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Salary: USD 200,000 - 220,000 / annual
Arbor Energy is building advanced power systems that deliver clean, reliable baseload electricity with zero operating emissions. At the core is a supercritical CO₂ turbine with integrated carbon capture, designed to bring carbon-neutral power online quickly at meaningful scale. The company combines aerospace engineers, combustion experts, and systems thinkers to develop modular, fuel-flexible technology.
You will serve as Head of Manufacturing, leading the development and execution of Arbor's manufacturing roadmap from development builds through repeatable production. This is a hands-on, 0-to-1 leadership role requiring you to develop manufacturing strategy while staying close to practical industrialization and build challenges.
Key responsibilities include:
- Develop and lead Arbor's manufacturing strategy and scale-up roadmap across critical component production, subassemblies, skid and module assembly, integration, and final system delivery.
- Translate novel product and system designs into practical manufacturing plans that improve manufacturability, cost, quality, reliability, serviceability, and production readiness.
- Evaluate and recommend make-versus-buy, vertical-integration, supplier, manufacturing-partner, and facility strategies as Arbor grows.
- Lead production strategy for critical components, including additive manufacturing, machining, post-processing, inspection, qualification, and downstream integration.
- Establish approaches for process qualification, repeatability, yield improvement, and cost reduction across production-critical workflows.
- Build ramp and capacity plans covering equipment, tooling, staffing, supplier readiness, qualification cycles, inventory, spares, throughput, and project-delivery needs.
- Implement production systems, work instructions, quality controls, traceability, configuration management, and change-control practices appropriate for each stage of scale.
- Coordinate an integrated manufacturing plan across Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, Facilities, test operations, suppliers, and manufacturing partners.
The role is based at Arbor's headquarters in El Segundo, CA, and requires regular in-person work at HQ, test site (San Bernardino, CA), supplier and manufacturing-partner locations, and future facilities. Travel will evolve with the company's manufacturing footprint and project needs.
Qualifications:
- 10+ years of manufacturing leadership experience in hardware, systems, or advanced manufacturing environments.
- Proven track record scaling manufacturing from development through production, ideally in aerospace, defense, energy, or similar complex systems industries.
- Deep expertise in manufacturing environments involving additive processes, machining, post-processing, welding, skidded systems, piping, electrical integration, and system-level test.
- Experience in early-stage or high-growth companies where you remained close to the work while building the function.
- Strong ability to translate engineering designs into manufacturable solutions and work cross-functionally with product, engineering, supply chain, and quality teams.
