIP control, and clear completion milestones.

• Collaborate with Materials/Planning on labor and test capacity, schedule feasibility, production readiness, material shortages, and execution priorities; retain ownership of agreed completion dates.

• Identify technical, staffing, tooling, or testing bottlenecks early; develop recovery actions, communicate impacts, and coordinate schedule changes through Planning and Operations.

• Maintain timely, accurate ERP/MRP transactions for labor, job status, material movements, and manufacturing execution; provide concise progress and risk reports.

2. Technical Manufacturing & Production Testing

• Provide credible shop-floor direction on drawings, BOMs, routings, wiring, mechanical assemblies, electronic components, and system integration.

• Manage assigned supervisors/leads, assemblers, and production test personnel; balance assembly, test, troubleshooting, and retest capacity.

• Ensure work is completed to approved assembly instructions, test procedures, and acceptance criteria; coordinate technical resolutions with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Quality.

• Support first builds, engineering changes, equipment/fixture improvements, and efficient manufacturing test and RMA turnaround.

3. Quality, Compliance & Traceability

• Own compliance with applicable AS9100D production processes, QMS records, approved instructions, training requirements, and customer-specific requirements.

• Enforce component identification and traceability, configuration control, ESD and FOD prevention, and documented process/test completion.

• Work with Quality and Engineering on nonconformances, root-cause investigations, corrective actions, rework controls, and audit readiness.

4. Leadership, Emotional Intelligence & Development

• Lead with professionalism, emotional maturity, self-awareness, composure, active listening, and sound judgment during conflict and schedule pressure.

• Establish explicit expectations and accountability for quality, output, attendance, safety, conduct, and follow-through; address issues promptly and fairly.

• Provide constructive coaching and feedback, develop employee competencies and cross-training through a skills matrix, and support performance evaluations.

• Maintain respectful communication and strong collaboration with Planning, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, Program Management, and Operations leadership.

5. Lean, Workplace Organization & Material Stewardship

• Implement and sustain Lean principles, 5S, standard work, visual management, waste reduction, and continuous improvement as daily operating practices.

• Keep workstations, tools, equipment, material staging areas, and WIP clean, organized, safe, controlled, and consistently audit-ready.

• Maintain accountability for all materials in Production custody, especially serialized/high-value electronics, staged components, customer-owned items, and WIP.

• Require accurate identification, storage, issue/return and transfer records; promptly investigate and correct missing, misplaced, lost, or damaged parts.

• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering on cycle-time accuracy, routings, layout, throughput, repeatability, test efficiency, and elimination of avoidable rework.

6. Operational Performance

• Track delivery to agreed job dates, labor variance, first-pass yield, test throughput, RMA turnaround, rework, WIP accuracy, 5S compliance, and material discrepancies.

• Use objective data and root-cause analysis to establish priorities, assign corrective actions, and deliver measurable, sustained performance improvements.

Qualifications:

•8+ years of progressive electronics, electro-mechanical, or systems integration manufacturing experience, including 3+ years managing production teams and outcomes.

• Proven high-mix, low-volume manufacturing experience involving complex configured systems, mechanical assembly, wiring, electronics integration, and production testing.

• Ability to interpret manufacturing drawings, BOMs, work instructions, routings, and test requirements; practical judgment in technical problem-solving.

• Working knowledge of production resource allocation, WIP, capacity, ERP/MRP records, and execution against externally established production plans.

• Experience operating within ISO 9001 or AS9100 QMS requirements, including process discipline, training, traceability, and corrective actions.

• Demonstrated application of Lean manufacturing, 5S, material stewardship, and continuous-improvement practices.

• Documented success coaching employees, managing performance and conflicts professionally, and building effective cross-functional relationships.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, or operations; equivalent directly relevant experience considered in lieu of degree.

•10+ years of relevant experience; ruggedized computers/servers, aerospace, defense, or similarly complex electronic systems.

• AS9100D experience; familiarity with IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, ESD/FOD, and environmental/burn-in testing.

• Functional understanding of ERP systems, Excel, Lean/Six Sigma, or documented manufacturing process improvements.

Leadership Expectations & Measures of Success

Professional leadership. Respectful communication, emotional self-regulation, fair accountability, coaching, and reliable cross-functional follow-through.

Manufacturing performance. On-time execution to agreed completion dates, improving labor efficiency/variance, first-pass yield, testing flow, and production RMA turnaround.

Process discipline. Consistent QMS/AS9100D compliance, complete manufacturing records, effective 5S, accurate material/WIP control, and zero preventable material losses as the goal.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• Requirements include to be able to work the regular workweek of 40 hours, and to be prepared to work irregular hours for emergency production needs or problems arise. 
• Required to wear protective clothing and glasses in some areas.
• Frequent standing, sitting, walking, handling, feeling with hands, reaching with arms.
• Lifting up to 75 lbs.
• Occasional climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling.
• Operating around high voltage components.
• Regular communication (hearing/speaking).
• Vision requirements include close, distant, color perception, peripheral, depth and ability to focus.
• Working around moderate noise conditions.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.