Prototype-to-Production Leader

Motivo; California (MO); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) match

Vacation time

4/10 workweek

Profit sharing

Job summary

Motivo is seeking a Prototype-to-Production Manager to lead and scale its Launch division. You will bridge engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and client delivery to ensure manufacturability and unit economics are built into early product decisions.

You’ll define an operating model for Launch, balancing technical ambition with production reality, enabling a scalable path from prototype to production across varied builds and client programs.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in manufacturing, industrial engineering, operations, NPI, or product realization.
• Demonstrated success owning transition from development builds to pilot production.
• Ability to build or formalize operating systems and governance.
• Strong command of DFM, DFA, process validation, PFMEA, and production tradeoffs.
• Knowledge of supplier qualification, sourcing strategy, and cost planning.

Responsibilities

• Lead a matrixed team across manufacturing, engineering, sourcing, fabrication, and program execution to ensure manufacturability and production readiness.
• Define and deploy Motivo’s MVL (Minimum Viable Line) approach for low-rate production and learning.
• Establish gates, pilot objectives, and handoff standards from concept to reliable execution.
• Make pragmatic tradeoff decisions to protect product intent while enabling production success.
• Evaluate programs at the proposal stage to shape scope, risk, and commercial strategy.
• Expand a resilient supply base and sourcing model for prototyping and low-volume production.

Skills

Leadership experience

Manufacturing operations

NPI / product realization

DFM / DFA / PFMEA

Supply chain & cost modeling

Tools

ERP

PLM

PDM

MES

Job description

Motivo is seeking a Prototype-to-Production Manager to lead and scale its Launch division. You will bridge engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and client delivery to ensure manufacturability and unit economics are built into early product decisions.

You’ll define an operating model for Launch, balancing technical ambition with production reality, enabling a scalable path from prototype to production across varied builds and client programs.