Senior Director, Manufacturing Operations

Axon; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k with employer match

Discretionary paid time off

Paid parental leave for all

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

Fitness Programs

Emotional & Mental Wellness support

Learning & Development programs

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

Snacks in offices

Job summary

Axon is seeking a Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations to lead global manufacturing for high‑growth devices and hardware. You’ll translate product roadmaps into scalable, safe, and cost‑effective production, driving quality and throughput.

Reporting to the SVP of Global Manufacturing Operations, you’ll partner across R&D, Supply Chain, Quality and Finance to design and execute manufacturing strategies, build capable teams, and deliver world‑class performance on time and within budget.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12+ years leading large-scale manufacturing operations.
• Director/Senior Director level experience in a rapidly growing organization.
• Strong Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead manufacturing operations with focus on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Drive processes, operating rhythms, and performance standards for scalable growth.
• Align capacity, labor, and equipment with current and future demand.
• Develop standardized processes and controls across manufacturing operations.
• Champion lean, six sigma, automation to reduce waste and costs.
• Own KPIs and use data to drive accountability.
• Ensure manufacturing readiness for new products with R&D and Supply Chain.
• Develop high-performing teams and leadership pipeline.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align priorities.
• Manage operational risk and supply continuity.

Skills

Manufacturing Leadership

Lean & Six Sigma

Production Planning

Capacity Management

Automation

Quality Systems

New Product Introduction

Data-driven Decision Making

Team Development

Cross-functional Collaboration

Strategic Planning

Global Manufacturing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Job description

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Senior Director, Manufacturing Operations

Your Impact

Axon is on a mission to protect life and make the bullet obsolete. As we scale our next-generation products—including TASER devices, body cameras, sensors, and advanced drone technology—our manufacturing operations play a critical role in delivering innovative, high-quality products to our customers around the world.

As the Senior Director of Manufacturing Operations , you will provide strategic and operational leadership across Axon’s manufacturing organization, ensuring we have the people, processes, systems, and capabilities required to support our rapid growth. You will be responsible for driving operational excellence across safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and capacity while building a highly scalable manufacturing environment.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a hands‑on, data‑driven leader who can operate at both the strategic and factory‑floor level. You will partner closely with Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, R&D, Finance, Facilities, and other teams to translate Axon’s growth and product roadmap into world‑class manufacturing execution.

What You’ll Do

Location: Onsite at one of our facilities in Phoenix, Arizona (ability to travel up to 50%)
Reports to: SVP, Global Manufacturing Operations
Direct Reports: TBD

• Lead Manufacturing Operations: Provide strategic and operational leadership across manufacturing operations, ensuring consistent execution against safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity objectives.
• Drive Operational Excellence: Establish and continuously improve manufacturing processes, operating rhythms, management systems, and performance standards that enable Axon to scale efficiently while maintaining exceptional quality.
• Optimize Production & Capacity: Partner with Supply Chain, Planning, Engineering, and business leaders to align manufacturing capacity, labor, equipment, and production plans with current and future demand.
• Build Scalable Manufacturing Systems: Develop standardized processes, controls, and operating practices across manufacturing operations to increase throughput, reduce variability, improve yields, and support continued growth.
• Lead Continuous Improvement: Champion Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, automation, and other continuous improvement methodologies to eliminate waste, improve cycle times, increase productivity, and reduce manufacturing costs.
• Own Manufacturing Performance: Establish and manage KPIs across safety, quality, delivery, cost, throughput, yield, labor efficiency, capacity utilization, and other critical operational metrics. Use data to identify trends, address root causes, and drive accountability.
• Strengthen Quality & Reliability: Partner closely with Quality and Engineering to ensure manufacturing processes consistently meet Axon’s product, regulatory, and customer requirements while proactively addressing quality and reliability risks.
• Drive New Product Introduction: Partner with R&D, Product, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to ensure manufacturing readiness for new products, including design‑for‑manufacturability, tooling, process validation, capacity planning, and production ramp.
• Develop High‑Performing Teams: Build, coach, and develop manufacturing leaders and teams capable of operating in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment. Establish clear accountability, succession plans, and leadership development across the organization.
• Partner Cross‑Functionally: Work closely with R&D, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Facilities, Product, and other stakeholders to resolve operational challenges and ensure manufacturing priorities align with Axon’s broader business objectives.
• Manage Operational Risk: Identify and mitigate manufacturing risks related to capacity, equipment, labor, quality, supply continuity, safety, and business continuity.
• Support Manufacturing Integration: Partner on the operational integration of acquired manufacturing capabilities and contract manufacturers, driving alignment with Axon’s manufacturing standards, systems, quality expectations, and operating practices.

What You Bring

• 12+ years of progressive manufacturing and operations leadership experience, including significant experience leading complex, high‑volume manufacturing organizations.
• Demonstrated experience leading manufacturing operations at the Director or Senior Director level within a rapidly growing organization.
• Proven ability to scale manufacturing operations while improving safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity.
• Strong understanding of Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and operational excellence methodologies.
• Experience managing complex electromechanical or technology products strongly preferred.
• Deep experience with production planning, capacity management, manufacturing engineering, automation, quality systems, and new product introduction.
• Demonstrated success developing and leading large, high‑performing manufacturing teams and senior operational leaders.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate manufacturing data and KPIs into clear operational priorities and actions.
• Experience partnering with R&D and Engineering organizations to successfully transition products from development through production ramp and sustained manufacturing.
• Experience working within global supply chains and with contract manufacturers.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast‑paced environment where priorities, products, and production requirements evolve quickly.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.

Success in This Role

Success will mean building a manufacturing operation that can keep pace with Axon’s growth without sacrificing quality, safety, cost, or execution. You will create greater operational discipline and predictability while developing the systems, processes, and leadership capabilities necessary to scale Axon’s manufacturing organization for the future.

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• Learning & Development programs
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long‑term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Important Notes

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

We collect personal information from applicants to evaluate candidates for employment. You may request access, deletion, or exercise other CCPA rights at [e-mail] or via our Axon Privacy Web Form . For more information, please see the Your California Privacy Rights section of our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice.

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well‑being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [e-mail]. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.