Senior Manager, Manufacturing Operations

Portal Space Systems•Bothell, WA

1d•$150,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Portal Space Systems is seeking a hands-on Senior Manager, Manufacturing Operations to build, lead, and scale production operations at its satellite manufacturing facility. This foundational leadership role will establish production processes, develop the production team, and ensure safe, consistent, and efficient execution as the business moves from early builds to sustained-rate production. Reporting to the VP of Manufacturing, the Senior Manager will own day-to-day production execution, workforce readiness, production planning, and operational performance. The role leads production supervisors, team leads, technicians, coordinators, and other assigned personnel, while establishing processes, systems, and accountability to meet production commitments. The role partners with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, Maintenance, and EHS specialists on manufacturing readiness and operational challenges. Engineering retains responsibility for product design and engineering authority; Quality and EHS provide functional expertise and governance in their respective areas. This is a build-and-scale role that balances immediate production needs with repeatable processes, frontline leadership development, and growth in manufacturing rates.

Requirements

8 or more years of progressive manufacturing or production operations experience, including at least 5 years in leadership roles.
At least 2 years of experience leading supervisors, team leads, or other production leaders.
Demonstrated experience establishing new production processes, launching manufacturing lines, or scaling production operations.
Experience managing production schedules, staffing, resource allocation, and operational performance against measurable targets.
Experience implementing standardized work, operating procedures, and production controls.
Working knowledge of manufacturing safety practices, risk management, and quality requirements in a regulated or high-reliability environment.
Proven ability to build, coach, and develop production teams and improve workforce capability.
Experience applying operational metrics, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement methods to improve safety, quality, delivery, or productivity.
Ability to collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, and EHS specialists to resolve production challenges.
Strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills in a fast-paced, evolving manufacturing environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in satellite, spacecraft, aerospace, defense, or other high-reliability hardware manufacturing.
Experience transitioning products from engineering builds or low-rate initial production to sustained-rate production.
Familiarity with AS9100, configuration management, manufacturing traceability, and controlled production documentation.
Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and manufacturing performance dashboards.
Experience with production capacity planning, labor forecasting, and manufacturing resource management.
Lean manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma, or equivalent continuous improvement training or certification.
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the production organization, including assigned supervisors, team leads, technicians, and production coordinators.
Own daily production execution and align build plans, staffing, material availability, and priorities with delivery commitments.
Establish operating rhythms, including daily production reviews, shift handoffs, escalation paths, and performance reporting.
Monitor production performance, identify constraints, and resolve issues affecting safety, quality, schedule, or productivity.
Establish accountability for production targets, employee performance, standardized work, and continuous improvement.
Provide data-driven updates to the VP of Manufacturing on performance, risks, resource needs, and recovery plans.
Lead production readiness and operational launch activities for new manufacturing lines and processes.
Coordinate with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, and Maintenance to prepare equipment, materials, documentation, and personnel for builds.
Establish production flow, workstation layouts, material staging, and work-in-process controls.
Develop production capacity plans, staffing requirements, and shift coverage for planned manufacturing rates.
Ensure production personnel have approved work instructions, required training, tools, and equipment before performing assigned tasks.
Coordinate implementation of engineering changes with Engineering and Quality to incorporate approved revisions into production.
Identify manufacturing readiness risks and escalate technical, resource, or infrastructure constraints before they affect commitments.
Build and develop a production team with clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations.
Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop production personnel and frontline leaders.
Identify workforce skill gaps and coordinate training, qualification, certification, and cross-training activities with technical experts and Learning & Development where applicable.
Establish processes to verify employee competency and readiness for assigned manufacturing tasks.
Develop supervisors and team leads through coaching, performance management, and leadership development.
Foster a factory-floor culture of safety, quality, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Maintain accountability for safe work practices and applicable safety requirements in production operations.
Partner with EHS specialists to assess hazards, implement controls, support incident investigations, and track corrective actions to closure.
Ensure personnel follow safety procedures, including lockout/tagout, PPE, chemical handling, and emergency response requirements.
Partner with Quality and Engineering to ensure production follows approved designs, manufacturing processes, inspection requirements, and quality standards.
Establish and maintain standardized procedures and work instructions for assembly, integration, test, inspection, and material handling with Engineering and Quality.
Ensure personnel use current, approved documentation and complete required training and qualifications.
Support nonconformance investigations, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and process improvements.
Promote proactive safety and quality through visible leadership, shop-floor engagement, and adherence to procedures.
Establish production metrics covering safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and manufacturing readiness.
Apply structured problem-solving, root cause analysis, and Lean manufacturing principles to improve consistency and efficiency.
Identify bottlenecks, reduce unnecessary work-in-process, improve cycle time, and increase production capacity.
Maintain accurate production records and coordinate with system owners to support manufacturing traceability and reliable reporting.
Drive corrective and preventive actions based on performance trends, production issues, audit findings, and employee feedback.
Partner with functional teams to implement sustainable improvements without compromising safety, quality, or engineering requirements.