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Salary: USD 146,000 - 194,000 / annual
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company transforming U.S. and allied military capabilities through advanced technology. The company develops AI-powered systems and cutting-edge autonomy, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology for military applications.
The Production Program Manager for Optics will support the Director of Optics Production in scaling and sustaining production of precision optical assemblies for advanced defense systems. This role owns the execution rhythm across the internal and external value stream, driving tasking, coordination, and accountability to ensure production plans translate into delivered hardware.
Key responsibilities include:
• Drive Accountability: Lead initiatives across the optical production value stream aligned with production and growth objectives to enhance efficiency, scalability, and cost effectiveness. Assign tasks, set deadlines, track completion, and hold internal teams and external vendors accountable. Run regular cadences to ensure follow-through.
• Production Execution & Coordination: Track build schedules, monitor work-in-process, and coordinate across teams to resolve blockers and maintain alignment with the operating plan.
• Supplier Execution Management: Serve as the focal point between external optical suppliers and internal supply and production teams. Track multi-tiered supplier schedules, manage expedites, escalate shortages, and drive vendors to meet production requirements.
• Special Projects: Lead internal special projects including production line moves, capacity expansion initiatives, vertical integration, new tooling or fixture introductions, process qualification efforts, and other cross-functional initiatives critical to scaling optical production.
• Cross-Functional Program Coordination: Act as the connective tissue between engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and program leadership, ensuring design changes, quality escapes, supplier issues, and capacity shifts are communicated and addressed with urgency.
• Resource & Cost Management: Manage transactional material flow between multi-tiered supply, ensure accurate cost accounting and price visibility in coordination with finance, and allocate materials, labor, and equipment to meet production goals. Monitor project budgets and focus on solving the largest problems to improve the bottom line.
• Metrics, Reporting & Risk Escalation: Maintain production dashboards tracking on-time delivery, open actions, supplier performance, and work order status. Proactively identify risks to production schedules and flag them early with proposed mitigations.
REQUIREMENTS:
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in production or operations program management, project management, or manufacturing coordination within optical assembly, precision manufacturing, or an adjacent industry (defense or aerospace experience strongly preferred)
• Strong project management skills with a track record of driving cross-functional action items to closure on time
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate complex schedules across internal manufacturing and external vendors, holding multiple parties accountable simultaneously
• Working knowledge of optical assembly processes, clean room environments, or precision electro-mechanical manufacturing
• Strong command of ERP/MRP systems for production scheduling and material planning; proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Smartsheet, MS Project)
• Excellent communication, organization, and follow-through
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. security clearance
