Composite Manufacturing Ops Manager — Lead Growth & Quality

Firefly Aerospace; Town of Texas (WI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision plans

Parental leave

Educational & relocation reimbursement

Short term disability

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Firefly Aerospace is seeking an Operations Manager – Composites to lead the Structures Manufacturing team. You will drive multi-shift operations, improve production metrics, and implement continuous improvement initiatives across Alpha, MLV, and Spacecraft programs.

The role emphasizes building a culture of ownership, safety, and accountability while aligning planning, engineering, and quality to meet production goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 7+ years of overall industry experience.
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience managing production teams.
• Proven track record scaling manufacturing from development to mass production.
• Experience leading change management and driving floor adoption.
• Strong people leadership with coaching and accountability.
• Experience driving lean manufacturing and KPIs.
• Ability to align cross-functionally across engineering, quality, planning, and supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multi-shift team of Supervisors, Leads, and technicians to deliver quality product on time and on cost.
• Coach Supervisors and Leads to strengthen leadership and empower decision making.
• Invest in employee development and create pathways for growth.
• Provide regular feedback and performance conversations with clear expectations.
• Ensure resources, tools, materials, and training to sustain operations; manage schedules and PTO.
• Build a strong safety culture with proper handling of composites and resins.
• Ensure operations meet documentation and AS9100 standards.
• Maintain the production schedule and drive continuous improvement.
• Partner with planning, engineering, and quality to resolve bottlenecks and improve efficiency.
• Develop long-term capacity plans and KPIs to inform labor and operating plans.

Skills

Leadership

Production leadership

Lean manufacturing

KPIs and metrics

Cross-functional partnering

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

7+ years overall industry experience

Tools

AS9100 standards

Job description

Firefly Aerospace is seeking an Operations Manager – Composites to lead the Structures Manufacturing team. You will drive multi-shift operations, improve production metrics, and implement continuous improvement initiatives across Alpha, MLV, and Spacecraft programs.

The role emphasizes building a culture of ownership, safety, and accountability while aligning planning, engineering, and quality to meet production goals.