Production Manager of Manufacturing Operations

Zipline•South San Francisco, CA

10h•$120,000 - $170,000•Onsite

About The Position

Zipline is seeking a Production Manager of Manufacturing Operations to deliver aircraft and autonomy hardware for its global drone delivery networks. Based on-site at the South San Francisco Production Factory, the role will transition P2 from pilot builds to sustained, high-volume production that meets safety, quality, and service-level requirements. The manager will lead frontline production teams and work closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and Design. The role’s decisions affect aircraft availability, field reliability, and customer dispatch rates. The manager will own execution across four Top Level Assembly lines and 12 feeder lines, set daily production targets, and manage production supervisors, leads, and technicians across shifts. Responsibilities include production planning and readiness, standardizing manufacturing processes and systems, maintaining safety and regulatory checkpoints, and improving performance through metrics and corrective actions. The role also supports new product introduction ramp plans and requires regular on-site presence, shift oversight, and occasional weekend or off-hour escalations. Minimal travel, under 10%, may be required between sites or to suppliers.

Requirements

At least 8 years of production or operations leadership experience with direct P&L or output ownership.
Experience leading multiple assembly lines and first-line managers.
Proven experience scaling pilot-to-full-rate manufacturing in electro-mechanical or aerospace/robotics environments.
Demonstrated proficiency with MES/ERP systems and strong data-driven process-control skills.
Experience owning safety-critical processes, quality gates, and traceability for fielded systems or regulated hardware.
A record of meeting throughput, yield, and on-time delivery targets; ability to define and achieve 90–95%+ first-pass yield or equivalent step-change improvements where applicable.
Experience hiring, developing, and retaining frontline supervisors and technicians, setting clear performance expectations, and enforcing accountability.
Comfort operating during 12–16-hour ramp days, conducting shift handovers, and making rapid escalation decisions under production pressure and tight schedules.
BS in engineering or operations, or equivalent experience.
Ability to read technical drawings, bills of materials (BOMs), and PFMEA outputs.
Must work on-site at Zipline’s P2 manufacturing facility in South San Francisco, including during ramp and steady-state production.
Willingness to travel minimally (under 10%) between sites or to suppliers; travel between sites may be required during ramp and sustainment phases.

Responsibilities

Own day-to-day execution and outcomes for four Top Level Assembly lines and 12 feeder lines, including daily builds, first-pass yield, and ship-ready rates.
Drive production to defined throughput and scheduled ship-date targets.
Manage and develop production supervisors, leads, and technicians across shifts; create staffing plans and run-rate coverage for first- and second-shift schedules.
Maintain on-site accountability for quality, safety, and regulatory checkpoints affecting aircraft airworthiness and field deployment.
Lead planning, scheduling, tooling allocation, and build readiness to prevent line starvation and minimize changeover time.
Implement, standardize, and enforce SOPs, build packets, work instructions, and MES/ERP manufacturing control systems to ensure repeatable assembly and traceability.
Monitor throughput, yield, cycle time, downtime, scrap rate, labor efficiency, and MTTR; conduct weekly performance reviews and assign corrective actions and owners.
Support new product introduction ramp plans by defining the climb plan, training curriculum, quality gates, and defect-reduction targets during the first six months.
Promote accountability, safety, proactive risk management, clear communication, and continuous improvement.
Provide shift oversight and respond to occasional weekend or off-hour escalations during ramps or critical incidents.
Meet ramp milestones, steady-state units-per-week goals, first-pass-yield improvement targets, defect-reduction goals, and aircraft availability targets.