Staff Production Program Manager

About the role

The Staff Production Program Manager partners closely with the Head of Production to oversee the manufacturing and production lifecycle of Anduril's advanced defense technologies. This role requires a blend of strategic program planning and hands-on execution, focusing on operational efficiency, managing complex schedules, mitigating risks, and ensuring timely delivery.

Responsibilities

• Drive complex operational initiatives from concept to completion, tackling ambiguous problems across manufacturing systems, supply chain, and production processes.
• Execute quick analyses when speed matters, while also designing scalable processes and systems that grow with the company.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts that directly impact cost of goods, production efficiency, and scalability.
• Work across commercial, engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and finance teams to align production efforts with business objectives.
• Anticipate and mitigate risks, identifying potential roadblocks and developing mitigation strategies.
• Ensure appropriate allocation of materials, labor, and equipment to meet production goals.
• Own production's role in bringing new products to life and managing changes to existing ones, coordinating launches, and ensuring production readiness.
• Build systems and insights by improving workflows, creating better tracking mechanisms, and building dashboards for operational visibility.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in operations program management, manufacturing, management consulting, investment banking, or internal operations.
• Understanding of how things get built and systematic approach to process improvement.
• Comfortable with data and building frameworks to structure messy problems.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced environments and make progress without perfect information.
• Self-driven problem solver who takes initiative to fill gaps.
• Experience driving project execution within production environments.
• Practical application of project management methodologies to streamline workflows, mitigate risks, and facilitate collaboration across teams.
• Leadership in meetings, stakeholder wrangling, and presenting to leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience launching products under tight timelines in hardware or manufacturing settings.
• Experience with project management methodologies (Agile, Lean, Six Sigma, etc.) and tools (Jira, Confluence, MS Project, Gantt Charts).
• Background in high-tempo operational roles (consulting, startups, scale-ups).
• Experience in defense, aerospace, or automotive manufacturing.
• Experience with ERP, MRP, MES, PLM systems.