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Sr. Manager, Vehicle Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT)

Irvine, CA

Join a team where your impact reaches beyond the stars! At Terran Orbital, you’re not just part of the system – you’re a vital force propelling our mission forward. As trailblazers in satellite manufacturing and aerospace innovation, we shatter boundaries daily to deliver groundbreaking solutions that power our nation’s defense and commercial missions. We are a unique, fast growing, and trusted team dedicated to swiftly and efficiently designing, building, launching, and operating state of the art satellites for advanced mission constellations. If you’re driven by purpose, inspired by challenges, and ready to leave your mark on the universe, you’ll find a home and endless opportunities for growth here. Together, let’s redefine what is possible in orbit and beyond!

Terran Orbital is seeking an experienced Sr. Manager, Vehicle AIT  lead production execution for vehicle subassembly and bus build within Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT). Reporting to the Director, Systems Integration & Test the Sr. Manager, Vehicle AIT converts program requirements and production plans into disciplined, predictable factory‑floor execution. The role oversees supervisors, technicians, and production personnel, ensuring build operations are safe, efficient, and aligned to quality and schedule commitments. Success requires strong cross-functional leadership, early identification of constraints and risks, and decisive recovery actions. The Sr. Manager partners closely with Planning, Materials, Systems Integration Engineers (SIEs), Test Management, Quality, and Engineering to ensure material readiness, resolve issues, and prevent blockers from becoming schedule impacts. This role also drives a culture of ownership and urgency around NCRs and production issue resolution. The position is highly visible and demands execution discipline, technical judgment, and clear communication to align multiple functions toward shared production objectives.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

  • Lead daily production execution for vehicle subassembly and BUS build; ensure safe, efficient, quality‑compliant work completed to schedule.
  • Translate production plans into clear daily and weekly priorities for supervisors and technicians.
  • Monitor progress, surface risks early, and drive timely recovery actions to protect delivery dates.
  • Partner with Planning and Materials to align production priorities, kitting, material availability, and floor readiness.
  • Identify material shortages, BOM or documentation issues, and other constraints that threaten execution.
  • Own detailed AIT capacity planning across labor, equipment, tooling, facilities, and processes.
  • Maintain clear visibility into current and future capacity and serve as the production point of contact for manufacturing capacity discussions.
  • Promote a strong quality‑first culture; ensure issues are identified, documented, and resolved at the source.
  • Work with Quality and Engineering to drive root cause, corrective actions, and timely NCR closure without unnecessary production delays.
  • Partner with SIEs, Test Management, and AIT leadership to coordinate production, integration, and test activities.
  • Ensure issues are communicated clearly and resolved collaboratively across Production, Engineering, and Test.
  • Build a culture of ownership, early problem‑surfacing, and cross-functional resolution.
  • Develop team capability through coaching, training, and effective delegation.
  • Identify opportunities to improve production flow, labor efficiency, quality, standard work, and schedule performance.

Required Qualifications and Skills

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, or related field preferred, or equivalent practical experience in high‑complexity production environments. 
  • 8+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing, production, assembly, integration and test operation, preferably in aerospace, defense, space or another highly regulated environment. 
  • Proven ability to own and execute complex production schedules in a fast-paced, schedule driven environment.   
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing quality systems, configuration control, work instruction, and controlled production processes. 
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly communicate production status, risks, priorities, and recovery plans. 
  • Demonstrated experience in production capacity planning and management, including the ability to translate demand into labor equipment, tooling, and process requirements. 
  • U.S. Citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance. 

Your actual level and base salary will be determined case-by-case and may vary based on the job-related qualification, knowledge, skills, education, and experience. In addition to base salary, we offer 100% covered medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, Flexible Time Off (FTO), covered life insurance, maternity and paternity leave, tuition reimbursement, employee referrals, and lots of swag! 

Salary Range

$160,000 - $195,000 USD

Full-time positions only:

Benefits

  • 100% Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
  • 401(k) Match
  • Flexible Time Off (FTO)
  • Education Reimbursement
  • Competitive Paid Parental Leave

About Terran Orbital 

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com

Physical Demands

An employee must meet the physical demands described to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. In performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely required to sit or stand for long durations of time, in addition to bending, reaching, and walking. This would require the ability to lift or move objects up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move objects up to 25 pounds. This position is generally sedentary, with substantial computer usage.

Work Environment

The job operates in a professional office environment but in a manufacturing company. This job routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and scanners.

Disclaimers

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, the applicant 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. In addition, please note that this position may require a current United States National Security clearance or eligibility for such a clearance.

Terran Orbital is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or membership in any other group protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at hr@terranorbital.com.

Terran Orbital does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms. To conduct business with Terran Orbital, a Master Services Agreement (MSA) must be executed and confirmed prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. Without a signed MSA, Terran Orbital shall not be responsible to any individual or entity for any payment relating to any form of fee or compensation.

And, in the event that a resume or candidate is submitted by a recruiter, an employment agency, or a staffing firm without a fully executed MSA, Terran Orbital has the unrestricted right to pursue and hire any of those candidate(s) without any legal or financial responsibility to the recruiter, agency, and/or firm. 

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