Head of Manufacturing H/F

About Alta Ares

Alta Ares is a deeptech startup founded in 2024, building real-time AI for defense operations (ISR, C-UAS). Our primary clients are NATO-aligned militaries, with regular deployments during live exercises. Raised €2M pre-seed in May 2025 Products include:

• Real-time AI ISR module deployable on drones and tactical platforms
• Counter-UAS solution enabling autonomous drone takeover under GNSS-denied environment
• Full-stack MLOps platform for training & deploying military-grade AI models
• Data fusion and trajectory prediction
  

Position details

• Location: France (on-site at manufacturing and integration facilities), with regular travel within France and NATO
• Reports to: CEO & Chief of Staff
• Position objective: Build, structure, and scale Alta Ares’ manufacturing capabilities from early-stage production to industrial-scale operations, ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality, defense-grade counter-drone and detection systems while maintaining strict standards of quality, traceability, and supply security.
• Contract: Full-time, permanent position (CDI)

Role & Mission

As Head of Manufacturing, you are responsible for building, structuring, and scaling Alta Ares’ manufacturing capabilities to support the rapid growth of our counter-drone and detection systems (BlackBird, X-Wing, Gamma Box). You lead the transition from small-batch production to industrialized manufacturing while maintaining the quality, reliability, and traceability required for defense applications.

• Strategic Manufacturing Leadership
• Define and execute Alta Ares’ manufacturing strategy aligned with business growth and customer demand
• Build and structure the manufacturing organization, including hiring, team organization, and processes
• Define KPIs, production targets, and capacity plans aligned with the sales pipeline
• Drive make-vs-buy decisions and long-term supplier strategy

• Report directly to the CEO and Chief of Staff on capacity, costs, risks, and delivery timelines
  

Operations & Production Scaling

• Scale production from current volumes to meet 2026–2027 demand forecasts
• Establish and optimize assembly, integration, testing, and QA operations
• Implement production planning and scheduling to meet customer commitments
• Balance efficiency with flexibility to support ongoing R&D iterations
• Drive continuous improvement across workflows, tooling, and layouts
  

Supply Chain & Vendor Management

• Build and manage a robust supplier and subcontractor ecosystem
• Implement supplier qualification and audit processes suitable for defense applications
• Manage procurement to balance cost, quality, lead times, and supply security
• Implement inventory management and forecasting systems
• Develop contingency and risk-mitigation plans for supply chain disruptions
  

Quality, Compliance & Traceability

• Establish quality control systems compliant with defense and high-reliability standards
• Implement full traceability for components, assemblies, and finished systems
• Define and maintain production documentation and records for defense contracts
• Work with QA to define test protocols, acceptance criteria, and release processes
• Coordinate with compliance teams on export control and regulatory requirements
  
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Partner with R&D to ensure manufacturability of new designs (DFM/DFA feedback)
• Work closely with Sales and Customer Success to align production with delivery commitments
• Collaborate with Finance on manufacturing budgets, cost models, and margin improvement
• Interface with Deployment and Field teams to support installation, maintenance, and feedback loops

Candidate profile

You are a hands-on manufacturing leader with a strong industrial mindset and experience scaling production in demanding, regulated environments. You combine strategic vision with operational execution and are comfortable building organizations and processes from the ground up.

• 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or operations, including 5+ years in leadership roles
• Proven track record scaling hardware production from early stage to industrial volumes
• Experience in defense, aerospace, robotics, or other high-reliability industries
• Strong background in electronics assembly and mechanical integration
• Experience building manufacturing teams, processes, and KPIs
• Strong understanding of supply chain, procurement, and vendor management
• Experience implementing quality systems and traceability
• Ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels
• Strong leadership, decision-making, and communication skills

• Comfortable working in fast-growing, execution-driven environments
  
  Nice to Have

• Experience manufacturing defense or dual-use systems
• Familiarity with export control, ITAR-like constraints, or NDAA compliance
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and hybrid make/buy models
• Exposure to New Product Introduction (NPI) in fast-moving R&D environments
• Experience setting up ERP / MRP systems
• Background in startup or scale-up industrial environments
• Experience working with international supplier ecosystems