Senior Program Manager — Manufacturing & Strategic Initiatives

CesiumAstro•Austin, TX

About The Position

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team. CesiumAstro is seeking a Senior Program Manager — Manufacturing & Strategic Initiatives to lead production readiness, industrialization efforts, and operational capability buildout across the company’s rapidly expanding manufacturing and strategic initiatives portfolio. This role is responsible for converting new and expanded infrastructure into fully operational manufacturing capability. Responsibilities include manufacturing ramp execution, equipment commissioning, production system integration, throughput scaling, and execution of strategic initiatives that expand CesiumAstro’s operational and industrial capabilities. The Senior Program Manager will serve as a key operational integrator across Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, and executive leadership to ensure new production capabilities come online aligned to schedule, demand, and long-term company strategy. This role is highly execution-oriented and is focused on ensuring facilities transition rapidly and effectively from infrastructure delivery into stable, scalable production environments. The ideal candidate combines strong manufacturing leadership, industrialization experience, and operational systems thinking with the ability to lead complex cross-functional programs.

Requirements

Minimum 12–15 years of experience in manufacturing, industrialization, operations, or program leadership.
Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field.
Proven experience leading manufacturing ramp and operational activation efforts.
Experience scaling production in complex hardware, aerospace, defense, semiconductor, automotive, or high-reliability manufacturing environments.
Experience managing cross-functional and decentralized teams.
Strong understanding of manufacturing systems, operational readiness, industrialization, and production scaling.
Experience developing integrated execution schedules and managing interdependent operational programs.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative startup environment.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

Aerospace, defense, semiconductor, automotive, or advanced manufacturing facility experience.
Experience supporting production or manufacturing ramp environments.
Experience executing greenfield or large-scale manufacturing expansions.
Familiarity with industrial utilities, clean environments, or high-reliability production systems.
Experience with production system design, factory activation, or new line commissioning.
Experience supporting vertically integrated manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

Lead manufacturing activation efforts across new and expanded sites.
Drive equipment installation, commissioning, qualification, and production readiness activities.
Develop and execute production ramp plans from first article through rate production.
Define manufacturing flows, operational layouts, staffing strategies, and production readiness milestones.
Ensure manufacturing capability aligns with product roadmap, forecasted demand, and operational objectives.
Lead industrialization of existing and future manufacturing capabilities.
Execute strategic initiatives including insourcing efforts, operational expansion programs, and manufacturing capability development.
Support development of scalable production systems capable of supporting high-rate manufacturing.
Coordinate strategic operational initiatives tied to international expansion and manufacturing partnerships.
Operate as a senior operational integrator capable of solving multiple simultaneous manufacturing, operational, and strategic execution challenges.
Rapidly identify bottlenecks impacting production readiness, throughput, staffing, supply chain, commissioning, or manufacturing scale.
Develop practical execution solutions under aggressive timelines and changing business priorities.
Navigate ambiguity across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, and strategic initiatives while maintaining forward progress.
Balance near-term production needs with long-term industrialization and scalability objectives.
Anticipate operational risks before they materialize and proactively drive mitigation strategies.
Coordinate closely with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operations teams.
Ensure operational requirements are integrated into facility and infrastructure planning activities.
Identify and resolve bottlenecks impacting throughput, production readiness, or operational scalability.
Drive alignment between production systems, manufacturing readiness, and downstream operational requirements.
Develop and maintain integrated execution schedules, operational readiness plans, and risk mitigation strategies.
Monitor production readiness metrics, throughput targets, operational KPIs, and ramp performance.
Provide executive-level reporting on readiness, schedule performance, manufacturing risk, and capability delivery.
Escalate major operational risks and execution issues with mitigation recommendations.
Support development of repeatable industrialization and manufacturing activation methodologies.
Drive continuous improvement across manufacturing systems and operational workflows.
Help establish operational governance structures and readiness standards as the organization scales.
Mentor future program and operational staff as the team expands.