Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations

Entangled Future; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Monarch Quantum in San Diego, CA is seeking a Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations to lead the scaling of automated assembly and photonics packaging lines, bridging hardware development and manufacturing.

You will build the operational foundation from the ground up, lead a multidisciplinary team, and drive on-time delivery, uptime, and process excellence in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in automated manufacturing operations or related field.
• Deep expertise in high-precision optoelectronics production lines (micro-optics, PIC packaging, laser manufacturing).
• Familiarity with robotics, PLCs, machine vision, MES/SCADA/ERP integration.
• Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, DOE, and quality leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the operational roadmap for automated manufacturing, precision robotic assembly stations, and high-yield automated testing across product lines.
• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing operations team.
• Own Production OTD planning, ensuring delivery from known good parts to known good product.
• Drive production optimization, daily monitoring, material flow, WIP tracking, and resource allocation.
• Oversee equipment maintenance and uptime optimization to maximize throughput.

Skills

Operations leadership

Lean manufacturing

Six Sigma

Root cause analysis

DOE

MES integration

Robotics & automation

Quality management

Tools

PLC controllers

Machine vision

MES

SCADA

ERP

Job description

Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations at Monarch Quantum, San Diego, California, United States. A director-level full time position in the Corporate team, listed under hardware engineering.

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations to lead the operationalization, scaling, and daily execution of our next-generation automated assembly and optical packaging platforms. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our operational foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. In this key leadership role, you will bridge hardware development and high-precision production by driving the strategy, architecture, and execution for fully automated manufacturing lines capable of assembling complex quantum optics modules, photonics components, and precision hardware. You will lead a multidisciplinary team focused on operations, manufacturing engineering, equipment maintenance, and factory floor execution to transition cutting-edge R&D prototypes into highly scalable, robust, and automated production processes.

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the operational roadmap for automated manufacturing, precision robotic assembly stations, and high-yield automated testing across Monarch Quantum’s photonics and quantum hardware product lines.

Team Building & Management

• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing operations team.

Production Planning & Execution

• Own Production OTD (On-Time Delivery) planning, ensuring seamless production deliverables from known good parts to known good product.

Factory Operations & Material Flow

• Drive production optimization, daily monitoring, material flow, Work-in-Progress (WIP) tracking, and effective operations resource allocation and management.

Equipment Maintenance & Uptime

• Oversee production equipment maintenance, uptime monitoring, optimization, and first-level production failure troubleshooting to maximize factory throughput.

Requirements

• 12+ years of professional experience in automated manufacturing operations, high-precision assembly, or industrial engineering, with at least 5+ years in a direct operations management or manufacturing leadership capacity.
• Optoelectronics & Photonics Operations: Deep expertise in running high-precision production lines for micro-optics assembly, active fiber coupling, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) packaging, or laser manufacturing.
• Robotics & Factory Systems: Familiarity with precision motion control, PLC/industrial controllers, machine vision systems, and factory execution software integration (MES, SCADA, ERP).
• Yield & Quality Leadership: Hands-on mastery of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma tools, Root Cause Analysis (8D/Fishbone), SPC, GR&R, and Design of Experiments (DOE).
• Scale-Up Track Record: Experience scaling an advanced hardware startup's operations into a mature, repeatable, and high-volume manufacturing facility.