Director of Manufacturing

FORTEM TECHNOLOGIES INC•Lindon, UT

About The Position

The Director of Manufacturing leads Fortem’s day-to-day manufacturing operations across multiple product lines, overseeing production execution, inventory control, warehouse operations, and manufacturing systems. The role is accountable for improving throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, and lead times while maintaining safe operations and product quality. Reporting to the VP, Manufacturing and Operations, the Director develops manufacturing leaders, establishes consistent operating practices, and turns delivery priorities into executable production plans. The Director partners with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management to resolve constraints and prepare operations for growth. The role is accountable for measurable manufacturing performance and for building a scalable organization that consistently meets customer, quality, cost, and schedule commitments. It oversees production leaders and manufacturing and warehouse teams; sets operating routines and performance targets; and uses data-driven reviews to address gaps and sustain improvements. The Director manages manufacturing expenses and labor performance within approved budgets, assesses capacity and staffing needs, and recommends investments to the VP. The role also leads manufacturing readiness for new or revised products and expanded production areas. Fortem Technologies is headquartered in Lindon, Utah, and develops airspace security systems intended to protect against autonomous aerial threats. The company describes itself as privately held and backed by Lockheed Martin, DCVC, Toshiba, AE Industrial Partners, AIM13, Signia Venture Partners, and others. Fortem is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive manufacturing or operations experience, including at least 5 years in leadership roles managing managers or multiple operational teams.
Experience leading production across multiple product lines in a hardware or technical manufacturing environment.
Experience overseeing inventory control, warehouse operations, and material flow.
Demonstrated results improving throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, and manufacturing lead times.
Strong working knowledge of ERP systems, work-order control, inventory transactions, and manufacturing reporting.
Experience developing production leaders and establishing consistent operating practices during organizational growth.
Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, capacity planning, root-cause problem-solving, and quality improvement.
Strong financial and analytical skills, including labor planning, budgeting, cost analysis, and productivity measurement.
Ability to resolve competing priorities and collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management.
Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, engineering, operations, business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant education, training, and experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience in aerospace, defense, unmanned aircraft systems, robotics, or complex electromechanical manufacturing.
Experience scaling operations through facility expansion, new product introductions, or substantial production growth.
Experience implementing or improving ERP, manufacturing execution, warehouse management, or production reporting systems.
Familiarity with ISO 9001, AS9100, or comparable quality management systems and controlled manufacturing practices.
Experience in mixed-volume manufacturing with changing product configurations.
Lean or Six Sigma certification; APICS/ASCM CPIM, CSCP, or comparable operations credentials.
Master’s degree in business, engineering, operations, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop production managers and operational leaders through clear expectations, coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
Establish consistent standard work, operating routines, and accountability across manufacturing and warehouse teams.
Provide manufacturing forecasts, risks, and recovery plans to the VP and cross-functional stakeholders; communicate delivery impacts early and recommend actions.
Build a scalable manufacturing organization with clear ownership and decision-making authority, ensuring teams meet safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.
Translate delivery requirements into coordinated production plans, staffing requirements, and operating targets.
Own schedule attainment and throughput; lead operating reviews, resolve competing priorities, and direct recovery actions.
Improve bottlenecks, work-in-progress delays, material shortages, and rework to increase productivity and shorten lead times.
Monitor safety, quality, delivery, throughput, labor productivity, inventory accuracy, work in progress, and lead time, and verify that improvements are sustained.
Establish and achieve measurable manufacturing performance targets; use data-driven operating reviews to identify gaps, assign corrective actions, and sustain improvements.
Oversee receiving, storage, kitting, production replenishment, material movement, and shipment preparation.
Maintain inventory accuracy through disciplined transactions, cycle counting, and reconciliation with Finance and Supply Chain.
Ensure timely and accurate use of ERP and manufacturing systems for work orders, inventory records, production status, and operational reporting.
Partner with Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain to maintain accurate manufacturing documentation and material requirements and control product and process changes.
Ensure production plans account for material availability, labor capacity, and equipment constraints; maintain disciplined ERP execution for visibility into production status, shortages, and projected completion dates.
Maintain manufacturing accountability for quality at the source; support defect containment, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions to reduce scrap and rework.
Reinforce safety, housekeeping, and process compliance, ensuring production demands do not bypass inspections, approvals, or safe work practices.
Preserve Quality Assurance’s independent authority for inspection, product acceptance, and quality-system compliance while ensuring manufacturing addresses defects and corrective actions promptly.
Manage manufacturing expenses and labor performance within approved budgets; identify cost drivers and implement productivity improvements.
Monitor labor utilization, cost per unit, scrap, rework, and other significant operating cost drivers to drive cost and productivity improvements.
Assess capacity and staffing needs and recommend hiring, cross-training, equipment, facility, and capital investments to the VP.
Lead manufacturing readiness for new or revised products and expanded production areas, coordinating staffing, training, tooling, materials, and documented processes.
Develop and execute manufacturing capacity plans covering production layout, staffing models, equipment utilization, material flow, and facility readiness to support forecasted demand and business growth.