Associate Director, Manufacturing
$140,000–$175,000 year
On-site · Boulder, Colorado, United States
Job Summary
Associate Director, Manufacturing leads a team of manufacturing engineers and serves as the technical authority for outsourced manufacturing; translates product and process requirements into scalable manufacturing solutions; qualifies and selects contract manufacturers; ensures manufacturing readiness for demonstration-scale operations; partners with Supply Chain, Quality, and Operations to align technical execution with commercial terms; defines manufacturing requirements, process controls, inspection strategies, and acceptance criteria for external suppliers; drives transition from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, oversees make/buy decisions, capacity planning, and manufacturing roadmaps; manages ongoing production, product spares, and demonstrated plant readiness; leads cross-functional collaboration and delivers manufacturing readiness updates to senior leadership; emphasizes safety, problem solving, and KPI tracking across internal and external production environments; builds and develops a multidisciplinary manufacturing engineering team and fosters a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field; equivalent experience considered
- 12+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing engineering, with 4 to 8 years in an industrial production operations setting
- Demonstrated success scaling products beyond prototype or pilot stages into outsourced or hybrid-volume manufacturing
- Strong experience qualifying and managing contract manufacturers for precision plastic and metal components and assemblies
- Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing technical teams
- Deep understanding of DFM, DFA, and design-for-scalability principles
- Experience defining manufacturing requirements, acceptance criteria, and inspection strategies
- Familiarity with metrology systems, measurement system analysis (MSA), and validation of inspection methods
- Track record of solving complex, cross-functional manufacturing and supply chain challenges
- Strong communication skills with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Highly organized, decisive, and effective in a fast-paced startup environment
- Experience owning manufacturing execution
- Master’s degree in engineering is preferred
- Experience supporting demonstration facilities, or early commercial production environments
- Background in mineral processing OEMs, electrochemical systems, energy technologies, or other highly engineered hardware products
- Experience with injection molding processes, tooling development, supplier qualification, and process capability
- Experience with welding, bonding, or joining of fiber-based fabrics or composite materials
- Hands-on experience with fabrication processes such as machining, welding, forming, or complex assemblies
- Passion for building scalable hardware systems that enable meaningful sustainability impact
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