Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations

Monarch Quantum•San Diego, CA

4d•$185,000 - $235,000•Onsite

About The Position

Join Monarch Quantum as Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations, leading the operationalization, scaling, and daily execution of next-generation automated assembly and optical packaging platforms. This hands-on leadership role builds the operational foundation for automated manufacturing, bridging hardware development and high-precision production. You will guide the strategy, architecture, and execution of automated manufacturing lines for complex quantum optics modules, photonics components, and precision hardware, and lead a multidisciplinary team spanning operations, manufacturing engineering, equipment maintenance, and factory-floor execution. The goal is to transition R&D prototypes into scalable, robust, automated production processes. The role is 100% on-site at Monarch Quantum headquarters in San Diego, California, in cleanroom, optical assembly lab, and precision electronics manufacturing environments. Employment is contingent on the applicant being a U.S. person, as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), because the position requires access to export-controlled information. The expected annual salary range is $185,000–$235,000. Full-time employees are eligible for the company’s benefits package. The schedule is 9/80, with every other Friday off.

Requirements

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechatronics, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline.
12+ years of professional experience in automated manufacturing operations, high-precision assembly, or industrial engineering.
At least 5 years in direct operations management or manufacturing leadership.
Proven track record scaling and managing fully automated manufacturing lines, industrial robotics, factory operations, or semiconductor/photonics packaging facilities.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), due to access to export-controlled information.

Nice To Haves

Deep expertise operating high-precision production lines for micro-optics assembly, active fiber coupling, photonic integrated circuit packaging, or laser manufacturing.
Familiarity with precision motion control, PLCs or industrial controllers, machine-vision systems, and integration of factory execution software such as MES, SCADA, and ERP.
Hands-on mastery of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma tools, Root Cause Analysis (8D/Fishbone), SPC, GR&R, and Design of Experiments.
Experience scaling an advanced hardware startup’s operations into a mature, repeatable, high-volume manufacturing facility.

Responsibilities

Define and execute the operational roadmap for automated manufacturing, precision robotic assembly stations, and high-yield automated testing across photonics and quantum hardware product lines.
Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing operations team.
Own production on-time-delivery planning, from known-good parts through delivery of known-good products.
Optimize production, monitor daily operations, manage material flow and work-in-progress tracking, and allocate operational resources.
Oversee production equipment maintenance, uptime monitoring, optimization, and first-level troubleshooting of production failures.
Oversee production quality, in-process inspection, quality-control steps, and Material Review Board (MRB) management.
Track and analyze yield, scrap rates, and equipment utilization to improve factory performance.
Deploy, maintain, and continuously optimize automated pick-and-place, optical alignment, micro-assembly, packaging, and high-precision laser-alignment machinery.
Partner with R&D, Process Development, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Firmware/Software teams on design for manufacturability and assembly, high-volume production, cycle-time reduction, and yield.
Oversee New Product Introduction manufacturing operations and convert benchtop research setups into standardized, automated factory-floor workflows.
Maintain work instructions, production documentation, and configuration-management controls.
Manage production labs, including cleanroom protocols, gowning-room consumables, and operational safety.
Identify, select, and manage capital-equipment vendors, custom machine builders, contract manufacturers, and component suppliers to support equipment uptime and spare-parts availability.
Lead continuous-improvement initiatives across manufacturing processes using data and lean principles.
Manage capital expenditures, operating budgets, factory labor, and operational metrics, and deliver automation milestones on schedule and within budget.