Head of Manufacturing
Location
Redwood City, CA
Level
Manager / Director
Department
Energy
Type
Salary
$100,000 - $150,000
Job Description
Posted on:
2026-03-11
Responsibilities
- Own the end-to-end manufacturing function: production planning, process development, quality, facilities, and team management.
- Scale balloon production from hundreds to thousands per month while managing cost, quality, and flexibility.
- Collaborate with R&D and engineering to drive design-for-manufacturability.
- Lead the manufacturing team, setting goals and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Define and maintain quality systems that scale with production volume.
- Manage manufacturing schedules in coordination with launch and flight operations teams.
- Make informed build-vs-buy decisions on tooling and automation.
Job Requirements
- Strong instinct for appropriate process formalization at different growth stages.
- Comfort with ambiguity and experience in manufacturing actively engineered products.
- Excellent communication skills for cross-functional collaboration.
- Hands-on manufacturing engineering skills for diagnosing process issues and designing fixtures.
- Experience with lightweight structures, composites, or flexible materials is a plus.
- Familiarity with electromechanical assembly, sensors, and actuators.
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
