Head of Manufacturing
On-siteIrvine, California, United States
Job Summary
Own the manufacturing process, manufacturing engineering, clean room operations, work scheduling, and quality assurance for camera, avionics, and payload products. Ensure space-grade hardware is produced in a workmanlike manner while supporting implementation and certification to AS9100 standards. Directly contribute to production from time to time due to the small team size. Ensure personnel are properly trained and that equipment is ready for operation to support seamless production. This role balances immediate production needs with continuous improvement across the operation. You will work closely with cross-functional partners to build a disciplined, scalable manufacturing environment. TRL11, Inc. is a venture-backed deep-tech startup developing advanced video and camera technology for space and aerospace applications.
Required Qualifications
- Prior hands-on production experience in an aerospace setting.
- 7+ years of experience across manufacturing, production, quality, and/or engineering disciplines.
- Experience with MES and inventory management systems, including the ability to work within structured production and material-control environments.
- Experience with AS9100, root cause and corrective action, traceability and configuration control, and nonconformance control.
- Experience collaborating with design engineering, quality, supply chain and procurement, executive leadership, program management, and IT.
- Eligible to work in the United States.
Desired Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM field.
- 10+ years of experience across manufacturing, production, quality, and/or engineering disciplines.
- Experience with test and quality assurance, manufacturing engineering, and inventory management.
- Experience implementing or maintaining an MES system.
- Experience working with ISO8 through ISO5 clean rooms.
- Experience working with avionics and electrooptical devices such as cameras, sensors, and optical components; space hardware experience is a plus.
- Manufacturing engineering experience in aerospace, military, defense, or other high-reliability systems.
- Experience with NIST equipment calibration and inspection of electronics to IPC and J-STD standards.
- IPC and J-STD certifications, or prior certification, are a plus.
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