Spacecraft Production Lead — Build & Scale a New Line

Astroforge; Seal Beach (CA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision care

401(k) match

Equity opportunity

Job summary

AstroForge in Seal Beach is seeking a Production Operations Manager to own the fabrication, assembly, integration, and test of flight hardware as we stand up production. You will define work instructions, travelers, and production processes, partnering with engineering and leading technicians as a hands-on floor leader.

This role builds a production line from scratch, scales processes for higher throughput, and aligns with a safety-first culture in a growing aerospace environment.

Qualifications

• College degree in engineering or business, or equivalent hands-on aerospace production experience.
• 5+ years in production, manufacturing, or build/integration roles for spacecraft or high-reliability hardware.
• Experience building production processes from scratch, not just operating an existing line.
• Experience partnering with engineering to resolve build and manufacturability issues in real time.
• Ability to work onsite in Seal Beach, CA.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end production of assigned hardware, from kitting and build through integration and test.
• Stand up foundational production processes, including work instructions, travelers, configuration control, and shop floor workflows.
• Lead and grow a team of technicians, setting build priorities and schedule adherence.
• Provide real-time manufacturability feedback and resolve issues, nonconformances, and design changes.
• Build and maintain production schedules considering long-lead parts and engineering change traffic.
• Establish baseline production metrics and drive continuous improvement.
• Evaluate and help select production software systems suitable for growth.
• Coordinate with supply chain on vendor-built components to keep builds unblocked.
• Champion a safety-first culture on the floor as headcount and equipment scale.
• Recruit, hire, and train technicians and supervisors at senior levels.

Skills

Production management

Aerospace manufacturing

Process engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

On-site operations

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or business

Tools

MES/ERP/PLM systems

Job description

AstroForge in Seal Beach is seeking a Production Operations Manager to own the fabrication, assembly, integration, and test of flight hardware as we stand up production. You will define work instructions, travelers, and production processes, partnering with engineering and leading technicians as a hands-on floor leader.

This role builds a production line from scratch, scales processes for higher throughput, and aligns with a safety-first culture in a growing aerospace environment.