Senior Director of Manufacturing, CAD Design and Automation Assembly Experience Required

Based in Berkeley, this is a key leadership role in the Production Manufacturing organization and will be responsible for overseeing all manufacturing engineering functions within the organization. Reporting to Vice President of Production Manufacturing, This individual will lead efforts to design, implement, and optimize manufacturing processes, designing equipment, ensuring efficiency, safety, and quality across production lines. Working closely with cross-functional teams, the Head of Manufacturing Engineering will drive continuous improvement, enhance operational capabilities, and achieve strategic manufacturing objectives.

What You'll Do:

• Lead, mentor, and manage the manufacturing engineering team, fostering a culture of collaboration, high performance, and accountability
• Build a team of manufacturing engineers that maintain a high-productivity manufacturing environment and can design and develop equipment for the factory
• Develop technical capabilities within the team through training, coaching, and career development programs.
• Collaborate with process, product, and platform engineering teams on optimizing designs using a combination of manufacturing experience and production feedback
• Serve as the primary liaison between manufacturing engineering, production, supply chain, and other departments to ensure seamless communication and execution.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes to optimize production efficiency, minimize waste, and reduce costs.
• Establish and enforce best practices, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and lean manufacturing principles.
• Manage the adoption of new technologies and tools to enhance productivity and product quality.
• Oversee the procurement, installation, and commissioning of new equipment, ensuring alignment with production goals and safety standards.
• Collaborate with product design teams to ensure manufacturability and ease of production for new products.
• Provide technical support during prototyping and production phases, working closely with R&D to evaluate materials, technologies, and processes.
• Develop inbound equipment that provides materials and interfaces with the matter compiler platform and software.
• Develop outbound equipment solutions that take products manufactured in the matter compiler and tests and package them for customer shipments.
• Mine production data to find and resolve issues and optimize manufacturing yield and output.
• Resolve problems using RCCA (Root Cause and Corrective Action) methods and drive actions to completion.
• Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality, efficiency, and downtime.
• Identify and lead initiatives for cost reduction, waste elimination, and efficiency improvements.Own the engineering solutions for production manufacturing cost improvements
• Drive automation and digitalization efforts to improve productivity while maintaining high product quality.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations across all manufacturing activities and promote a safety-first culture.

What You'll Need:

• At least 15 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, with a minimum of 7 years in a leadership role within a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Experience designing and developing automated manufacturing equipment from the ground up, including CAD Design
• Deep understanding of material processing across all classes of materials (metals, plastics, ceramics, liquids, etc), ideally having experience in factory automation for material processing. Example processes include flattening, grinding, lapping, cutting of brittle materials, and component handling.
• Experience managing hazardous materials.
• Familiarity with both optical and contact-based metrology.
• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, automation, lean manufacturing, and continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., Six Sigma, Kaizen).Proven ability to manage large-scale projects and implement innovative solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams, foster collaboration, and drive organizational change.
• Clear and concise communication
• Must be able to pivot to changing priorities and direction
• 10-20% travel, must be able to commute between Berkeley and SCLA as needed
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• A Master’s degree or MBA is a plus