Production Manager, Avionics and Electro-Mechanical

K2 Space•Los Angeles, CA

8d•$150,000 - $190,000

About The Position

The Production Manager leads K2 Space’s Avionics and Electro-Mechanical Production team, which builds and tests flight hardware including avionics boxes, batteries, mechanisms and actuators, flight harnesses, and related acceptance testing. The manager owns production work centers from piece parts through assembly, testing, and final acceptance, and is accountable for safety, quality, schedule, throughput, and team performance and development. This is a hands-on leadership position requiring close involvement with hardware and substantial time on the production floor. The manager partners with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Design, and Engineering stakeholders to resolve issues, remove blockers, improve production processes, and build the systems and team needed to scale toward higher-rate production.

Requirements

At least 4 years of experience managing large production teams through development, manufacturing, and build processes for complex assemblies.
At least 8 years of production experience in a high-volume, rapid environment in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing.
Direct experience with flight hardware, including electro-mechanical assemblies, harnesses, PCBA, Solar, and box-level builds.
Familiarity with J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620, ESD control, and flight hardware traceability.
Track record of improving throughput and yield using data, with experience in MES- or ERP-driven production.
Excellent conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
Demonstrated success leading from the floor in a fast-moving manufacturing environment.
Ability to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical production and test milestones.
Comfort spending significant time in manufacturing, cleanroom, laboratory, and test environments.
Ability to travel occasionally to suppliers, test facilities, or other company locations as required.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Nice To Haves

Experience scaling spacecraft or satellite production from low rate to high rate.
Experience with MES, such as WarpDrive, First Resonance ION, or a similar modern MES.
Background in capacity modeling, line design, and capital equipment justification.

Responsibilities

Manage and develop Supervisors, Leads, and Technicians across avionics, electro-mechanical assembly, harness fabrication, PCBA rework, and component acceptance testing work centers.
Deliver completed flight hardware to vehicle integration, ensuring it is built, tested, accepted, and delivered on or ahead of schedule.
Set production priorities and drive daily execution against build and test schedules.
Proactively remove constraints related to materials, tooling, equipment, procedures, and resources.
Improve first-pass yield, cycle time, rework, throughput, and labor efficiency.
Ensure production work has complete configuration control, traceability, and manufacturing records.
Establish production metrics and tools that show output, quality, constraints, and recovery plans.
Represent Production to Engineering Leadership and influence design, test strategy, and schedule decisions so hardware is built correctly and delivered at rate.
Spend dedicated time on the production floor, understand the hardware, and remove blockers efficiently.