Head of Manufacturing

About the role

Helicon is building the operating system for large‑scale composite production. As Head of Manufacturing you will own the entire production floor, from initial line ramp‑up to steady‑state operations, ensuring on‑time delivery of advanced‑material components.

Key responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end execution of the production floor against delivery timelines.
• Stand up, ramp, and run manufacturing lines from build readiness to repeatable production.
• Design and implement the production operating system – capacity planning, bottleneck management, line balancing, escalation paths, and daily execution rhythms.
• Own equipment installation, procurement, commissioning, and acceptance for new cells and line expansions.
• Drive process development and continuous‑improvement initiatives to boost throughput, yield, and on‑time delivery.
• Collaborate with software engineers to embed real manufacturing constraints into Argos, Helicon’s supply‑chain and simulation platform.

Required profile

• Proven experience with high‑volume composites manufacturing processes.
• Strong grounding in first‑principles physics and core manufacturing fundamentals.
• Track record of owning production lines or cells with direct responsibility for output, quality, and schedule.
• Demonstrated ability to ramp early‑stage builds into repeatable, high‑mix or high‑volume production.
• Leadership experience in both high‑mix and high‑volume environments.

Required skills

• High‑volume composites manufacturing
• Equipment installation and commissioning
• Procurement for production equipment
• Process development and continuous improvement
• Capacity planning and bottleneck management
• Line balancing
• Sensor integration
• Control systems

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape the future of advanced‑material production at scale.
• Flat, bureaucracy‑free environment with direct accountability.
• Covered meals and product allowances to boost productivity.
• Eligibility to work on ITAR‑controlled projects (U.S. citizenship or permanent residency required).