VP of Manufacturing & Production

E-Space

Arlington (TX)

On-site

USD 190,000 - 225,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

This is a full-time, exempt position.

Competitive base salary $190k–$225k

Saratoga office location

Comprehensive compensation package

Career growth in space manufacturing

Health and wellness benefits

Job summary

E‑Space, a pioneering space IoT company, seeks a VP of Manufacturing & Production to own the factory system producing satellites at high rate. You will embed DFM in design teams, lead robotic assembly and automated testing, and drive production readiness from PDR to full-rate production.

This role requires 15+ years in aerospace-like production and a proven record of managing complex engineering teams. Based in Saratoga, CA, this exempt, full-time position offers base pay between $190,000 and

Qualifications

15+ years in manufacturing and production engineering with a full-rate production program.
Experience with high-rate electromechanical or aerospace products.
Designed, commissioned and operated robotic assembly systems and ATE.
Experience embedding DFM in design teams during development.
Hands-on MES experience including work order management and data integration.
Led multi-discipline manufacturing engineering teams.

Responsibilities

Own the production system to achieve 5 spacecraft/day at target DTC.
Lead production readiness and MRR preparation with CTO involvement.
Direct design changes through CCB and approve ECOs.
Oversee robotic assembly, ATE development, and TPS production tests.
Manage daily rate, station utilization, and headcount growth.
Monitor quality metrics, SPC, and defect Pareto analysis.

Skills

Leadership

Production planning

Robotic assembly systems

Ate design & testing

MES / data integration

DFM implementation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering

Manufacturing/Industrial Engineering background

Tools

MES

ATE

Robotic systems

Job description

Overview

Ready to make connectivity from space universally accessible, secure and actionable? Then you’ve come to the right place!

E‑Space is bridging Earth and space to enable hyper‑scaled deployments of Internet of Things solutions and services. We are building a highly-advanced low Earth orbit (LEO) space system that will fundamentally change the design, economics, manufacturing and service delivery associated with traditional satellite and terrestrial IoT systems.

We’re intentional, we’re unapologetically curious and we’re 100% committed to innovate space‑based communications and deliver actionable intelligence that will expand global economies, protect space and our planet and enhance our overall quality of life.

The VP, Manufacturing & Production owns the factory system that produces satellites at rate. Manufacturing is not a downstream recipient of engineering work at E‑Space. The VP, Manufacturing & Production embeds DFM engineers in hardware product teams from PDR onward, participates actively at every program gate, leads production execution through the 100‑unit Joint Phase pilot build, and assumes full production ownership at the Manufacturing Readiness Review (MRR). From MRR onward, no other VP can direct the production line without escalating through this role.

The role spans three distinct operating modes: influencing design during the Engineering Phase, demonstrating production readiness during the Joint Phase, and executing at rate during Production. Each requires a different leadership posture.

What you’ll be doing

Production System Ownership

Own the single metric that defines success: 5 spacecraft/day sustained at or below DTC target
Assume full production ownership at MRR — from that point, all production line decisions route through this role
Manage production design changes through the Configuration Control Board (CCB) — ECOs require your concurrence before release
Provide direct accountability for first-pass yield, automation uptime ≥95%, and ATE fault coverage ≥95%

Product Manufacturing Engineering

Lead DFM reviews at PDR and CDR; close all critical and major DFM findings before CDR
Direct process engineering, tooling design, production BOM control, and work instruction development
Lead manufacturing readiness assessment and MRR preparation — present manufacturing readiness evidence to the CTO

Automated Assembly & Test

Design, commission, and operate robotic assembly systems; maintain automation uptime ≥95%
Own ATE design and development — board, subsystem, and spacecraft-level automated test
Achieve ≥95% fault detection to LRU level and ≤0.5% false failure rate
Own Test Program Set (TPS) development, validation, and production test software

Production Line Operations

Manage daily rate at the 5 SC/day target through factory layout optimization and workforce planning
Maintain station utilization balance (60–90% per station) and enforce hold point compliance
Drive headcount growth capped at 20% of volume growth rate

Manufacturing Data & Quality

Implement and operate the MES including work order management, traveler control, and ATE data integration
Monitor SPC, yield trending, and defect pareto analysis
Enforce workmanship standards per IPC‑A‑610 Class 3; maintain dotted-line to VP, MA&Q for quality system compliance

What you bring to this role

15+ years of progressive manufacturing and production engineering experience; at least one program carried from factory design through full‑rate production at a sustained rate of ≥100 units/week
Direct accountability for production rate, yield, and unit cost on a high‑complexity electromechanical or aerospace product at rate — low‑rate experience is not a substitute
Demonstrated experience designing, commissioning, and operating robotic assembly systems, ATE, and automated material handling
Direct accountability for ATE design, fault coverage validation, and production test software
Track record of embedding DFM discipline in product design teams during development — not as a production afterthought
Hands‑on MES experience including work order management, traveler control, ATE data integration, and as‑built genealogy
Demonstrated record of building multi‑discipline manufacturing engineering teams including managing embedded engineers
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or related field — or equivalent verifiable experience

Bonus Points for the Following

Experience in aerospace or defense high-rate production (satellites, missiles, avionics, or comparable complex systems)
Direct experience with satellite manufacturing or space hardware production
Familiarity with Design‑to‑Cost (DTC) methodologies and production cost modeling
Experience with lean manufacturing transformation in a high‑complexity environment
Familiarity with digital twin and model‑based manufacturing approaches

This is a full‑time, exempt position, based out of our Saratoga office. The target base pay for this position is $190,000‑$225,000 annually. The total compensation packaged will be determined by various factors such as your relevant job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience.

This role requires access to controlled technical data. Under U.S. law (ITAR/EAR), we can only consider U.S. persons (U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and individuals granted asylum or refugee status). E‑Space is not currently able to provide employment sponsorship for candidates who do not hold work authorization for the location of this role.

Benefits