Robotics Hardware Production Lead

Zeitview (formerly DroneBase); Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Stock options

Medical, dental & vision insurance

Unlimited PTO

Autonomy and growth

Job summary

Zeitview seeks a Hardware Production Program Manager to own end-to-end production planning, qualification, and lifecycle for aerial sensors and drone payloads. You will drive NPI, repeat builds, and sustainment, coordinating procurement, staffing, tooling, and documentation while aligning with operations to optimize fleet performance.

You will bridge hardware design and execution, lead cross-functional teams, and ensure timelines stay on track.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in engineering, product development, hardware program management, or hardware manufacturing in robotics/aerospace/drone domains.
• Experience driving hardware programs to completion through influence rather than authority.
• Understanding of electro-mechanical assemblies and payload integration.
• Ability to prioritize, manage tight timelines, and fill operational gaps.
• Experience creating SOPs and processes to improve build efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Own NPI and repeat build timelines, including procurement, staffing, tooling, and documentation.
• Balance fleet demand with operations and coordinate builds, repairs, and fleet movements.
• Manage procurement pipelines and BOMs; work with vendors for components.
• Lead production staffing and work with external vendors when needed.
• Maintain single source of truth for build status and risk; escalate risks early.
• Act as technical bridge between engineering and operations to accelerate debugging.
• Coordinate field troubleshooting and document root-cause resolutions.
• Scale processes for part tracking, unit history, and issue tracking.
• Track fleet issues to reduce costs and improve system performance.
• Identify blockers early and propose agile engineering solutions.

Skills

Hardware program management

NPI coordination

Cross-functional leadership

Aerial sensors integration

Robotics environment familiarity

Problem solving

Effective communication

Travel readiness

AI tooling usage

Tools

PLM

ERP systems

Manufacturing testers

Job description

Zeitview seeks a Hardware Production Program Manager to own end-to-end production planning, qualification, and lifecycle for aerial sensors and drone payloads. You will drive NPI, repeat builds, and sustainment, coordinating procurement, staffing, tooling, and documentation while aligning with operations to optimize fleet performance.

You will bridge hardware design and execution, lead cross-functional teams, and ensure timelines stay on track.