Director of Operations
On-site · San Luis Obispo, California, United States
Job Summary
Director of Operations is responsible for end-to-end operations converting engineering designs into delivered UAV aircraft. Leads five teams—Production Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, Production Flight Quality Control, Operations Coordination (fulfillment and work orders), and Shipping & Receiving / Warehousing—accountable for safety, quality, on-time delivery, and cost across all areas. Balances hands-on shop-floor leadership with scalable processes, develops frontline leaders, and partners with Engineering, Customer Success, and Finance to meet build schedules and delivery commitments. Typical responsibilities include establishing roles and training paths, implementing Lean and continuous improvement initiatives, overseeing flight-test and acceptance procedures, managing end-to-end order fulfillment and logistics, maintaining ERP/MRP data accuracy (NetSuite), and driving KPIs such as OTD, throughput, yield, inventory accuracy, and labor productivity. Requires a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent), 5–9+ years in manufacturing/ops, ERP/MRP proficiency, NPI/industrialization experience, and strong leadership in fast-growing, high-reliability environments. Salary and benefits highlighted separately; equal opportunity employer.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 5–9+ years of operations experience in manufacturing, aerospace, robotics, electronics, or other high-reliability hardware environments
- Experience leading multiple teams and frontline supervisors
- Strong practical knowledge of ERP/MRP, production scheduling, and inventory control
- Experience driving continuous improvement (Lean, Kaizen, 5S, structured problem solving)
- Experience scaling a manufacturing or operations team through rapid growth
- Strong communication and organizational habits
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