Head of Operational Excellence

Shield; Dallas (TX); Presencial; USD 174.000 - 261.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Shield AI is seeking a Head of Operational Excellence to lead manufacturing excellence for V-BAT (Frisco, TX) and X-BAT (Seattle, WA). You will create KPIs, deploy standards like 5S and visual management, and own the budgeting process across both sites while driving cross-functional improvement initiatives.

You will partner with engineering, production, quality, and business functions to deliver measurable improvements in cost, quality, delivery, and productivity, embedding execution discipline

Formación

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field.
• Experience leading operational excellence, Lean, or business office programs within manufacturing with multi-site scope.
• Ability to design, roll out, and sustain structured operational standards and improvement systems.
• Strong budgeting, reporting, and senior-level performance management skills.
• Excellent communication and executive presentation experience.

Responsabilidades

• Create, deploy, and manage manufacturing KPIs and dashboards across two sites.
• Define and improve 5S, root cause analysis, and visual management standards.
• Develop and institutionalize the manufacturing budget process across sites.
• Set financial targets and drive adherence to budget and cost goals.
• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives to boost quality, delivery, efficiency, and productivity.
• Prepare executive-level reporting packages for Manufacturing leadership reviews.
• Partner with production, quality, and engineering to deploy Lean and continuous improvement.
• Own business office functions including KPI tracking and governance.
• Coach and train teams to sustain improvements.

Conocimientos

Operational Excellence

Lean

Cross-functional leadership

Executive reporting

Budgeting & forecasting

Educación

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field

Master’s degree or formal Lean Six Sigma certification

Herramientas

Digital KPI tools

Reporting automation

Visual management systems

Descripción del empleo

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BATaircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description

The Head of Operational Excellence will lead operational excellence across Shield AI’s Group 3 UAV manufacturing in Frisco, TX (V-BAT) and Group 5 UAV manufacturing in Seattle, WA (X-BAT). Based in Frisco, this leader will create, deploy, and actively manage manufacturing KPIs and performance systems across both sites, embedding operating rhythms that improve accountability, visibility, and results. You will be responsible for instilling a culture of execution excellence, embedding structured problem-solving practices, and delivering measurable improvements in cost, quality, delivery, and productivity. This includes leading the development and governance of operational standards—such as visual management, 5S, and root cause analysis—while owning the manufacturing budget cycle, business rhythm, and executive reporting interface across both locations. This role partners with engineering, production, quality, and business functions to execute high-priority improvement initiatives, support V-BAT production, and establish operational excellence as X-BAT progresses through prototype and into rate production.

Do you have the expertise and leadership to embed excellence into the fabric of autonomous defense manufacturing?

What You'll Do:

• Create, deploy, and actively manage consistent manufacturing KPIs and performance dashboards across both sites to drive visibility and accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.

• Define, train, deploy, and continually improve operational standards across V-BAT manufacturing in Frisco and X-BAT manufacturing in Seattle, including 5S, root cause analysis, and visual management.

• Develop and institutionalize the manufacturing budget process across both sites, including forecasting, controls, and performance tracking.

• Set financial targets in collaboration with operations and finance teams and drive adherence to budget and cost goals.

• Lead high-impact cross-functional improvement initiatives across both sites to improve quality, delivery, efficiency, productivity, and cost performance.

• Prepare and coordinate senior and executive-level reporting packages for Manufacturing leadership reviews.

• Partner with production, quality, and engineering teams to deploy Lean and continuous improvement practices, adapting execution to the needs of established production and prototype-to-rate manufacturing.

• Own business office functions for Manufacturing across both sites, including goal tracking, KPI dashboards, and process governance.

• Coach and train teams and leaders across both sites to elevate operational discipline, share effective practices, and sustain improvements.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field.

• Experience leading operational excellence, Lean, or business office programs within a manufacturing environment, with the ability to lead improvement across multiple sites.

• Demonstrated ability to design, roll out, and sustain structured operational standards and improvement systems.

• Strong background in budgeting, reporting, and performance management at a senior level.

• Excellent communication skills and experience preparing executive-level summaries and presentations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or formal Lean Six Sigma certification.

• Experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing environments.

• Proficiency with digital tools for KPI visualization, reporting automation, and business process tracking.

• Track record of influencing change across large, cross-functional manufacturing organizations and multiple sites.

$173,760 - $260,640 a year

Full-time regular employee offer package:

• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

• Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed toequal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.