Manager, R&D Build
- Leadership & Supervision
- Manage and coach supervisors leading teams of R&D Technical Specialists and Prototype Assembly Technicians.
- Ensure role clarity and smooth transitions as products evolve from early prototype units into repeat build phases.
- Foster a culture of accountability, technical rigor, and continuous improvement.
- Prototype Build Execution
- Oversee planning, coordination, and execution of prototype robot builds, ensuring alignment to program priorities and timelines.
- Enable Technical Specialists to resolve complex integration challenges where designs are incomplete or rapidly changing.
- Guide Assembly Technicians toward repeatable, efficient processes once builds stabilize.
- Process & Quality
- Partner with Engineering and Operations to ensure build processes meet safety, quality, and reliability standards.
- Ensure lessons learned from early builds are captured and transferred into work instructions, documentation, and training.
- Drive continuous improvement in tooling, fixturing, layout, and process design.
- Cross-Functional Alignment
- Act as the key interface between Prototype Operations, Hardware Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Program Management.
- Balance R&D iteration speed with program-level commitments and downstream manufacturability.
- Ensure effective communication across build phases, minimizing disruption as designs evolve.
- People Development
- Identify, mentor, and develop high-potential supervisors and team members.
- Ensure needed capabilities and bench depth are met for the Atlas program needs through cross-training and supplier-led training.
- Provide clear career pathways for both Technical Specialists and Assembly Technicians.
- Reinforce safety, technical excellence, and operational discipline.
- Execution: Ensures high build performance under ambiguity; sets clear expectations for supervisors and teams.
- Collaboration: Builds strong cross-functional partnerships; mediates between fast-moving engineering requirements and operational stability.
- Innovation: Encourages Technical Specialists to experiment and solve problems creatively, while institutionalizing learnings into structured processes.
- Adaptability: Navigates the shifting demands of prototype maturity, pivoting between hands-on troubleshooting and scaled, repeatable builds.
- Strong understanding of prototype assembly processes in complex electromechanical systems.
- Experience managing teams in both R&D and scaled prototype/low-volume build environments.
- Familiarity with process documentation, work instructions, and revision control in an evolving design environment.
- Skilled in root cause analysis, problem solving, and issue escalation in high-mix/low-volume builds.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field preferred; equivalent experience accepted.
- 8+ years of relevant operations or manufacturing experience, with at least 3+ years in a leadership role.
- Proven track record managing supervisors and multi-disciplinary build teams in prototype or advanced manufacturing settings.
- Experience balancing the competing needs of early R&D iteration and repeatable build performance.
- Robotics, aerospace, or advanced electromechanical systems background strongly preferred.
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