Director of Manufacturing – Spaceborne Radar Payloads

Kapta Space, a VC-funded early-stage startup in Seattle, WA, is breaking new ground in Geospatial Intelligence.  Our technology centers around a proven, scalable electronically-steered radar for sophisticated spaceborne applications such as earth observation using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques, as well as enabling advanced defense missions such as target tracking on the ground and in the air. Kapta is seeking a Director of Manufacturing – Spaceborne Radar Payloads to lead the manufacturing strategy and execution from production planning and material flow through assembly, integration, environmental testing, qualification, and final delivery. The ideal candidate combines deep hands-on experience in high-reliability electronics manufacturing with the leadership skills required to scale production while maintaining the rigorous quality, traceability, and configuration-control standards required for space hardware. The Director of Manufacturing will work closely with Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Operations leadership to transition products from development into repeatable, scalable production. Role Manufacturing Leadership • Lead all manufacturing activities for space-qualified radar, RF, microwave, digital, and electronic assemblies. • Develop and execute the manufacturing strategy to support current programs and future production growth. • Establish manufacturing capacity, staffing, equipment, tooling, and facility requirements. • Build a high-performing manufacturing organization with clear accountability, processes, and performance metrics. • Establish production schedules and ensure on-time delivery of hardware to program milestones. • Drive continuous improvement in throughput, yield, cycle time, labor efficiency, and manufacturing cost. • Manage all facilities maintenance and sustainability initiatives ensuring reliable and repeatable business operations infrastructure across all departmental functions. Space Hardware Production • Oversee the manufacturing of complex, high-reliability electronic assemblies and systems from prototype through qualification and production. • Establish robust processes for PCB assembly, electronic box builds, RF/microwave assemblies, harnesses, mechanical integration, and system-level integration and test. • Ensure manufacturing processes are appropriate for space-qualified hardware, including workmanship, contamination control, ESD control, handling, cleanliness, and configuration management. • Support production of engineering development units, qualification units, flight units, and spares. • Partner with engineering to develop Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), and Design for Test (DFT) practices. Production Process & Operational Excellence • Develop standardized work instructions, manufacturing processes, travelers, routings, tooling, fixtures, and work-cell layouts. • Implement lean manufacturing and continuous-improvement methodologies appropriate for a range of 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. • Identify production bottlenecks and implement corrective actions. • Develop scalable processes that can transition from prototype production to higher-rate manufacturing without compromising reliability. Quality & Mission Assurance • Partner closely with Quality and Mission Assurance to maintain compliance with applicable space and aerospace quality requirements. • Ensure manufacturing operations comply with applicable workmanship standards and customer requirements, such as AS9100, NASA, ECSS, IPC, J-STD-001, and related space/aerospace standards, as applicable. • Establish strong process controls, inspection points, acceptance criteria, and manufacturing records. • Participate in root-cause investigations and corrective/preventive actions. • Maintain complete hardware traceability and configuration control throughout the manufacturing process. • Support customer audits, qualification activities, failure investigations, and production readiness reviews. Supply Chain & Supplier Management • Partner with Supply Chain and Engineering to establish manufacturing requirements for critical suppliers. • Identify and mitigate manufacturing risks associated with long-lead, obsolete, constrained, or single-source components. • Support qualification and development of PCBA, machining, plating, RF electronics assembly, and other specialty suppliers. Required Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a 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 with manufacturing processes for high-reliability or mission-critical hardware. • 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. 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, ECSS, and related requirements. • 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 Expectations The Director of Manufacturing will be expected to be a hands-on operational leader who can move comfortably between strategic planning and the factory floor. The successful candidate will: • Build a culture of quality, accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement. • Develop manufacturing talent and create clear career paths for technicians, engineers, supervisors, and managers. • Establish a data-driven operating cadence for production performance. • Proactively identify manufacturing risks before they affect program schedules. • 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 a strong focus on delivering reliable hardware on schedule. Success in the First 12 Months The successful candidate will be expected to: • Establish clear manufacturing processes, ownership, and performance metrics. • Assess current production capacity, staffing, equipment, tooling, and facility constraints. • Improve production predictability and schedule adherence. • Establish a scalable production-readiness process for new products. • Strengthen manufacturing documentation, traceability, and configuration control. • Build and develop a strong manufacturing organization. • Establish a roadmap for increasing production capacity while maintaining space-grade quality and reliability. • Partner with Engineering to improve DFM/DFA and accelerate the transition from development to production. • Create a manufacturing organization capable of supporting the company’s next stage of growth. U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Kapta Employees must be U.S. citizens, lawful U.S. permanent residents (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or Commerce as applicable. Kapta Space is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that diversity drives innovation, strengthens our team, and broadens our capabilities. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. Kapta Space does not engage with external recruiters or agencies without prior written agreement. If you are a recruiter (individual or agency) and wish to engage with Kapta Space for talent acquisition, please email hr@kaptaspace.com.