Head of Production, Maritime
Santa Ana · Santa Ana, CA (OC-42) · USD 220,000-292,000 · 8+ years experience · Full-time · Posted Sep 24, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 8+ years experience
- Employment
- Full-time
- Location
- Santa Ana · Santa Ana, CA (OC-42)
- Salary
- USD 220,000-292,000 · Base salary
About the role
- As a leader in the Maritime Division, you will lead all production activity for a maritime autonomous vehicle program.
- You will build and lead the production organization from scratch, establishing manufacturing processes, quality systems, and the infrastructure needed to scale from prototype builds through full-rate production.
Responsibilities
- Own all production activity: manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and production support.
- Build and lead the production organization, hiring across manufacturing engineering, quality, and operations.
- Establish manufacturing processes and production infrastructure for complex electromechanical vehicles.
- Drive the manufacturing development lifecycle: Concept, Prototype, LRIP, FRP.
- Manage production budgets, schedules, and on-time delivery performance.
- Own production readiness reviews and design handoff from engineering.
- Coordinate supply chain including demand planning, procurement, and warehouse operations.
- Implement and optimize production systems (ERP, MES, QMS).
- Drive continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent methodologies.
- Ensure compliance with AS9100D and customer quality requirements.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent.
- 8+ years of experience in manufacturing or production for complex electromechanical systems.
- Experience building and leading production teams and organizations.
- Demonstrated experience scaling production from NPI through full-rate production.
- Experience with production systems (ERP, MES, QMS).
- Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities.
- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience in maritime, aerospace, or defense manufacturing.
- Working knowledge of AS9100D quality management systems.
- Experience with Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies.
- Familiarity with shipbuilding or large vehicle production.
- Experience managing production budgets in the $10M+ range.
Benefits
- Highly competitive equity grants
- Top-tier benefits for full-time employees supporting health, recovery, and other needs
Workplace
- Travel up to 25% to manufacturing facilities and customer sites.
Skills
- ERP
- MES
- QMS
- Lean
- Six Sigma
- AS9100D
