Director of Manufacturing Operations

About Voyant Photonics

Voyant Photonics, based in the heart of New York City, is transforming machine perception with a new class of LiDAR devices that are compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand and powerful enough to measure range, velocity, and reflectivity with unparalleled accuracy. By leveraging cutting-edge silicon photonic chips smaller than your fingertip, we deliver sensors that are not only revolutionary in performance but also affordable enough to integrate into any system.

Our technology disrupts the status quo of bulky, expensive, and power-hungry LiDAR systems, making high-precision sensing accessible for widespread adoption in robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, and beyond. With Voyant, the next generation of machines can see, understand, and navigate the world like never before.

Discover how we’re redefining what’s possible by making real products out of cutting edge research in silicon photonics.

Position Overview

Voyant is seeking a strategic and hands-on Director of Operations / Supply Chain to lead our transition from pre-production into full-scale manufacturing. This role is central to building the operational engine that will power our next phase of growth—delivering high-performance hardware products to customers on time, at cost, and at scale. This is a pivotal role for a fast-moving company scaling rapidly. 

You’ll be responsible for standing up and scaling Voyant’s production capabilities—from establishing our processes and working closely with engineering on manufacturability, to managing our suppliers and contract manufacturers to ensure high-quality, high-volume output meets our customers' needs. This role will work closely with engineer teams to translate product designs into a reliable, scalable manufacturing operation that delivers for our customers and meet quality and cost requirements. You will put in place the systems, teams, and vendor relationships needed to meet our cost, quality, and delivery goals—and build the operational foundation that supports our long-term growth.

This role is ideal for a leader who brings deep expertise in hardware operations, thrives in dynamic environments, has a strong background in high-volume contract manufacturing, and is ready to build systems, processes, and teams from the ground up. This is an incredible time to be joining Voyant and you have the ability to make a significant impact in revolutionizing and democratizing the LiDAR industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Transition our operations from pre-production to production. Establish, manage and execute the processes necessary to accomplish this transition in assembly, quality and supply chain management.
• Work with cross-functional engineering teams to understand the technical requirements of our products and ensure our suppliers have the manufacturing processes in place to meet design, quality, and cost requirements
• Develop and execute comprehensive production plans aligned with organizational objectives for capacity planning, resource allocation, and cost management.
• Ensure production meets on-time delivery, quality, and cost targets.
• Lead and manage cross-functional teams spanning manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and engineering.
• Collaborate closely with contract manufacturers, vendors, procurement, and logistics to ensure seamless integration of production processes.
• Oversee vendor relationships and outsourced production activities, ensuring supplier performance aligns with internal standards.
• Negotiate supplier contracts and manage inventory, lead times, and cost structure to optimize supply chain efficiency and resilience.
• Manage a team of manufacturing experts that collaborate with engineering to optimize the design of our next generation products to meet manufacturability, testability, quality, reliability, and cost targets
• Implement and refine quality management systems to meet certifications and regulatory requirements in industrial and automotive sectors.
• Establish KPIs for key production processes and work with our global manufacturing partners on continuous improvement actions
• Set strategic 1-3-5 year manufacturing plan and CapEx modeling to meet product forecast requirements

Required Qualifications

• 10 years of experience managing contract manufacturers, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Proven track record in advanced high volume manufacturing environments, with a focus on automotive modules or sensors
• Hands-on approach with high attention to detail
• Ability to travel internationally up to 15% of the time
• Bachelors or Masters degree in Industrial, Manufacturing, or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience

Benefits package

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity package
• Comprehensive health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Unlimited PTO and paid company holidays
• Team events and company meetups