Production Manager

Swarm Defense; Auburn Hills (MI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Swarm Defense Technologies, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, is hiring a Production Manager to run the aircraft assembly floor and own the build schedule, the technicians who execute it, and the output: aircraft, batteries, chargers, and ground equipment delivered on time and built right.

You will lead a team of assembly technicians and work alongside a Manufacturing Engineer who designs the line, fixtures, and process; your job is to run that process, hold the standard, and feed back

Qualifications

• 3+ years directly supervising technicians.
• Track record of hitting a build schedule in a small or fast-changing production environment.
• Comfortable hiring, coaching, and when necessary letting people go.
• Working knowledge of lean floor practices: 5S, standard work, visual management.
• Able to read work instructions, drawings, and BOMs and catch when the floor deviates from them.

Responsibilities

• Own the production schedule; plan builds against delivery commitments and material availability.
• Lead and develop assembly technicians; conduct hiring, training, performance reviews, and corrective action.
• Hit output, quality, and on-time delivery targets; report status and risks clearly and early.
• Enforce work instructions, ESD, safety, and workmanship standards on the floor.
• Run daily stand‑ups, manage shift handoffs, and keep the floor organized (5S).
• Manage kitting, WIP, and floor inventory; flag shortages before they stop the line.
• Track yield, rework, and cycle time; drive root cause with the Manufacturing Engineer and design team.
• Coordinate outgoing shipments and build records for program deliveries.
• Scale the team and shift structure as production volume increases.

Job description

Swarm Defense Technologies designs and builds small unmanned aircraft systems for the U.S. Department of Defense. We are headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where electrical design, firmware, machining, assembly, and flight test all happen under one roof. Our current work is focused on moving production-ready small UAS from prototype to volume delivery on compressed program timelines, and we are building the engineering and manufacturing team to do it.

Job Summary

Swarm Defense is hiring a Production Manager to run our aircraft assembly floor day to day. You will own the build schedule, the technicians who execute it, and the output: aircraft, batteries, chargers, and ground equipment delivered on time and built right. This is the person who knows at 8 a.m. what has to ship this week and makes sure it does.

You will lead a team of [N] assembly technicians and grow it as volume increases. You will work alongside a Manufacturing Engineer who designs the line, fixtures, and process; your job is to run that process, hold the standard, and feed back what is and is not working on the floor. You report directly to the CEO.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the production schedule; plan builds against delivery commitments and material availability.
• Lead and develop assembly technicians; conduct hiring, training, performance reviews, and corrective action.
• Hit output, quality, and on-time delivery targets; report status and risks clearly and early.
• Enforce work instructions, ESD, safety, and workmanship standards on the floor.
• Run daily stand‑ups, manage shift handoffs, and keep the floor organized (5S).
• Manage kitting, WIP, and floor inventory; flag shortages before they stop the line.
• Track yield, rework, and cycle time; drive root cause with the Manufacturing Engineer and design team.
• Coordinate outgoing shipments and build records for program deliveries.
• Scale the team and shift structure as production volume increases.

Requirements

• 3+ years directly supervising technicians.
• Track record of hitting a build schedule in a small or fast-changing production environment.
• Comfortable hiring, coaching, and when necessary letting people go.
• Working knowledge of lean floor practices: 5S, standard work, visual management.
• Able to read work instructions, drawings, and BOMs and catch when the floor deviates from them.

Bonus Points

• Experience standing up a new line or scaling one from batch to steady-state production.
• IPC-A-610 certification or ESD program experience.
• UAS, aerospace, or defense manufacturing background.
• Familiarity with MRP/ERP systems and build-record traceability.
• Experience with AS9100 or ISO 9001 environments.
• Health Insurance: We cover 100% of health insurance premiums for our employees.
• 401(k): Company retirement plan with employer match.

Swarm Defense is an early-stage defense company, and the pace is set by what the mission requires. The work is hands-on with engineers building what they design, testing it on real aircraft, and owning the result.

We reward initiative and give people ownership of their area. If you want to see your work fly within weeks and you are comfortable operating without a large support structure around you, this is the right environment.