Head of Aircraft Production (Aerospace)

Location: Seattle, Washington; on-site

Company

Venture-backed defense technology company developing intelligent systems, autonomous aircraft, and simulation technologies.

What you will do

• Lead day-to-day prototype and development builds of X-BAT aircraft, including assembly, integration, rework, testing support, and configuration traceability.
• Plan pre-series builds and establish tooling, work instructions, material flow, process controls, and workforce readiness for production launch.
• Set up the X-Forge 3 manufacturing facility, including factory layout, equipment installation, commissioning, and production flow.
• Recruit, develop, and lead the production organization while managing staffing, training, capacity, and workforce growth.
• Own production execution against safety, quality, delivery, and cost targets as aircraft production scales.
• Improve throughput, labor productivity, first-pass quality, and schedule adherence through Lean methods, structured problem-solving, digital manufacturing tools, and automation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in aerospace or comparable advanced manufacturing, including at least 5 years leading production teams.
• Experience leading prototype or new product introduction builds through sustained production.
• Experience building and scaling manufacturing operations, including workforce development, capacity planning, and production systems.
• Experience with complex assembly and integration operations requiring demanding quality, configuration, and traceability controls.
• Ability to collaborate across Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management while resolving competing priorities.

Nice to have

• Experience taking a new aircraft program from prototype through initial and rate production.
• Experience establishing a new manufacturing facility or transferring production between sites.
• Experience with aircraft final assembly, systems integration, and production test.
• Familiarity with AS9100, digital manufacturing, traceability tools, outsourced manufacturing, and complex supplier networks.
• Advanced degree or training in manufacturing leadership, program management, or production launch.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on leadership role combining factory planning with detailed production-floor problem-solving.
• Cross-functional collaboration with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, and Program Management.
• Opportunity to build a new aircraft production operation and establish its operating system.