Manager, Manufacturing Optimization

Anduril Industries
Ashville, OH
On-site

Who this role is best for

Best suited to manufacturing professionals with lean methodology expertise working in a defense technology environment.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with experience in high-volume production and lean systems implementation
    — “2+ years in a supervisor or production operations lead/manager role in a high-volume production environment”
  • Individuals who thrive in mission-driven environments with a focus on continuous improvement
    — “excellent opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional ready to make an impact in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment”
  • Candidates with strong technical interpretation skills and a passion for employee development
    — “Can interpret technical documentation ... and Passion for employee development and enjoy the process of training and developing both new hires and veteran production staff”

Things to consider

  • This role requires up to 50% travel across Anduril facilities in the U.S.
    — “Travel up to 50% may be required for training, cross-site collaboration”
  • A U.S. Secret security clearance is mandatory for this position.
    — “Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with structured problem-solving frameworks like A3/8D and kaizen in your resume and interviews.
    — “Drive continuous improvement using structured problem solving (A3/8D), waste elimination”
  • Demonstrate your ability to develop and coach frontline leaders using Gemba and leader standard work.
    — “Coach and develop Managers, Supervisors and Team Leaders through daily Gemba, leader standard work”
  • Showcase your ability to standardize processes and reduce variation in production environments.
    — “Standardize processes and work content to reduce variation, improve first-pass yield”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • established scalable operating systems
  • standardized processes
  • improved first-pass yield
  • coached team leaders
Typical background
manufacturing operationslean manufacturing

Skills & requirements

Required

Manufacturing OperationsLean MethodologiesStructured Problem-solvingTeam CoachingContinuous Improvement

Preferred

A3/8d Problem-solvingVisual ManagementKPI Development

About the role

Original posting from Anduril Industries via Greenhouse

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Manufacturing Operations Team plays a vital role in driving operational excellence and delivering high-quality products that support Anduril's mission of advancing defense capabilities.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are seeking a Manufacturing Optimization Manager to support in the development and deployment of the Anduril Production System (APS) to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence across our manufacturing sites in the US. This role will work closely with manufacturing/production leadership teams to develop, implement, and sustain lean manufacturing systems, coach frontline leaders, and build tools to help drive operational performance in the business.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in manufacturing operations and would have held roles leading production teams on a shop floor. The candidate should have a strong working knowledge and application of metric board tracking, KPI and target development, problem solving, and a demonstrated proficiency in daily management in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing setting. You will be responsible for building capabilities in frontline production leaders (Supervisor and Team Leader) and creating sustainable systems in Manufacturing Excellence that drive long-term performance improvements. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced manufacturing professional ready to make an impact by coaching, teaching, and developing others through a hands-on approach.

A successful candidate will be expected to work out of Columbus, OH. Based on eligibility, relocation assistance may be available. Travel up to 50% may be required for training, cross-site collaboration, or supporting continuous improvement initiatives at other Anduril facilities.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Establish a scalable operating/manufacturing/production system (tiered accountability, daily management, KPI trees, visual management, problem solving, governance) aligned to Safety, People, Quality, Delivery, and Cost

Strengthen cross-functional execution by integrating Operations, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, and Test into shared problem-solving and prioritized action plans

Standardize processes, tools, and templates that will be used by all Operations teams across the company

Coach and develop Managers, Supervisors and Team Leaders through daily Gemba, leader standard work, and structured feedback

Capture and deploy best practices across lines/cells/sites via playbooks, standard work libraries, and replication mechanisms with clear ownership and audit cadence

Develop practical tools and structures (dashboards, hour-by-hour boards, problem queues, skills boards) that improve visibility, prioritization, and decision speed

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

5+ years of experience as a Production Supervisor or Manager running a shop floor in a high-volume environment

Possesses strong working knowledge and application of LEAN tools and principles, 5S, and Six Sigma to eliminate waste

Clear demonstration of scaling products from NPI to high volume

Strong working knowledge of standard work development, writing, and creation for frontline hourly teams on the shop floor

Organized and detail-oriented with excellent verbal & written communication skills

Passion for employee development and enjoy the process of training and developing both new hires and veteran production staff

Experience supporting process development and optimization

Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills

Proficient with MS Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project)

Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree in a technical field (engineering, business, or applied science), organizational development, or leadership

Lean six sigma green belt certified

Working knowledge of AS9100 standards and OSHA laws

Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret Security Clearance

Experience in small electronic assembly and drones a plus

Ability to develop cross functional relationships as a well-respected, trusted partner

US Salary Range$111,000—$147,000 USDThe salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: 

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.

Please always verify communications:

Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.

Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com. 

Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.

What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/. 

By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.

Source: Anduril Industries careers (Greenhouse)

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