Production Manager, Avionics and Electro-Mechanical

Frontdoor Defense; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

K2 Space is seeking an Avionics and Electro-Mechanical Production Manager in Los Angeles to lead the production team responsible for flight hardware, including avionics boxes, batteries, mechanisms, and harnesses. You’ll manage multiple work centers from parts to final acceptance and drive safety, quality, and schedule adherence.

You will spend substantial time on the production floor, remove blockers, and scale to higher-rate production while partnering with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience managing large production teams in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing.
• 8+ years in production in a high-volume, rapid environment for aerospace or similar.
• Experience with flight hardware including electro-mechanical assemblies, harnesses, PCBA.
• Familiarity with J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620, ESD control, and traceability.
• Track record of improving throughput and yield using data, with MES/ERP experience.
• Excellent conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
• Experience leading from the floor in a fast-moving manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop Supervisors, Leads, and Technicians across avionics, electro-mechanical assembly, harness fabrication, PCBA rework, and testing.
• Own delivery of completed flight hardware to vehicle integration, ensuring on-time delivery.
• Set production priorities and drive daily execution against build and test schedules; remove constraints.
• Drive improvements in first-pass yield, cycle time, and labor efficiency.
• Ensure production has configuration control and proper manufacturing records.
• Establish production metrics and visibility into output, quality, constraints, and recovery plans.
• Serve as Production's voice to Engineering Leadership to ensure right-first-time hardware delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Production management

Data-driven decisions

Standards knowledge

Throughput improvement

Conflict resolution

Floor leadership

Job description

Production Manager, Avionics and Electro-Mechanical

Scale avionics and electro-mechanical production to meet high-rate satellite manufacturing milestones

Location: Los Angeles, California

Compensation: $150,000 - 190,000 USD / year

About The Role

Avionics And Electro-Mechanical Production Manager

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

The Role

This is a hands-on leadership role – deep in the technical trenches with our team. The Avionics and Electro-Mechanical Production team builds and tests the flight hardware that powers, controls, and enables our spacecraft. This includes avionics boxes, batteries, mechanisms and actuators, flight harnesses, as well as the acceptance testing required to deliver flight-ready hardware to vehicle integration.

As Production Manager you will own these work centers from piece part through assembly, test, and final acceptance. You will be accountable for safety, quality, schedule, throughput, and team performance and development, while partnering closely with stakeholders in Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Design teams to resolve issues and continuously improve how we build and scale.

You will be expected to understand the hardware, spend dedicated time on the production floor, remove blockers efficiently, and build the systems and grow the team as we push towards higher-rate production in an environment unlike anywhere else.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop a talented team of Supervisors, Leads, and Technicians across multiple work centers including avionics, electro-mechanical assembly, harness fabrication, PCBA rework, and component acceptance testing
• Own delivery of completed flight hardware to vehicle integration, ensuring hardware is built, tested, accepted, and delivered on or ahead of schedule
• Establish clear production priorities and drive daily execution against build and test schedules, proactively removing constraints across material, tooling, equipment, procedures, and resources
• Drive improvements in first-pass yield, cycle time, rework, throughput, and labor efficiency
• Ensure production work is executed with complete configuration control, traceability, and manufacturing records
• Establish effective production metrics and tools that provide visibility into output, quality, constraints, and recovery plans
• Serve as Production's voice to Engineering Leadership, influencing design, test strategy, and schedule decisions so hardware is built right the first time and delivered at rate

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience managing large production teams throughout the development, manufacturing, and build processes for complex assemblies
• 8+ years of experience in production in a high volume, rapid environment in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing industries
• Direct experience with flight hardware including electro-mechanical assemblies, harnesses, PCBA, Solar, and box-level builds
• Familiarity with J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620, ESD control, and flight hardware traceability
• Track record of improving throughput and yield using data, with experience in MES or ERP-driven production
• Excellent conflict resolution and negotiation skills
• Demonstrated success leading from the floor in a fast-moving manufacturing environment

Nice to Have

• Experience scaling spacecraft or satellite production from low rate to high rate
• Experience with MES (WarpDrive, First Resonance ION or similar modern MES)
• Background in capacity modeling, line design, and capital equipment justification

Additional Requirements

• Must be able to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical production and test milestones
• Must be comfortable spending significant time in manufacturing, cleanroom, laboratory, and test environments
• Must be able to travel occasionally to suppliers, test facilities, or other company locations as required

Compensation and Benefits:

• Base salary range for this role is $150,000 - $190,000 + equity in the company
• Salary and level will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, 'U.S. Persons' include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a 'U.S. Person.'

The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a 'U.S. person' as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.