Senior Manager, Manufacturing

Onto Innovation•Tucson, AZ

6d•$108,400 - $162,600•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manufacturing Manager owns the day-to-day production of 4D Technology’s laser interferometry instruments, leading a highly-skilled team of Manufacturing Engineers and Assembly Technicians who build precision optical systems to customer specification. The expectation is a hands-on operations manager who drives throughput, schedule attainment, and quality from the floor while developing the team to take on more complex builds. The Senior Manufacturing Manager partners closely with Quality, Service, Purchasing, and Engineering on new product introduction. The role requires comfort with low-volume, high-mix, custom-build operations and an ISO 9001 quality environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Optical, Electrical, or Manufacturing) or equivalent experience.
7–10 years in manufacturing of precision instruments, optical or photonic systems, scientific equipment, or comparable low-volume / high-mix builds.
3+ years leading a manufacturing team of engineers and skilled technicians.
Demonstrated experience moving a team from heroic individual builds to repeatable, documented processes.
Hands-on experience operating in an ISO 9001 (or AS9100, ISO 13485) certified environment, including ECO management, NCMR / CAPA, and audit support.
Strong understanding of optical assembly, alignment, and metrology; laser interferometry experience strongly preferred.
Proficiency with MRP / ERP systems — Oracle ERP experience preferred — for work orders, inventory, and shipping transactions.
Capacity planning, S&OP / SIOP participation, and rough-cut capacity analysis.
Strong cross-functional communication; able to push back constructively on Sales, Engineering, and Service while protecting the schedule.
Coaching and team development; experience building training matrices and progression paths for technicians.
Comfortable on the floor — diagnoses build problems hands-on without becoming the builder.
Familiarity with Kanban, lean manufacturing, and continuous improvement methodology.
Conflict management and the ability to influence cross-functionally without direct authority.
Adherence to company ethics, safety, and quality policies in all manufacturing activities.

Nice To Haves

APICS / ASCM CPIM certification.
Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
Direct experience with Oracle ERP manufacturing modules (BOM, WIP, inventory, shipping).
Experience supporting Field Service Engineers (FSEs) and service-spares planning.
Experience with cleanroom or controlled-environment precision-instrument manufacturing.

Responsibilities

Own the daily production schedule and ship-date attainment for customer system builds, accessories, and field returns and accessories.
Allocate Manufacturing Engineers and Assembly Technicians across active jobs based on priority, skill, and shipment commitments; pivot the workforce as priorities change.
Lead the morning standup, weekly materials and shipments meetings, and the bi-weekly tech meeting.
Provide suggested ship dates to Sales based on parts availability, capacity, and engineering risk; coordinate forecast builds with the Sales Director.
Maintain the rolling capacity plan in support of quarterly revenue commitments; participate in S&OP / SIOP cycles.
Process work-order release, monitor work in progress, and ensure on-time transactions in Oracle ERP.
Lead, coach, and develop Manufacturing Engineers, Assembly Technicians, and Lead Technicians; identify cross-training opportunities to expand build flexibility.
Build and maintain a documented training matrix tied to specific instruments, assembly procedures, and tools.
Drive technician progression on complex builds (large-aperture beam expanders, customer computer systems, accessories) so individual-contributor work that historically sat with management is fully owned by the team.
Conduct performance reviews, succession planning, and hiring for the manufacturing team; manage time-off and shift coverage.
Partner with Engineering on New Product Introduction (NPI), engineering changes (ECs / ECOs), and prototype-to-production transitions; participate actively on the Change Control Board.
Partner with the Master Planner / Buyer on long-lead-time items, BOM changes, and material readiness for scheduled jobs.
Partner with the Quality Manager on root-cause analysis, CAPAs, NCMR closure, and ISO 9001 manufacturing compliance.
Coordinate with the Service Manager on field issues that originate in production, FSE training timed to customer builds, and last-time-buy decisions for service spares.
Drive cycle-time and First-Pass-Yield (FPY) improvements on key build steps.
Develop Pareto analyses of disruptions; lead 8D problem solving on recurring issues.
Identify process, fixturing, and documentation improvements that reduce build variance and operator dependency.
Maintain build playbooks and assembly travelers that support consistent execution by any qualified technician.
Ensure manufacturing operations comply with the 4D Quality Management System (QMS) and ISO 9001 requirements.
Ensure Device History Records (DHRs), assembly travelers, and final-tool qualification / validation documentation are complete and traceable.
Support internal and external audits in coordination with the Quality Manager.