Back to jobs

Production Manager

Austin, TX

Company Overview 

Allen Control Systems (ACS) is a cutting-edge defense startup, founded by two former Navy electrical engineers with a proven track record in robotics and software. We are developing a small, autonomous gun turret that employs advanced computer vision and control systems to precisely target and neutralize small drones and loitering munitions. Our innovative approach requires overcoming significant technical challenges, making this an exciting and dynamic environment for experienced engineers.

With an engineering-first culture, ACS values technical excellence and innovation. Backed by our founders' successful exits from two previous ventures acquired for a combined $180M in 2022, we are committed to ensuring that the groundbreaking technologies we develop will have a real-world impact.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and highly accountable Production Manager to lead our manufacturing operations in Austin, TX. As we transition from R&D to high-rate production, you will be responsible for the end-to-end execution of our manufacturing schedule. You will oversee a team of technicians and planners, manage our facility’s physical throughput, and ensure that every Bullfrog unit leaving the floor meets our rigorous standards for reliability and performance. 

This role requires a rare blend of "boots-on-the-ground" shop leadership and sophisticated digital resource planning. 

What You’ll Do:

  • Production Execution: Drive the daily manufacturing schedule to meet aggressive delivery milestones for defense and commercial partners. 
  • Team Leadership: Hire, train, and lead a high-performing production team. You will embody our "hire slow, fire fast" methodology—ensuring we only have the best talent on the line and maintaining a culture of extreme ownership. 
  • ERP & Workflow Mastery: Own the digital production flow within Odoo, ensuring all manufacturing orders, work centers, and inventory movements are tracked with 100% accuracy. 
  • Facility Optimization: Manage the throughput of our Austin production facility from sub-assembly production through turret acceptance testing.  
  • Quality & Accountability: Implement and enforce rigorous QA/QC protocols alongside the Quality Manager. You will be responsible for identifying underperformance in the process—or the team—and correcting it immediately. 
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Bridge the gap between Engineering, Supply Chain, and Production to resolve assembly bottlenecks and implement DFM (Design for Manufacturing) feedback in real-time. 

What You’ll Need: 

  • Experience: 8+ years in manufacturing or production management, specifically with complex electromechanical hardware (robotics, aerospace, or automotive). 
  • Leadership: Proven track record of managing production teams in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment. You should be comfortable making difficult personnel and operational decisions. 
  • Systems Expertise: Deep experience with ERP systems (Odoo highly preferred) for managing BOMs, inventory, and work orders. 
  • Technical Literacy: Ability to read technical drawings and oversee the assembly of high-tolerance robotic components. 
  • Operational Grit: A "no-excuses" approach to meeting deadlines and solving equipment or supply chain stalls on the fly. 
  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, a related field, or equivalent years of experience 

Why You'll Stand Out:

  • Startup Scaling: You have experience taking a production floor from "hand-built prototypes" to "standardized high-volume output." 
  • Defense Industry Knowledge: Understanding of the rigors required for hardware deployed to the tactical edge. 
  • Lean/Six Sigma: Practical application of lean manufacturing principles without the corporate bureaucracy. 

What We Offer:

  • Competitive salary
  • ACS Equity Package
  • Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
  • Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

#LI-AS1

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Allen Control Systems? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

Select...
Select...
Select...

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Allen Control Systems’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.