We are seeking a Production Program Manager to serve as a builder-operator within the AIS division. You will work on projects that define the way we operate in a high-volume security intensive manufacturing environment. This cross functional work will involve engineering, supply chain, operations, finance and executive leadership teams to ensure the successful manufacturing ramp of our production programs. Your role is critical in driving efficiency improvement, schedule attainment, risk assessment and mitigation, as well as ensuring projects are delivered on both schedule and budget.

The ideal candidate has a quality mindset, capable of dissecting complex operational problems, using data to drive decisions, and implementing robust processes that enable scalability and efficiency. You will be the critical to our effort to hit full-scale production while ensuring our systems are not only designed for performance but also for manufacturability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

Success in this position hinges on your ability to:

1. Execute with Precision: Dive deep into ambiguous and complex operational challenges, diagnose root causes, and drive solutions to completion.
2. Optimize and Mature: Lead the transition to production readiness, focusing on process optimization, operational excellence, continuous improvement, design for manufacturability (DFM), and supply chain stability.
3. Process Development: Partner and build agile production management processes to achieve specific, time-sensitive outcomes.

Please note: There will likely be up 50% travel required for this role.

This role will be based temporarily at Santa Ana, CA for a 3 month training period before transitioning to Ashville, OH.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Strategic Problem Solving: Act as an internal strike team leader to identify, analyze, and resolve the most complex operational, manufacturing, and business process issues that impede product maturity and scalability.
• Process Optimization - Drive continuous improvement initiatives aligned with our COGs objectives to enhance production efficiency, scalability, and cost effectiveness
• Budget & Cost Control - Monitor project budgets, track progress and ensure we are continually focused on solving the largest problems to improve the bottom line
• Data-Driven Operations - Develop and implement reporting systems that clearly and transparently communicate progress to internal teams and executive leadership on KPIs, OKRs and project status, risks, and mitigations
• New Product Information (NPI) - Be production’s point of contact for all changes to existing product as well as new products in our pipeline
• Cross-Functional Initiative Management: Lead high-priority, cross-functional projects to align production efforts with business objectives that span engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and finance. You will support defining project scope, building the plan, and ensuring outcomes are achieved.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Business or related technical field
• 5 years of experience in operations program management, business operations, engineering/technical roles, preferably in a complex hardware industry
• Strong understanding of the manufacturing environment and the supporting processes that enable production
• Experience launching new products with condensed timelines
• Experience with project management methodologies (Agile, Lean, Six Sigma, etc.) and tools (Jira, Confluence, Gantt Chartsetc.)
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and organizational skills
• Strong communication and leadership abilities to influence and align cross functional teams
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with evolving priorities
• Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• You’re technical-you are data-driven, understand systems, and know how to communicate with engineering and product teams.
• You’re a builder-you’d rather design and implement a better solution than patch around a broken one.
• You’re a team player - you approach both people and problems with a a sense of humility while clearly understanding your impact.
• You’re self-driven and proactive-your bias is for action rather than delay.
• You’re comfortable in ambiguity-you get energy from untangling complex, messy problems.
• You’re clear-you communicate effectively, including in both technical and non-technical contexts.