Job Description Summary

The Production Leader oversees the build and assembly of a new additive manufacturing printer and day-to-day shop operations to meet program requirements. The role is pivotal in scaling from early initial production builds through industrialization to full-rate production. The Production Leader will champion lean operations and continuous improvement initiatives that directly enhance safety, quality, delivery, and cost (SQDC) metrics, ensuring the product meets the highest standards as the line scales. They will establish and run the operating cadence (tiered daily management, visual controls, standard work), monitor KPIs to ensure organizational and operational health, and lead day-to-day execution of the production organization. As a key member of the program leadership team, you will collaborate across Engineering, Product Management, Quality, and Sourcing to deliver commitments on time and within budget.

Job Description

Roles and Responsibilities

• Safety Leadership: Champion EHS standards and compliance, drive hazard identification and near-miss closure, and model a safety-first culture that stops work when unsafe conditions arise.
• Production Execution: Translate demand into executable build plans, ensure first-pass build quality at each station, and maintain stable flow across assembly and test to meet SQDC targets.
• Schedule, capacity, materials: Maintain executable schedules; balance staffing/capacity; ensure material readiness; manage WIP and inventory health.
• Operating Cadence: Lead tiered daily management (cell/area/program), maintain visual boards, and ensure standard work adherence, revision control, and effective handoffs across shifts.
• Lean and Continuous Improvement: Apply lean practices (standard work, value stream management, 5S, problem-solving) to improve operational KPIs.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Engineering on ECNs/defect containment, DFM/DFA feedback, and rework dispositions; collaborate with Quality on PFMEA/control plan effectiveness; align with Product Mgmt. on milestones, shipments, and customer readiness.
• Risk and recovery: Maintain a visible risk register, lead root cause analysis using structured methods, implement robust corrective/preventive actions, and execute recovery and line-of-balance plans.
• Cost and productivity: Track labor, material, and overhead; deliver cost-reduction without compromising safety or quality.
• People leadership: Lead, coach, and develop the production organization; maintain skills matrices and training plans.
• Systems and reporting: Use ERP and MES for execution and data integrity; maintain KPI dashboards and communicate performance and risks.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Supply Chain, or related field; or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of production/operations leadership in complex production environments

• Note: Military experience is equivalent to professional experience

  Eligibility Requirement:

  -Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required.  We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job.

Desired Characteristics

• Strong Safety Commitment: Demonstrated leadership in EHS, including audit readiness, hazard identification/mitigation, and building a safety-first culture.
• Production Operations: Proven delivery to SQDC targets; proficiency with production KPIs and tools; deep understanding of production planning, shop floor control, and complex production assembly.
• Lean Principles: Hands-on practitioner of daily management, standard work creation/sustainment, visual controls, 5S, value stream mapping, and problem solving; can lead kaizen events and build problem-solving capability in others.

• Cross-functional Leadership:  Skilled at aligning Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Product Mgmt. around a single plan of record; adept at navigating ECNs, concessions, rework, and readiness reviews to keep builds on track.
• Communication Skills: Clear, concise communicator who escalates early with facts and options; experienced in running effective tier meetings, genba walks, and operator communication huddles; strong written updates and recovery plans.
• Change Implementation: Experienced in introducing ECNs/ECRs into live production with minimal disruption—pilot/verify, train, release, and sustain; comfortable with revision control and configuration management.