Senior Manager of Production - Battery

Unusual Machines is a U.S.-based drone and drone parts company focused on the small and First-Person View (FPV) segments of the drone market. Our brands - Rotor Riot, Fat Shark, Rotor Lab and - coming soon - Upgrade Energy - are some of the most respected names in FPV and have helped shape the industry through e-commerce, product development, and a deep connection with the pilot community.

We’re expanding into enterprise and defense - bringing our obsessive attention to performance, design, and U.S.-based manufacturing into high-stakes environments like search and rescue and military innovation. With several of our products already approved by the Defense Innovation Unit, we’re solving procurement issues for customers who demand speed, agility, and compliance.

If you love working at the intersection of community, content, and cutting-edge technology, you’ll feel right at home here.

Director of Production

Location: Torrance, CA

Who You Are

You are an experienced manufacturing manager who knows how to turn complex hardware into a repeatable, scalable production operation.

You’re equally comfortable setting the strategy and getting on the production floor to solve problems. You thrive in fast-moving environments, build strong teams, and bring structure, accountability, and continuous improvement to everything you do.

You have experience leading production of complex hardware—ideally electronics, electromechanical products, batteries, drones, robotics, aerospace, or similar—and understand what it takes to scale from early production to meaningful volume.

What You’ll Do

• Own production operations for our renewable/rechargeable battery assemblies in California
• Lead a high-performing production team, including supervisors, leads, specialists, and assembly personnel.
• Establish the processes, systems, staffing, and production standards needed to scale.
• Assist with production planning, capacity, throughput, quality, yield, labor efficiency, and on-time delivery.
• Implement standardized work, assembly processes, testing procedures, and production KPIs.
• Identify bottlenecks and drive continuous improvement across the production floor.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Development to ensure products are designed and built for manufacturing.
• Lead the introduction of new products and processes into production.
• Evaluate tooling, equipment, automation, and capital investments that improve capacity, quality, and cost.
• Build a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Bring

• 5+ years of progressive manufacturing or production leadership experience.
• Experience scaling production operations and building manufacturing teams and processes.
• Strong understanding of Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and production KPIs.
• Experience with complex hardware, electronics, batteries, aerospace, drones, robotics, or similar products preferred.
• Experience with NPI, DFM/DFA, production testing, and manufacturing process development.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Experience working with ERP/MRP and production planning systems.
• A hands-on leadership style with the ability to move between strategic planning and solving issues on the production floor.
• A bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations, business, or a related field is preferred.

Compensation - 120,000.00 - 150,000.00

Benefits

• Equity
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefits
• 401(k)
• Generous PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Daily Catered Lunches

We are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.

Unusual Machines participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

Candidates must be a US Citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for employment