Head of Manufacturing Operations
New York, NY
Role Overview
Fauna Robotics is seeking a hands-on, strategic Head of Manufacturing Operations to lead and scale our hardware production capabilities. You will oversee the full manufacturing lifecycle from prototyping to volume production across process engineering, test engineering, supply chain, quality, and compliance.
As our first manufacturing hire, you will lead the design of our internal manufacturing operation: designing workcells, managing vendor relationships, ensuring product quality, and supporting prototype builds. Over time, this candidate will build and lead a world-class manufacturing team and be instrumental in selecting and managing a contract manufacturer.
This is a critical leadership role for someone who thrives in dynamic startup environments, is passionate about robotics hardware, and is excited to help shape the physical foundation of intelligent robotics.
Key Responsibilities
- Design and implement manufacturing and assembly workcells for prototype and low-volume production.
- Personally manage supplier quality and incoming inspection for key components and subsystems.
- Maintain close, hands-on relationships with contract manufacturers and vendors.
- Lead test system design and implementation for functional verification and manufacturing tests.
- Manage manufacturing technicians and assembly operators during prototype and pilot builds.
- Evaluate, select, and manage a long-term contract manufacturing partner.
- Develop and implement scalable manufacturing, test, and quality processes as production ramps.
- Build out core manufacturing functions: quality engineering, test engineering, process engineering, and supply chain operations.
- Ensure compliance with relevant standards (e.g., safety, EMC, environmental, labeling).
- Partner cross-functionally with engineering, product, and business stakeholders to ensure manufacturability, cost-effectiveness, and quality.
Required Skills
- 10+ years of experience in hardware manufacturing, ideally including consumer electronics, robotics, or medical devices.
- Demonstrated experience scaling production from prototype to volume, including vendor management and CM selection.
- Deep knowledge of manufacturing operations, including quality systems, test development, and process control.
- Hands-on engineering mindset with a willingness to do what it takes in the early stages.
- Experience managing and mentoring engineers, technicians and production teams.
- Proven ability to build scalable systems and teams from scratch.
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, or related field.
Nice-to-have Skills
- Experience with robotic systems or electromechanical assemblies.
- Familiarity with ISO 9001 or similar quality frameworks.
- Experience deploying Arena or other PLM systems.
- Previous experience working in a startup environment.
What We Offer
- The opportunity to work on groundbreaking robotics technology, enabling the next generation of humanoid robots to interact dynamically with their environments.
- A collaborative and innovative environment that fosters creativity and exploration.
- Equity ownership in the company
- Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, and Vision)
Compensation
$100k - $200k/yr, plus equity