Production Line Lead

MaC VC; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is seeking a Production Line Lead to serve as a technical leader on the production floor, guiding hands-on spacecraft assembly, integration, and test activities. You will partner with the Production Supervisor and Planner to meet schedule, quality, and safety targets while scaling high-volume production.

This front-line role requires leading by example, coaching technicians, maintaining 5S and contamination-control standards, and collaborating with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Minimum of 2 years hands-on mechanical/electrical assembly in production/manufacturing environment.
• Minimum of 2 years in a formal lead role or equivalent lead responsibilities.
• Certified IPC-JSTD-001 Specialist (CIS) required.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on assembly, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and rework of spacecraft components and subsystems.
• Serve as the first line of support for Production Technicians.
• Coordinate daily priorities with the Production Supervisor and Production Planner.
• Update the Production Supervisor on current line status.
• Adhere to all safety requirements and reinforce cleanroom, ESD, FOD, and contamination-control practices.
• Assemble and integrate electrical and mechanical spacecraft components per approved instructions.
• Perform spacecraft-level assembly activities including cable routing and testing.
• Record data throughout assembly to maintain quality and traceability.
• Solder and PCB handling per IPC J-STD-001 and perform testing as required.
• Operate and maintain production equipment and fixtures.
• Maintain 5S and FOD standards; keep areas organized and ready.
• Provide technical guidance to technicians, support cross-training, and standardize assembly practices.
• Identify safety, quality, material, tooling, process, and schedule issues impacting production.

Skills

Lead by example

Hands-on leadership

Hand tools

Precision metrology

Electrical test gear

Production equipment

5S & FOD

Cross-functional collab

Documentation

Safety adherence

Assembly troubleshooting

Education

High school diploma / GED

IPC J-STD-001 CIS

Tools

IPC J-STD-001

Environmental chambers

Vibration testing

Thermal cycling

3D printers

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar - the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit - Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

What You’ll Do

The Production Line Lead will serve as a go-to technical leader on the production floor, with a primary focus on hands-on spacecraft assembly, integration, testing, and build execution. Working closely with the Production Supervisor, they will help coordinate daily production activities to meet schedule, quality, and safety requirements while supporting the successful execution of spacecraft builds.

This is a front line and hands-on leadership role. The Line Lead will work alongside Production Technicians while assisting with coordinating day-to-day activities and providing technical guidance, supporting cross-training, reinforcing production standards, and identifying and escalating issues that could impact safety, quality, or delivery. The Line Lead will set the standard for production performance through strong technical execution, accountability, teamwork, and leading by example. They will collaborate cross-functionally with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Production, Production Planning, Inventory, and other Engineering teams within Xona’s satellite production facility.

This is a highly visible, high-impact opportunity to help shape how Xona builds spacecrafts at scale. The Production Line Lead will help establish and reinforce disciplined production practices while supporting the consistent delivery of high-quality spacecraft as manufacturing operations continue to grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on assembly, integration, testing, troubleshooting, and rework of spacecraft components and subsystems while supporting and guiding Production Technicians during daily build activities.

• Serve as the first line of support for Production Technicians

• Coordinate closely with the Production Supervisor and Production Planner to execute daily priorities, maintain schedule alignment, and identify potential production constraints or risks.

• Update the Production Supervisor on current line status

• Adhere to all safety requirements and reinforce proper cleanroom, ESD, FOD, and contamination-control practices throughout satellite production activities.

• Assemble and integrate electrical and mechanical spacecraft components and subsystems, including electrical harnesses, mechanical structures, and related hardware, in accordance with approved digital work instructions, drawings, and procedures.

• Perform spacecraft-level assembly activities including cable routing, thermal insulation installation, soldering, bonding, torque-controlled fastener installation, testing, anomaly identification, troubleshooting, and repair or resolution.

• Accurately measure, record, test, and document required data throughout complex assembly and integration processes to maintain quality and traceability.

• Solder and perform PCB handling and in-process inspections in accordance with applicable IPC J-STD-001 workmanship criteria, as well as functional and continuity testing when required.

• Operate, maintain, and support production equipment, tooling, QA test benches, holding fixtures, and other manufacturing systems used during spacecraft assembly and testing.

• Maintain strong 5S and FOD standards while helping ensure production areas, equipment, tools, and workstations remain organized and production ready.

• Provide technical guidance to Production Technicians, support cross-training initiatives, and help develop consistent assembly practices across the production team.

• Identify and elevate safety, quality, material, tooling, process, and schedule issues that could impact production execution.

• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and other cross-functional teams to troubleshoot build issues and support timely resolution of production anomalies.

• Assist with improving and clarifying assembly, integration, and test instructions to increase build quality, repeatability, efficiency, and technician usability.

• Support the development and continuous improvement of standardized production processes as Xona transitions toward higher-volume, repeatable spacecraft manufacturing.

What You’ll Bring:

• Demonstrated ability to lead by example while remaining actively engaged in hands-on production work.

• Proficiency using hand tools, precision measurement equipment, torque-controlled tooling

• Experience using electrical test equipment such as multimeters, ohmmeters, DC power supplies, oscilloscopes, and other laboratories or production test equipment.

• Experience operating production and test equipment such as environmental chambers, mechanical deployment fixtures, complex lifting equipment, vibration and shock test systems, thermal cycling equipment, 3D printers, and other manufacturing or qualification equipment.

• Comfortable handling sensitive electronics, flight hardware, and small mechanical components requiring precision and attention to detail.

• Strong organizational, communication, troubleshooting, and documentation skills.

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, evolving production environment where processes and systems continue to mature.

• Strong attention to detail with a commitment to safety, quality, accountability, and disciplined execution.

• Ability to work collaboratively across Production, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Planning, Supply Chain, Inventory, and Engineering teams.

Required Qualification

• High school diploma/GED

• Minimum of 2 years of hands-on experience performing mechanical and/or electrical assembly in a production or manufacturing environment.

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a formal lead role, or demonstrated experience performing equivalent lead-level responsibilities, including coordinating production activities, providing technical guidance, supporting cross-training, and serving as a key point of contact for hands-on assembly, integration, and testing activities.

• Certified IPC-JSTD-001 Specialist (CIS)

Preferred

• Previous spacecraft, satellite, aerospace, and other high-reliability electromechanical assembly experience.

• Experience supporting production ramp-up, new product introduction (NPI), or the transition from prototype builds to repeatable manufacturing.

• Experience training and mentoring Production Technicians on complex assembly and test processes.

Bonus

• Experience reading and interpreting electrical schematics, mechanical drawings, assembly instructions, and technical documentation, with a basic understanding of GD&T.

• WHMA/IPC-A-620 Certification

• IPC-A-610 Certification

For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.