Vice President - Production

Position Summary

The Vice President of Manufacturing and Production is a critical executive role responsible for pioneering the transition of our advanced electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft from experimental prototype to scaled, commercially viable, and safety-certified mass production.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), this individual will oversee advanced assembly, composite manufacturing, powertrain integration, avionics installation, and the implementation of automated production systems. The VP will balance the fast-paced innovation of an aerospace startup with the highly disciplined, zero-defect execution required to meet stringent aviation authority standards (e.g., DGCA Production Certification, DGCA POA).

Primary Responsibilities

1. Strategic Operations & Scaled Production

Production Roadmap: Design and execute the industrialization roadmap to scale manufacturing facilities from Initial Prototyping, Limited Series Production and full scaled Production.

Capital Allocation: Oversee the CapEx budget for manufacturing infrastructure, factory automation, robotics, and advanced tooling.

Advanced Manufacturing Integration: Spearhead the integration of novel processes specialized for eVTOL, including advanced carbon fiber composite curing, high-voltage battery pack assembly, electric propulsion system (EPS) integration, and Fly-by-Wire avionics testing.

2. Regulatory Compliance & Quality Assurance

Production Certification: Partner closely with Quality and Regulatory teams to secure DGCA Production Certificate (PC) and Production Organisation Approval (POA).

AS9100 Compliance: Champion and enforce an AS9100 certified manufacturing environment, embedding a strict safety-first culture.

Traceability: Ensure 100% component traceability and rigorous conformity inspection processes are built into the manufacturing execution system (MES).

3. Supply Chain Collaboration & Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

Concurrent Engineering: Act as the bridge between the Engineering/R&D teams and the factory floor. Drive Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) initiatives to lower unit costs and build times.

Supplier Scaling: Collaborate with the Global Supply Chain team to ensure key tier-1 aerospace suppliers (battery cells, carbon composites, structure components) align with factory ramp-up schedules and quality metrics.

4. Operational Excellence & Lean Leadership

KPI Management: Define and achieve strict operational metrics: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), Cost of Quality (CoQ), Scrap Rate, Cycle Time, and Takt Time.

Continuous Improvement: Deploy Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles tailored to a hybrid automotive/aerospace ecosystem.

Team Building: Recruit, mentor, and scale a world-class manufacturing division, including plant managers, industrial engineers, manufacturing technicians, and safety leads.

Requirements & Qualifications

Experience

Aerospace: 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience. A combination of traditional aerospace structure assembly and high-volume advanced automotive manufacturing is highly preferred.

Certification Track Record: Direct experience taking a novel vehicle or complex aerospace structure through a successful regulatory production certification process.

Scale Up: Proven experience taking a facility from greenfield/brownfield setup to full-scale operations.

Technical Skills & Competencies

Deep technical understanding of electric powertrains, high-voltage battery architecture, automated riveting/bonding, and carbon composite manufacturing (autoclave and out-of-autoclave).

Expertise with Industry 4.0 technologies, including smart manufacturing execution systems (MES), PLM software, and robotic automation.

Education

Required: Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a highly related technical field.

Preferred: Master’s degree in Engineering and/or an MBA.