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Salary: USD 110,000 - 120,000 / annual
Zeitview is seeking a Hardware Production Program Manager to own end-to-end production planning, qualification, and lifecycle management of aerial sensors and robotic drone payloads. This role bridges complex hardware design and operational execution, managing New Product Introduction (NPI), repeat production builds, and sustaining engineering support for a global fleet active in over 70 countries.
Key responsibilities include:
**Production Program Management & NPI**: Create and manage comprehensive NPI and repeat build timelines, ensuring procurement, staffing, tooling, and documentation are aligned. Balance fleet demands by coordinating with Operations to understand hardware needs and field repair requirements. Manage procurement pipelines and BOMs with vendors for sourced components. Hire and develop staffing to meet production and sustainment volumes, leveraging external vendors when commercially viable. Maintain single source of truth for build status, dependencies, and risk, escalating early when timelines are threatened.
**Sustaining Engineering & Cross-Functional Coordination**: Act as primary technical bridge between engineering and operations teams to accelerate debugging and issue resolution. Coordinate troubleshooting of complex field issues and ensure clear ownership and root-cause documentation. Scope and implement critical process improvements for part tracking, unit history, and issue tracking as hardware scales. Track fleet issues to identify common problems and develop field solutions to reduce costs and improve system performance. Anticipate production or field blockers and implement creative solutions to keep timelines on track.
**Requirements**: 5+ years in engineering, product development, hardware program management, or hardware manufacturing, with strong preference for complex robotic, aerospace, or drone platforms. Proven track record driving hardware programs through influence across technicians, engineers, and vendors. Deep understanding of electro-mechanical assemblies, aerial sensors, and payload integration. Ability to ruthlessly prioritize competing demands, manage tight timelines, and creatively fill operational gaps. Proven process-driven mindset with track record developing tools, documentation, and SOPs. Exceptional communication skills translating technical issues for cross-functional stakeholders. Up to 10% travel required. Proficiency leveraging AI to solve operational challenges.
**Preferred qualifications**: Experience with PLM and ERP systems, manufacturing testers (electrical, mechanical, reliability), and managing contract manufacturers or outsourced build partners.
The company is mission-driven, focused on accelerating the global transition to renewable energy through advanced aerial inspection solutions serving solar, wind, insurance, construction, real estate, and critical infrastructure industries.
