Head of Manufacturing

HEAD OF MANUFACTURING

Mesh Optical Technologies was founded on the belief that optical photons will be at the center of advanced technologies in the coming century. Making advanced technology ubiquitous means building at scale, and that’s exactly what we’re doing at Mesh.

We are seeking a Head of Manufacturing to own manufacturing engineering strategy and production execution across the factory: scaling lines, deploying new automated production cells, driving yield and throughput, and building the team to sustain it. This role requires someone who has operated in true high-volume manufacturing environments but is equally comfortable building systems from scratch in a fast-moving company—architecting robust production systems while staying close to the floor and solving problems directly.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own manufacturing engineering strategy and production execution across the factory, including line scaling, capacity planning, and production readiness for new products
• Design and scale automated production cells for precision electro-mechanical and optical assemblies, integrating robotics, alignment systems, inspection, and test automation
• Own product-to-manufacturing handoff in partnership with mechanical, process, and optical engineering teams, driving design-for-manufacturability and design-for-assembly feedback into product development
• Define and evolve production workflows, material flow, line layout, and inventory and traceability systems to support increasing volume and product complexity
• Lead hardware-side MES integration and factory data system development, ensuring production data supports real-time decision-making, traceability, and continuous improvement
• Own factory performance metrics—yield, scrap, throughput, uptime, cycle time, and reliability—and drive systematic improvement against targets
• Build, lead, and develop the manufacturing engineering organization, including production engineering and production leadership roles, scaling the team in step with factory growth
• Partner with supply chain and procurement to qualify incoming materials and components and ensure supplier quality supports production yield targets
• Establish and maintain manufacturing process documentation, control plans, and qualification procedures

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proven experience scaling automated production lines beyond pilot and NPI into sustained high-volume manufacturing
• Strong background in automation integration, production cell design, and production systems engineering
• Demonstrated ownership of yield and ramp performance in complex hardware manufacturing environments
• Experience building and leading manufacturing engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and organizational development
• Experience working cross-functionally with mechanical, process, and product engineering organizations
• Experience implementing or evolving MES and production data systems
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to factory performance
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience with micron-scale assembly, optical alignment, or die/chip-level packaging processes
• Background in semiconductor, photonic, advanced packaging, or precision electro-optical manufacturing
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations in high-growth hardware companies, including standing up new lines or new factories
• Experience with factory automation architectures, including integration of robotic handling, machine vision, and in-line metrology
• Familiarity with statistical process control, process capability analysis, and reliability qualification methodologies
• Experience managing relationships with equipment vendors and integrators for custom or semi-custom production tooling
• Experience with cleanroom or controlled-environment manufacturing operations

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay range: 
Head of Manufacturing: $170,000.00 - $200,000.00/per year

Title and base salary are determined on a case by case basis commensurate with experience and merit.

In addition to base salary, compensation for this role includes:

• Eligibility for long-term incentives including company stock options and discretionary bonuses awarded for exceptional achievements.
• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance with significant cost covered by the company for yourself and dependents.
• Paid parental leave and flexible PTO (3 weeks accrued vacation and 10 company holidays per year).
• 401(k) retirement plan access.
• Relocation assistance to sunny Los Angeles.