Production Manager

Cenith Innovations LLC; Bend (OR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Cenith Innovations seeks a hands-on Production Manager to turn heavy-lift drone designs into a safe, repeatable manufacturing operation. You will lead cross-functional teams to translate designs into executable build plans, maintain schedules, and drive material readiness.

The role requires aerospace or regulated hardware experience, ownership of production quality controls, and a strong background in readings drawings, BOMs, and inspection.

Qualifications

• Direct experience in aerospace/UAS/defense or regulated hardware.
• Own build plans, manufacturing-readiness processes, or production quality controls.
• Participation in prototype, NPI, pilot, or early-rate production with deliverables owned.
• Ability to read drawings, schematics, BOMs, work instructions, and technical specs.
• Experience with nonconformance, root-cause analysis, corrective action, configuration control, traceability, and inspection.
• Familiarity with ERP and MRP, work orders, inventory transactions, and production reporting.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and keep work moving in evolving production.

Responsibilities

• Translate product designs and demand into executable build plans (assembly sequence, labor, materials, tooling, inspection, test).
• Own the day-to-day production schedule and deliver aircraft to schedule; ~50% hands-on involvement.
• Lead daily production coordination and remove blockers before they disrupt builds.
• Collaborate with inventory management to maintain material status and kit readiness.
• Define and manage manufacturing-readiness reviews for designs, BOMs, tooling, trained labor, and capacity.
• Establish controlled work instructions, travelers, routings, training, meetings, metrics, escalation paths.
• Use ERP/MRP to manage work orders, routings, material status, and reporting; coordinate with engineering changes.
• Partner with engineering to implement changes without disrupting work in process.

Skills

Aerospace/UAS experience

Production leadership

Reading drawings/specs

ERP/MRP familiarity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

AS9100 knowledge

Tools

ERP / MRP systems

3D printing

CNC processes

Job description

Cenith Innovations builds mission-specific planning tools and specialized autonomous assets to solve last-mile problems. With our move into our new facility this winter, we are seeking a Production Manager to turn our heavy-lift drone designs into a safe, controlled, and increasingly repeatable manufacturing operation.

This is a hands-on role for a manufacturing practitioner with applied expertise in complex electromechanical production. The right person has built and improved build plans, manufacturing-readiness processes, and quality controls from prototype through early-rate production. The right person also is willing to contribute to manufacturing operation themselves. You will connect technicians, engineering, quality, supply chain, and inventory management to deliver aircraft reliably and scale production.

Key Responsibilities

Production Execution

• Translate product designs and demand into executable build plans that define assembly sequence, labor, materials, tooling, inspection, and test requirements.
• Own the day-to-day production schedule, maintain clear priorities, and deliver aircraft to schedule. Spend approximately 50% of your time on production yourself.
• Lead daily production coordination and remove material, tooling, staffing, and design blockers before they disrupt builds.
• Work closely with inventory management to maintain accurate material status, complete production kits, clear shortage visibility, and reliable point-of-use availability.

Manufacturing Readiness and Processes

• Define and manage manufacturing-readiness reviews covering released designs and bills of material, materials, tooling, fixtures, trained labor, work instructions, inspection, and test capacity.
• Establish and maintain controlled work instructions, travelers, routings, training, production meetings, metrics, and escalation paths.
• Use ERP and MRP systems to manage work orders, inventory transactions, routings, material status, and production reporting.
• Partner with engineering to implement changes without losing configuration control or disrupting work in process.

Quality and Safety

• Build quality plans, in-process inspection points, acceptance criteria, and release requirements into each manufacturing plan and process.
• Enforce configuration control, traceability, inspection, nonconformance, and corrective-action practices appropriate for safety-critical hardware.
• Lead practical root-cause work and reduce recurring defects, rework, build-cycle constraints, and supplier escapes.
• Coach technicians, set clear expectations, develop emerging leaders, and build a culture of craftsmanship, accountability, and steady execution.
• Create a technician skill matrix, cross-training plan, and coverage model that strengthen team capability and production resilience.

Production Scale

• Partner with engineering on manufacturability, tooling, test readiness, and the transition from evolving builds to repeatable production.
• Develop practical capacity, staffing, and material-readiness plans, and use production metrics to improve schedule reliability, first-pass yield, rework visibility, and aircraft delivery.

Required Qualifications

• Direct experience in aerospace, UAS, defense, robotics, electric vehicles, medical devices, or another electromechanical or regulated hardware environment, including leading builds, projects, technicians, or work centers.
• Direct ownership of build plans, manufacturing-readiness processes, or production quality controls.
• Direct participation in prototype, new product introduction, pilot, or early-rate production, with clear examples of deliverables and decisions personally owned.
• Ability to read drawings, schematics, bills of material, work instructions, and technical specifications and troubleshoot issues alongside technicians and engineers.
• Practical experience with nonconformance, root-cause analysis, corrective action, configuration control, traceability, and inspection.
• Working knowledge of ERP and MRP systems, work orders, inventory transactions, engineering changes, routings, and production reporting, including close coordination with inventory management.
• Ability to organize competing priorities, make sound floor-level decisions, and keep work moving in an evolving production environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Over 4 years of experience in aerospace, UAS, defense, robotics, electric vehicles, medical devices, or another electromechanical or regulated hardware environment, including leading builds, projects, technicians, or work centers.
• Experience with heavy-lift UAS, aircraft, autonomous systems, or other complex electromechanical products.
• Hands-on experience with 3D printing and CNC processes used for prototyping, tooling, fixtures, or production parts.
• Exposure to AS9100 or a comparable regulated quality-management system.
• A record of reducing defects, rework, build-cycle constraints, or supplier escapes through practical corrective action.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, operations management, or a related field.

What We Are Looking For

This is a step-up role for an emerging manufacturing leader with applied experience. You can walk the floor, understand how complex hardware is built, and turn that knowledge into executable build plans, readiness criteria, quality controls, and repeatable processes. You are the person others rely on when execution gets difficult.

Cenith is a collection of experienced, highly competent, mission-focused people who are also easy-going, humble, and fun to be around.