Director of Production

Role Summary

The Director of Production will lead and manage manufacturing operations and will be responsible for defining, implementing and continuously improving production processes that enable scalable, cost-effective manufacturing of complex electro-mechanical products.

This role serves as the senior technical authority on the manufacturing floor, responsible for developing, optimizing, and maintaining processes that ensure scalability, consistency, and product quality. This position blends expert-level hands-on skills with process engineering, documentation, and leadership capability.

The Director of Production will work closely with engineering and operations to translate designs and prototypes into efficient, repeatable production processes, establish training programs, and ensure continuous improvement across all manufacturing operations.

This role reports to the Chief Operating Officer to ensure production readiness, process maturity, capacity growth, and on-time, on-budget delivery of product.

Core Accountabilities

Process Design & Scalability

• Define and execute the manufacturing strategy for electro-optical systems that supports business growth, volume ramp-up, cost reduction, and high quality.
• Lead all aspects of production operations, including assembly, integration, test, and final inspection
• Develop, implement, and maintain standardized production processes, including process flow diagrams, assembly instructions, quality checkpoints, and tooling specifications.
• Develop and implement robust manufacturing processes documentation (assembly, test, calibration, burn-in, environmental screening, packaging) to ensure repeatability, reliability, throughput and scalability. Ensure documentation is current and configuration-controlled for all production processes and includes:  process flow diagrams, assembly instructions, quality checkpoints, and tooling specifications.
• Establish the process architecture: workflows, standard work instructions, tooling/fixtures, test benches, inspection systems, data collection, KPI dashboards and process controls.
• Establish process metrics (cycle time, yield, rework rate, downtime) and drive data-based improvements.
• Implement scale-up metrics such as capacity utilization, throughput, yield, scrap/rework rates, cost per unit, on-time delivery, and defect rate. Define targets and manage to them.
• Lead process transfer and ramp-up from prototype/pilot production to full-scale manufacturing and ensure full incorporation into established processes. This includes leading change-management efforts when introducing new production lines, new products, capacity expansions, or process improvements.
• Partner with Engineering and R&D to ensure the design for manufacturability (DFM) and design for testability (DFT) are incorporated early and that processes are scalable from low-volume to medium/high-volume production.
• Drive lean manufacturing, Six Sigma (or equivalent) methodologies to reduce cycle times, reduce waste, improve throughput, optimize yield and lower cost per unit.
• Oversee facility layout, staffing, and resource planning to support manufacturing growth.

Quality, Continuous Improvement & Operations Excellence

• Define and enforce process-level quality criteria and inspection standards.
• Develop and implement audits, non-conformance management, and process certification.
• Lead initiatives to improve first-pass yield, reduce rework, and strengthen traceability.
• Lead or participate in Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives.
• Apply 5S, Kaizen, and value stream mapping to streamline workflow and eliminate waste.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulatory, safety, environmental, and quality standards.
• Work with Procurement Team to drive supplier/contract manufacturing partnerships as needed. Ensure that assigned suppliers meet the same process standards, yield and scalability goals.

Training & Workforce Development

• Manage scheduling, staffing, cross-functional coordination (supply chain, quality, engineering), maintenance of equipment, process change control, and production documentation.
• Build, lead, coach and develop a high-performance manufacturing team of technicians. Foster culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and innovation.
• Design and execute comprehensive training and certification programs for technicians.
• Maintain skill matrices and track technical competencies across teams.
• Develop a