Vice President - Production

ePlane Company; Chennai District; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

ePlane Company in Chennai seeks a Vice President of Manufacturing and Production to lead the industrialization of our eVTOL program, guiding the transition from experimental prototype to safe, certified mass production.

Reporting to the CEO, the VP will oversee advanced assembly, composite manufacturing, powertrain integration, avionics installation and MES-driven execution, balancing speed with zero-defect discipline to meet DGCA PC/POA and AS9100 standards.

Qualifications

• 15+ years aerospace manufacturing leadership experience.
• Direct regulatory production certification experience.
• Scale up facilities from greenfield to full operations.
• Deep knowledge of powertrains, composites, and automation.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute industrialization roadmap to scale facilities.
• Oversee CapEx for automation and tooling.
• Drive DFMA/ DFA to reduce costs and build times.
• Lead safety, quality, and regulatory compliance across production.

Skills

Aerospace leadership

Regulatory compliance

Lean manufacturing

Industry 4.0

Supply chain collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s in Aerospace/Mechanical/Industrial

MBA preferred

Tools

MES

PLM software

Robotics automation

Autoclave/Composite tooling

Job description

TheVice President of Manufacturing and Productionis a critical executive role responsible for pioneering the transition of our advanced electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft from experimental prototype to scaled, commercially viable, and safety-certified mass production.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), this individual will oversee advanced assembly, composite manufacturing, powertrain integration, avionics installation, and the implementation of automated production systems. The VP will balance the fast-paced innovation of an aerospace startup with the highly disciplined, zero-defect execution required to meet stringent aviation authority standards (e.g., DGCA Production Certification, DGCA POA).

Primary Responsibilities

1. Strategic Operations & Scaled Production

Production Roadmap:Design and execute the industrialization roadmap to scale manufacturing facilities from Initial Prototyping, Limited Series Production and full scaled Production.

Capital Allocation:Oversee the CapEx budget for manufacturing infrastructure, factory automation, robotics, and advanced tooling.

Advanced Manufacturing Integration:Spearhead the integration of novel processes specialized for eVTOL, including advanced carbon fiber composite curing, high-voltage battery pack assembly, electric propulsion system (EPS) integration, and Fly-by-Wire avionics testing.

2. Regulatory Compliance & Quality Assurance

Production Certification:Partner closely with Quality and Regulatory teams to secure DGCAProduction Certificate (PC)and Production Organisation Approval (POA).

AS9100 Compliance:Champion and enforce anAS9100certified manufacturing environment, embedding a strict safety-first culture.

Traceability:Ensure 100% component traceability and rigorous conformity inspection processes are built into the manufacturing execution system (MES).

3. Supply Chain Collaboration & Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

Concurrent Engineering:Act as the bridge between the Engineering/R&D teams and the factory floor. DriveDesign for Manufacturing (DFM)and Design for Assembly (DFA) initiatives to lower unit costs and build times.

Supplier Scaling:Collaborate with the Global Supply Chain team to ensure key tier-1 aerospace suppliers (battery cells, carbon composites, structure components) align with factory ramp-up schedules and quality metrics.

4. Operational Excellence & Lean Leadership

KPI Management:Define and achieve strict operational metrics: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Cost of Quality (CoQ), Scrap Rate, Cycle Time, and Takt Time.

Continuous Improvement:Deploy Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles tailored to a hybrid automotive/aerospace ecosystem.

Team Building:Recruit, mentor, and scale a world-class manufacturing division, including plant managers, industrial engineers, manufacturing technicians, and safety leads.

Requirements

Requirements & Qualifications

Experience

Aerospace:15+ yearsof progressive manufacturing leadership experience. A combination of traditional aerospace structure assemblyandhigh-volume advanced automotive manufacturing is highly preferred.

Certification Track Record:Direct experience taking a novel vehicle or complex aerospace structure through a successful regulatory production certification process.

Scale Up:Proven experience taking a facility from greenfield/brownfield setup to full-scale operations.

• Deep technical understanding of electric powertrains, high-voltage battery architecture, automated riveting/bonding, and carbon composite manufacturing (autoclave and out-of-autoclave).
  
• Expertise withIndustry 4.0technologies, including smart manufacturing execution systems (MES), PLM software, and robotic automation.

Education

Required:Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a highly related technical field.

Preferred:Master’s degree in Engineering and/or an MBA.