Head of Manufacturing

North Vector Dynamics; Calgary; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ownership from day one

Competitive compensation

On-site in Calgary, AB

National/global impact

Job summary

North Vector Dynamics seeks a Head of Manufacturing to establish the company’s manufacturing function from the ground up, leading the pilot production line and guiding first AS9100 certification.

You will scale a hardware system from prototype to production, build a quality management system, and lead cross-functional teams across supply chain, quality, and production while partnering with engineering to hit rate and yield targets.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in manufacturing or industrial engineering with scale-up experience.
• Experience building a quality management system and leading first AS9100/ISO 9001.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams (supply chain, quality, production).
• Hands-on pilot line development with tooling and fixtures.
• Strong project management to balance speed, cost, and quality.
• Excellent written and verbal communication to align stakeholders.
• Eligibility for Government of Canada security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Scale up CM-70 production from prototype to repeatable line.
• Lead first AS9100 certification, build QMS and docs.
• Design, stand up, and run pilot production line, define workflows and staffing.
• Build and lead manufacturing organization across teams.
• Collaborate with design and systems engineering to resolve manufacturability issues.
• Own supply chain function and supplier relationships.
• Own production KPIs and drive continuous improvement.
• Develop manufacturing processes, SOPs, and training programs.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Quality management

Cross-functional collaboration

Pilot line development

Regulated hardware experience

Communication skills

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering

Tools

Pilot line tooling

Fixturing

Job description

About The Role

North Vector Dynamics is seeking a Head of Manufacturing to establish the company’s manufacturing function from the ground up. This role will be the senior manufacturing authority at NVD, encompassing the design and operation of our pilot production line and leadership of NVD’s first AS9100 certification. The successful candidate will be responsible for the people and processes spanning supply chain, quality and compliance testing, and production technicians, working closely with engineering to translate from hand-built prototypes to a repeatable, scalable manufacturing system. We are seeking a candidate with a demonstrated record of scaling complex hardware systems from prototype to production and of building a quality management system from the ground up.

What You’ll Do

• Own the scale-up of CM-70 production, from current prototype-rate builds through to a mature, repeatable manufacturing line.
• Lead NVD through its first AS9100 certification, building the quality management system, documentation, and processes required to pass audit.
• Design, stand up, and run the pilot production line: defining workflows, tooling, and staffing needed to hit rate and yield targets.
• Build and lead the manufacturing organization, hiring and managing personnel across supply chain, quality/compliance testing, and production technicians.
• Partner closely with design and systems engineering to identify and resolve manufacturability issues before they become production bottlenecks.
• Own the supply chain function and manage supplier relationships, ensuring materials and components arrive on schedule and to spec.
• Own production KPIs, including cycle time, yield, scrap rate, and on-time delivery, and use them to drive continuous improvement across the floor.
• Build the manufacturing processes, SOPs, and training programs that let NVD scale headcount and output without sacrificing quality.

Required

What You Bring

• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or industrial engineering, with a proven track record scaling complex hardware systems from prototype through to production, ideally in aerospace, defence, or another highly regulated hardware environment.
• Direct experience building a quality management system from scratch and leading an organization through first-time AS9100 or ISO 9001 certification.
• Experience managing personnel across multiple functions, including supply chain, quality/compliance, and production.
• Hands-on familiarity with pilot line development: tooling, fixturing, workflow design, and the transition from manual to repeatable processes.
• Strong project management instincts, able to balance speed, cost, and quality under an aggressive scale-up timeline.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to align engineering, operations, and leadership around a shared production plan.
• Eligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance.

Preferred

• Experience manufacturing missile, munitions, or other precision-guided hardware systems.
• Background standing up a manufacturing function at an early-stage or startup hardware company.
• Familiarity with supply chain management for regulated or export-controlled components.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.

Why North Vector Dynamics

• Real ownership from day one, the systems and processes you build will be foundational to how this company operates for years to come.
• We’re working on technology that matters at a national and global level, and every person on the team feels that weight and that purpose.
• Competitive compensation and meaningful upside from joining an early-stage company at the forefront of the defence technology sector.
• On-site in Calgary, AB, a growing hub for tech and defence, with a culture built around resilience and getting things done.