Director of Manufacturing Engineering, NPI

Director of Manufacturing Engineering, NPI

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At Firestorm, we’re on a mission to revolutionize how defense solutions are designed and delivered. Our goal is to empower U.S. ally nations to effectively deter aggressors — regardless of their defense budget — through innovative, cost‑efficient technologies. We call this vision “democratized deterrence.” As a VC‑backed company at the intersection of defense and Silicon Valley, we’re pioneering the development of mission‑adaptable aerial vehicles that put power back into the hands of operators.

By prioritizing operator effectiveness, we’re pioneering a new era of aerial vehicle design. We aim to upend the traditional defense procurement model by delivering world‑class capabilities at a fraction of the usual cost.

Firestorm Labs is seeking a strategic Director of Manufacturing Engineering to join our growing team in San Diego. We are building the future of distributed, mission‑adaptive airpower for the modern warfighter. We are seeking an influential, highly analytical, and detail‑oriented Director of Manufacturing Engineering with deep new product introduction experience to drive operational excellence across our development and production environments. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring successful product launch by partnering cross‑functionally throughout the product lifecycle so that design, test, and quality can support aggressive production ramp goals.

You will work closely with Production and Quality teams to analyze and optimize operations, improve processes, reduce waste, and increase efficiency across additive manufacturing, assembly, and test operations. This role will build out NPI resources to ensure successful transition of Firestorm platforms into production; your work will be central to scaling Firestorm’s manufacturing capability and enabling mission success.

• Lead cross‑functional collaboration for New Product Introduction activities to ensure smooth transition to Low‑Rate Initial Production and subsequent production ramp.
• Identify resource needs across people, process, structure, and systems, and build the team and infrastructure required for successful NPI execution.
• Maintain awareness of project milestones and partner with Program Management to ensure NPI activities stay aligned to scope, budget, and schedule.
• Analyze current engineering and production processes, workflows, and facility layouts to identify opportunities for improved NPI flows and production process enhancements.
• Evaluate current test processes and coordinate with Engineering and Software teams to implement scalable production‑grade test coverage and methods.
• Develop and implement process improvements that reduce costs, increase throughput, and enhance quality and safety.
• Conduct time and motion studies to establish standard work procedures and optimize labor efficiency.
• Design and optimize systems by identifying opportunities for automation and integrating workers, machines, materials, information, and energy.
• Analyze production volumes and develop scalable planning models that optimize inventory control, logistics, and supply chain operations.
• Drive continuous improvement through Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, and related methodologies.
• Collaborate with Production, Quality, Engineering, and Logistics to ensure process alignment and support operational goals.
• Develop and maintain documentation for procedures, process flows, and work instructions.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators to measure performance and support data‑driven decision making.

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in industrial engineering, manufacturing, or a related technical field.
• U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations, with the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.
• Expertise in New Product Introduction and Product Lifecycle Change Management processes.
• Proficiency with data analysis tools and industrial engineering software such as…