Head of Manufacturing

Job summary

The Head of Manufacturing will establish the company's manufacturing function, including designing the pilot production line and leading the organization through AS9100 certification. They will oversee supply chain, quality compliance, and production teams to scale hardware systems from prototype to repeatable production.

Job details

About the Role North Vector Dynamics is seeking a Head of Manufacturing to establish the company’s manufacturing function from the ground up. This role will be the senior manufacturing authority at NVD, encompassing the design and operation of our pilot production line and leadership of NVD’s first AS9100 certification. The successful candidate will be responsible for the people and processes spanning supply chain, quality and compliance testing, and production technicians, working closely with engineering to translate from hand-built prototypes to a repeatable, scalable manufacturing system. We are seeking a candidate with a demonstrated record of scaling complex hardware systems from prototype to production and of building a quality management system from the ground up. What You’ll Do • Own the scale-up of CM-70 production, from current prototype-rate builds through to a mature, repeatable manufacturing line. • Lead NVD through its first AS9100 certification, building the quality management system, documentation, and processes required to pass audit. • Design, stand up, and run the pilot production line: defining workflows, tooling, and staffing needed to hit rate and yield targets. • Build and lead the manufacturing organization, hiring and managing personnel across supply chain, quality/compliance testing, and production technicians. • Partner closely with design and systems engineering to identify and resolve manufacturability issues before they become production bottlenecks. • Own the supply chain function and manage supplier relationships, ensuring materials and components arrive on schedule and to spec. • Own production KPIs, including cycle time, yield, scrap rate, and on-time delivery, and use them to drive continuous improvement across the floor. • Build the manufacturing processes, SOPs, and training programs that let NVD scale headcount and output without sacrificing quality. What You Bring Required • 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or industrial engineering, with a proven track record scaling complex hardware systems from prototype through to production, ideally in aerospace, defence, or another highly regulated hardware environment. • Direct experience building a quality management system from scratch and leading an organization through first-time AS9100 or ISO 9001 certification. • Experience managing personnel across multiple functions, including supply chain, quality/compliance, and production. • Hands-on familiarity with pilot line development: tooling, fixturing, workflow design, and the transition from manual to repeatable processes. • Strong project management instincts, able to balance speed, cost, and quality under an aggressive scale-up timeline. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to align engineering, operations, and leadership around a shared production plan. • Eligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance. Preferred • Experience manufacturing missile, munitions, or other precision-guided hardware systems. • Background standing up a manufacturing function at an early-stage or startup hardware company. • Familiarity with supply chain management for regulated or export-controlled components. • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field. Why North Vector Dynamics • Real ownership from day one, the systems and processes you build will be foundational to how this company operates for years to come. • We’re working on technology that matters at a national and global level, and every person on the team feels that weight and that purpose. • Competitive compensation and meaningful upside from joining an early-stage company at the forefront of the defence technology sector. • On-site in Calgary, AB, a growing hub for tech and defence, with a culture built around resilience and getting things done.

What you’ll do

The Head of Manufacturing will establish the company's manufacturing function, including designing the pilot production line and leading the organization through AS9100 certification. They will oversee supply chain, quality compliance, and production teams to scale hardware systems from prototype to repeatable production.

Requirements

Candidates must have 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or industrial engineering with a proven track record of scaling complex hardware systems. They are also required to have direct experience building quality management systems and leading organizations through AS9100 or ISO 9001 certification.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation • Meaningful upside

Listed skills

• Technical Documentation · Preferred
• Workflow Design · Preferred
• Supply chain management · Preferred
• Leadership · Preferred
• Project management · Preferred
• Process Improvement · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Manufacturing engineering
• AS9100 certification
• Quality management systems
• Supply chain management
• Production scaling
• Project management
• Hardware systems
• Workflow design
• Tooling
• Process improvement
• Leadership
• Strategic planning
• Compliance testing
• Industrial engineering
• Technical documentation
• Supply Chain
• Workflow Management
• Export Control
• Resilience
• Compliance Testing
• Production Planning
• Quality Management Systems
• Systems Engineering
• Aerospace Basic Quality System Standards
• Auditing
• ISO 9000 Series
• Continuous Improvement Process
• Cycle Time Variation
• Flexible Manufacturing Systems
• Hardware Architecture
• Scalability
• Industrial Engineering
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Mechanical Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Manufacturing Processes
• Project Management
• Operations
• Production Line
• Supply Chain Management
• Supplier Relationship Management
• Verbal Communication Skills
• Security Clearance

Job areas

• Manufacturing
• Engineering
• Management & Leadership
• Security & Safety
• Head of Manufacturing
• Director of Manufacturing
• Manufacturing Managers
• Industrial Production Managers