Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Director, Automated Manufacturing Operations to lead the operationalization, scaling, and daily execution of our next-generation automated assembly and optical packaging platforms. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our operational foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. In this key leadership role, you will bridge hardware development and high-precision production by driving the strategy, architecture, and execution for fully automated manufacturing lines capable of assembling complex quantum optics modules, photonics components, and precision hardware.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team focused on operations, manufacturing engineering, equipment maintenance, and factory floor execution to transition cutting-edge R&D prototypes into highly scalable, robust, and automated production processes.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Define and execute the operational roadmap for automated manufacturing, precision robotic assembly stations, and high-yield automated testing across Monarch Quantum’s photonics and quantum hardware product lines.

Team Building & Management:

• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing operations team.

Production Planning & Execution:

• Own Production OTD (On-Time Delivery) planning, ensuring seamless production deliverables from known good parts to known good product.

Factory Operations & Material Flow:

• Drive production optimization, daily monitoring, material flow, Work-in-Progress (WIP) tracking, and effective operations resource allocation and management.

Equipment Maintenance & Uptime:

• Oversee production equipment maintenance, uptime monitoring, optimization, and first-level production failure troubleshooting to maximize factory throughput.

Quality, Inspection & MRB Management:

• Oversee production quality, in-process inspection, Quality Control (QC) steps, and Material Review Board (MRB) management.

Yield, Scrap & Utilization Analytics:

• Track and analyze statistics and data regarding yield, scrap rates, and equipment utilization to continuously optimize factory performance.

Automated Process & Tooling Development:

• Drive the deployment, maintenance, and continuous optimization of automated pick-and-place, active/passive optical alignment, micro-assembly, packaging, and high-precision laser alignment machinery.

Design for Manufacturability (DFM/DFA):

• Partner closely with R&D, Process Development, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Firmware/Software teams to ensure new product architectures are optimized for automated high-volume production, cycle time reduction, and yields.

NPI & Scale-Up Operations:

• Oversee New Product Introduction (NPI) manufacturing operations, transforming benchtop research setups into standardized, automated factory-floor workflows.

Documentation & Configuration Management:

• Maintain rigorous work instructions, production documentation, and configuration management controls.

Facility & Lab Management:

• Oversee production lab management, including cleanroom protocols, gowning room consumables, and operational safety.

Vendor & Equipment Management:

• Identify, select, and manage relationships with key capital equipment vendors, custom machine builders, contract manufacturers, and component suppliers to ensure equipment uptime and spare parts availability.

Continuous Improvement:

• Spearhead continuous improvement initiatives across all manufacturing processes, leveraging data and lean principles.

Budgeting & Programmatic

• Tracking: Manage capital expenditure (CapEx), operating budgets (OpEx), factory labor, and operational metrics, delivering automation milestones on schedule and within budget constraints.

Requirements

Please Note: This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

Education

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechatronics, Operations Management, or a related technical discipline.

Experience

• 12+ years of professional experience in automated manufacturing operations, high-precision assembly, or industrial engineering, with at least 5+ years in a direct operations management or manufacturing leadership capacity.

Technical Depth

• Proven track record of scaling and managing fully automated manufacturing lines, industrial robotics, factory operations, or semiconductor/photonics packaging facilities.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Optoelectronics & Photonics Operations: Deep expertise in running high-precision production lines for micro-optics assembly, active fiber coupling, photonic integrated circuit (PIC) packaging, or laser manufacturing.
• Robotics & Factory Systems: Familiarity with precision motion control, PLC/industrial controllers, machine vision systems, and factory execution software integration (MES, SCADA, ERP).
• Yield & Quality Leadership: Hands-on mastery of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma tools, Root Cause Analysis (8D/Fishbone), SPC, GR&R, and Design of Experiments (DOE).
• Scale-Up Track Record: Experience scaling an advanced hardware startup's operations into a mature, repeatable, and high-volume manufacturing facility.

Work Environment

• Location: 100% On-site at Monarch Quantum headquarters in San Diego, CA.
• Environment: Cleanroom, optical assembly lab, and precision electronics manufacturing facilities.

Benefits

The expected annual salary range for this position is $185,000-$235,000.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
• 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
• 13 paid company holidays
• 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)

Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.