Production Manager, Avionics Manufacturing

Production Manager, Avionics Manufacturing

At Vast, our mission is to contribute to a future where billions of people are living and thriving in space. Vast is developing next-generation space stations to ensure a continuous human presence in space for America and its allies, enabling advanced microgravity research and manufacturing, and unlocking a new space economy for government, corporate, and private customers. Using an incremental, hardware-rich and low-cost approach, Vast is rapidly developing its multi-module Haven Station. Haven Demo's 2025 success made Vast the only operational commercial space station company to fly and operate its own spacecraft. Next, Haven-1 is expected to become the world's first commercial space station when it launches, followed by additional Haven modules to enable permanent human presence by 2030. Our team is all-in, committed to executing our mission safely and on time. If you want to work with the most talented people on Earth furthering space exploration for humanity, come join us.

Vast is seeking a Production Manager, Avionics Manufacturing, reporting to the Manager of Avionics Manufacturing, to support the development and production of the systems required for the design and construction of human-rated space stations. The Production Manager is responsible for the safe, quality-driven, and schedule-aligned execution of avionics manufacturing operations, including wire harness assembly, electromechanical integration, cable fabrication, box builds, and avionics hardware assembly. This role leads frontline supervisors, technicians, and production personnel across multiple work centers and is accountable for meeting daily, weekly, and program-level production objectives while supporting continuous improvement and production scalability.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities:

• Own execution of daily avionics manufacturing operations, including wire harness fabrication, cable assemblies, electromechanical builds, and avionics integration activities
• Lead technicians, assemblers, and supervisors to safely achieve production throughput, quality, and delivery targets
• Ensure compliance with workmanship and quality standards, including IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-A-610, and J-STD-001 requirements
• Collaborate closely with Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, and Production Planning teams to resolve manufacturing issues and maintain production flow
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on labor efficiency, throughput, first-pass yield, defect reduction, and schedule adherence
• Identify production constraints related to materials, tooling, work instructions, test equipment, staffing, and manufacturing processes, and lead corrective actions
• Partner with the Quality Department to investigate nonconformances, implement corrective actions, and strengthen process controls
• Establish and maintain visual management systems, production metrics, and escalation paths to ensure clear visibility of manufacturing performance
• Lead efforts to improve manufacturing readiness and scalability, supporting the transition from development builds to higher-rate production
• Optimize workstation layouts, assembly processes, material flow, and production planning to support future growth
• Ensure manufacturing documentation, travelers, work instructions, and process controls are accurate and maintained
• Support program milestones through proactive planning, risk identification, and recovery execution when required

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, electronics manufacturing, or other high-reliability production environments
• 2+ years of experience leading technicians, assemblers, or production teams in an avionics, electronics, or electromechanical manufacturing environment
• Experience managing wire harness, cable assembly, electromechanical integration, or avionics production activities

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Strong knowledge of IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-A-610, and J-STD-001 workmanship standards
• Experience working cross-functionally with Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Production Planning, and Test Engineering organizations
• Familiarity with aerospace-quality management systems and controlled manufacturing environments
• Experience with wire harness fabrication, cable routing, connector assembly, crimping, soldering, and avionics box-build integration
• Strong understanding of ESD controls, configuration management, and traceability requirements
• Experience implementing Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, PFMEA, and continuous improvement methodologies
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and assembly instructions
• Experience scaling manufacturing operations from prototype/development builds to low-rate and full-rate production
• Proven success improving first-pass yield, reducing rework, improving labor efficiency, and increasing production throughput
• Strong understanding of production planning, capacity management, resource allocation, and manufacturing KPI development

Additional Requirements:

• Willingness to work overtime or weekends to support critical mission milestones
• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted

Pay Range: California

$132,000 - $188,000 USD

Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast's ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.

The person hired will have access to information and items subject to U.S. export controls, and therefore, must either be a "U.S. person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. 120.62 or otherwise eligible for deemed export licensing. This status includes U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and asylees and refugees with such status granted, not pending.

Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.