Manager, Soft Goods
Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor a team of soft-goods fabrication technicians and manufacturing engineers.
- Conduct daily team meetings to communicate goals, priorities, and expectations.
- Cook up and optimize productivity and meet program milestones by coordinating work schedules, staffing, and assignments.
- Own and improve manufacturing processes for soft goods fabrication, driving efficiency and scalability.
- Ensure aerospace industry quality standards are followed and continuously improved.
- Implement and oversee quality control measures, including inspection and documentation practices.
- Collaborate closely with engineering teams and cross-functional partners to drive process improvements and design for manufacturability (DFM).
- Coordinate repairs with maintenance teams in a timely manner to minimize downtime.
- Enforce safety protocols within the soft-goods manufacturing environment.
- Identify training and development needs for the team and build organizational capability.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Ensure purchase orders and production activities are executed accurately with no cost overruns.
- Interface with internal customers/end users to define scope of work and ensure requirements are met.
Qualifications
- Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience, 5–7 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, 3+ years of experience working in a soft-goods manufacturing space, 1–2+ years of experience leading or managing technical teams.
- Preferred Skills & Experience: Proven leadership abilities with a track record of managing and developing teams, experience in a manufacturing leadership role within an aerospace or high-reliability environment, familiarity with lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies, commitment to safety, quality, and adherence to standards, ability to analyze data and implement process improvements, knowledge of aerospace-grade fabrics and sewing/fabrication processes, strong problem-solving skills and ability to make timely decisions, effective communication and collaboration skills across engineering and production teams, comfort working in a high-pressure environment with changing priorities, high attention to detail, strong work ethic, and personal integrity.
Additional Requirements
- Will need to work evenings and/or weekends to support critical mission milestones.
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted.
Pay Range
Pay Range: California
$102,000 - $145,500 USD
Compensation and Benefits
Base salary will vary depending on job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full-time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks, including: medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, generous paid time off; up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, ClassPass credits, personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health, and other discounts and perks. We also take pride in offering exceptional food perks, with snacks, drip coffee & onsite barista, cold drinks, and dinner meals remaining free of charge, and lunch subsidized as part of Vast’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality meals for employees.
Equal Opportunity
Vast is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vast is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.