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Manager of Manufacturing Operations

Playa Vista, California, United States

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth

Who We Are:

Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominate transportation mode - horse drawn chariots, ocean going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world.  We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re-entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth. 

What You'll Do:

We’re seeking a hands-on Manager of Manufacturing Operations to oversee our machine shop, manufacturing engineering activities, production workflows, and final vehicle integration. This role is key to scaling and optimizing advanced aerospace manufacturing operations — with a strong focus on leadership, scheduling, efficiency, and cross-functional collaboration.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Manage daily operations of the machine shop, including machinist scheduling, resource planning, and production prioritization.
  • Oversee end-to-end manufacturing workflows across CNC machining, additive manufacturing, and metrology/inspection.
  • Lead manufacturing engineering teams focused on process development, quality assurance, and manufacturability improvements.
  • Drive factory scheduling and ensure alignment between engineering demand, machine shop capacity, and integration timelines.
  • Develop and optimize ERP/MES systems to support work order management, materials tracking, and real-time manufacturing data.
  • Collaborate with engineering, supply chain, and leadership teams to ensure production schedules meet program milestones.
  • Implement lean manufacturing practices to drive continuous improvement, reduce waste, and improve throughput.
  • Maintain a strong culture of safety, quality, accountability, and team development.

What You Bring:

  • 7+ years of manufacturing leadership experience, with direct responsibility for machine shop operations and production scheduling.
  • Strong background in CNC machining, DMLS/additive manufacturing, fabrication, and integration.
  • Experience optimizing manufacturing workflows in aerospace, aviation, or high-tech manufacturing industries.
  • Proven leadership in ERP/MES system development and manufacturing execution.
  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering (Master’s preferred).
  • Excellent skills in team leadership, operational planning, and cross-functional communication.

Preferred:

  • Aerospace manufacturing or launch vehicle production experience highly preferred.
  • Start-up or rapid-growth manufacturing environment experience.
  • Certifications in Lean Six Sigma, PMP, or similar fields are a plus.

Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in office presence.

The California annual base salary for this role is currently $130,000-170,000.  Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. 

ITAR Compliance:
To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.  
 
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Inversion provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or disability.  
 
Inversion collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws.  If you are a US Job Applicant see the CCPA Privacy Policy Notice for further details.

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