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Director of Manufacturing – Spaceborne Radar Payloads Verified today

Kapta Space · Redmond, WA · Payload · first seen 2026-09-03
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About the Role

Kapta Space is seeking a Director of Manufacturing to lead manufacturing strategy and execution for spaceborne radar payloads. You will transition products from development into repeatable, scalable production, working with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Operations.

Manufacturing Leadership

  • Lead all manufacturing activities for space-qualified radar, RF, microwave, digital, and electronic assemblies.
  • Develop and execute manufacturing strategy, processes, and procedures to support current programs and future production growth.
  • Establish manufacturing capacity, staffing, equipment, tooling, and facility requirements, including implementation of a new Manufacturing Execution System (MES).
  • Build a high-performing manufacturing organization with clear accountability, processes, and performance metrics.
  • Establish production schedules and ensure on-time delivery to program milestones.
  • Drive continuous improvement in throughput, yield, cycle time, labor efficiency, and manufacturing cost.
  • Manage facilities maintenance and sustainability initiatives across all departments.

Space Hardware Production

  • Provide hands-on Manufacturing Engineering inputs to product development, ensuring high first-pass yield of complex, high-reliability electronic assemblies from prototype through qualification and production.
  • Implement Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Test (DFT) practices.
  • Develop and implement robust processes for PCB assembly, electronic box builds, RF/microwave assemblies, harnesses, mechanical integration, and system-level integration and test.
  • Ensure manufacturing processes meet space-qualified hardware requirements, including workmanship, contamination control, ESD control, handling, cleanliness, and configuration management.

Production Process and Operational Excellence

  • Develop standardized work instructions, manufacturing processes, travelers, routings, tooling, fixtures, and work-cell layouts.
  • Implement lean manufacturing and continuous-improvement methodologies for medium-to-high volume, high-complexity space hardware.
  • Establish manufacturing KPIs including first-pass yield, schedule adherence, cycle time, labor hours, rework, scrap, and warranty costs.
  • Develop scalable processes that transition from prototype to higher-rate manufacturing without compromising reliability.

Quality and Mission Assurance

  • Partner with Quality Assurance to maintain compliance with space and aerospace quality requirements.
  • Ensure operations comply with applicable workmanship standards and customer requirements, such as AS9100, NASA, ECSS, IPC, and J-STD-001.
  • Establish strong process controls, inspection points, acceptance criteria, and manufacturing records.
  • Participate in root-cause investigations and corrective/preventive actions.
  • Support customer audits, qualification activities, failure investigations, and production readiness reviews.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field.
  • 10+ years of experience in electronics, aerospace, defense, space, RF, or other high-reliability manufacturing environments.
  • 5+ years of manufacturing leadership or management experience.
  • Demonstrated experience manufacturing complex electronic assemblies or systems.
  • Experience taking hardware from prototype/development through qualification and production.
  • Strong understanding of PCB assembly, electronic integration, harnessing, mechanical assembly, and system-level integration.
  • Experience implementing manufacturing processes, documentation, tooling, fixtures, and production controls.
  • Strong understanding of configuration management, quality systems, nonconformance management, and hardware traceability.
  • Demonstrated ability to build and lead technical manufacturing teams.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
  • U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or refugee/asylee status required to conform to ITAR regulations.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience manufacturing space-qualified radar, RF, microwave, phased-array, AESA, or related sensing electronics.
  • Experience with RF/microwave electronics and high-frequency assemblies.
  • Experience with military, defense, or commercial satellite programs.
  • Experience with environmental qualification and acceptance testing, including thermal cycling, thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, EMC/EMI, and related testing.
  • Experience with NASA, DoD, or commercial space customer requirements.
  • Familiarity with AS9100, IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC/WHMA-A-620, NASA workmanship standards, and ECSS.
  • Experience with ERP/MRP systems and production planning.
  • Experience scaling manufacturing organizations and production capacity.
  • Experience with vertically integrated manufacturing environments.
  • Lean/Six Sigma or other continuous-improvement experience.

Leadership and Technical Expectations

You will be a hands-on operational leader who moves comfortably between strategic planning and the factory floor. You will:

  • Build a culture of quality, accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement.
  • Provide direct, hands-on Manufacturing Engineering practices in partnership with Hardware and Software Engineering staff.
  • Develop manufacturing talent and create clear career paths for technicians, engineers, supervisors, and managers.
  • Establish a data-driven operating cadence for production performance.
  • Make sound decisions balancing quality, schedule, cost, and technical risk.
  • Work effectively in a fast-paced environment where products and processes are continually evolving.
  • Maintain strong focus on delivering reliable hardware on schedule.

Success in the First 12 Months

You will be expected to:

  • Work closely with Hardware and Software Engineering to ensure DFM best practices are implemented into baseline product development.
  • Design, develop, and implement custom manufacturing tooling, fixtures, and test equipment to support low-rate initial production (LRIP) transitioning to full rate production (FRP).
  • Work with company leadership to complete new facility build out, capital equipment deployment, and implement maintenance and service processes for maximum equipment uptime.
  • Partner with Engineering, PMO, and Finance to identify, assess, select, and implement a new ERP/MES system, providing manufacturing leadership and oversight to the MES implementation.
  • Establish clear manufacturing processes, ownership, and performance metrics.
  • Develop manufacturing documentation, traceability, and configuration control.
  • Develop a manufacturing organization capable of supporting the company's next stage of growth.
  • Establish a roadmap for increasing production capacity while maintaining space-grade quality and reliability.