Head of Assembly and Integration

AirQ; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Air Q Limited is seeking a strategic and hands-on Head of Assembly & Integration to build and lead the new function from the ground up in Abu Dhabi. This role combines leadership with deep manufacturing expertise to establish the assembly organization, set standards, and drive readiness across multiple production streams.

You will hire and develop Assembly Leads and Technicians, create staffing and shift plans, and ensure line performance, throughput and quality meet ambitious targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years in assembly or production leadership.
• Experience in aerospace/defense/regulatory environments preferred.
• Experience building or scaling a production/assembly organization.
• Strong production planning and line balancing experience.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 / AS9100 quality principles.
• Experience developing work instructions, staffing structures and shift plans.
• Lean/production principles and continuous improvement experience.
• PMP, Six Sigma or equivalent certification is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Assembly & Integration organization, including hiring and developing leads/technicians.
• Establish work standards, staffing plans and shift structures ahead of facility go-live.
• Own assembly line performance across Low Volume, High Volume (S2), and Ad-Hoc/Launcher streams.
• Monitor throughput, quality, manpower utilization and schedule adherence.
• Ensure compliance with work instructions, quality standards and production schedules.
• Collaborate with Industrialization and Process Engineering on work instructions, tooling and readiness.
• Coordinate with suppliers, subcontractors and contract manufacturers.
• Identify and escalate material, tooling, quality and production issues affecting line readiness.
• Drive Lean manufacturing, line balancing and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure the Assembly & Integration function achieves go-live and production readiness targets.
• Report assembly performance, staffing and quality KPIs to the VP of AIT.

Skills

Assembly leadership

Production leadership

Production planning

Line balancing

Industrialization

Lean manufacturing

Continuous improvement

Quality principles (ISO 9001/AS9100)

Lean Six Sigma (advantage)

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Air Q Limited is looking for a Head of Assembly & Integration to build and lead our Assembly & Integration function from the ground up.

This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for establishing the assembly organization, building the team, setting production standards, and ensuring efficient, high-quality assembly operations across multiple production streams.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Assembly & Integration organization, including hiring and developing Assembly Leads and Technicians.
• Establish work standards, staffing plans and shift structures ahead of facility go-live.
• Own assembly line performance across Low Volume, High Volume (S2), and Ad-Hoc/Launcher production streams.
• Monitor production throughput, quality, manpower utilization and schedule adherence.
• Ensure compliance with work instructions, quality standards and production schedules.
• Work closely with Industrialization and Process Engineering teams on work instructions, tooling and production readiness.
• Coordinate with component/tooling suppliers, subcontractors and contract manufacturers.
• Identify and escalation material, tooling, quality and production issues affecting line readiness.
• Drive Lean manufacturing, line balancing and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure the Assembly & Integration function achieves required go-live and production readiness targets.
• Report assembly performance, staffing and quality KPIs to the VP of AIT.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in assembly or production leadership.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, UAV, or other regulated manufacturing environments is highly preferred.
• Proven experience in building, establishing or scaling a production/assembly organization.
• Strong experience in production planning, line balancing, manpower planning and industrialization.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 / AS9100 quality principles.
• Experience developing work instructions, staffing structures and shift plans.
• Strong understanding of Lean/production principles and continuous improvement.
• PMP, Six Sigma or other manufacturing leadership certification is an advantage.

What We're Looking For

• Strong people leadership and team-building capability.
• Hands-on and quality-focused approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-moving, pre-launch environment.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with engineering, quality, supply chain and production teams.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.

Key Performance Indicators

• Assembly Lead/Technician hiring completion against plan.
• Production schedule adherence of 90-95%+.
• Rework and defect rate of less than 3%.
• On-time facility and production go-live readiness.