Associate Director, Production (Roadrunner)

Employer description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Staff Production Program Manager for Roadrunner reports to the Deputy Head of Production. Scope spans build plan ownership, rate ramp, supply chain consolidation, and containment recovery, working across engineering, supply chain, manufacturing operations, quality, program management, growth, and finance. 

Up to 25% travel expected. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Production Planning and Rate 

• Own and maintain the Roadrunner build plan across sites, reconciled against JSOP demand and committed delivery dates
• Model rate scenarios and quantify unit level impact of schedule changes, supplier slips, and design changes
• Develop and track recovery plans against production deficits 

Capacity and Staffing 

• Size labor hours, station throughput, tooling, and headcount against the build plan through ramp and site transition
• Identify capacity constraints before commitments are made 

Cost and Unit Economics 

• Own the Roadrunner production cost model and track COGS reduction through the rate ramp
• Run variance analysis against budget, forecast, and prior period, and lead root cause investigation on divergence
• Lead tradeoff studies with quantified cost and schedule outcomes, including make versus buy, alternate part qualification, premium freight, capital equipment, and rework versus scrap 

Supply Chain and Clear to Build 

• Own BOM coverage analysis and clear to build status, escalating shortages ahead of line impact
• Support supply chain consolidation and supplier transition activity
• Assess supplier recovery schedules for executability and dependency risk 

Risk and Containment 

• Bound affected population, exposure, and recovery path for quality escapes, shortages, and containments, including rework scope and completion forecasts
• Define and track corrective action closure with named owners and dates 

Process and Reporting 

• Standardize end to end process across Manufacturing Engineering, Manufacturing Operations, Material Management, and Procurement
• Establish operating cadence, decision forums, escalation authority, and program metrics across safety, quality, delivery, and cost
• Produce executive readouts and analysis stating the decision required, the recommendation, and the risk 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, Finance, or a related field
• 12+ years in production program management, manufacturing operations, or manufacturing engineering, preferably in defense, aerospace, or complex hardware
• Experience managing production at rate, including ramp or site transition
• Ability to independently build capacity models, cost models, and scenario analyses
• Fluency with ERP and MES data such as Oracle, SAP, or equivalent, including independent data extraction and reconciliation
• Experience owning or materially influencing a production budget, including variance analysis
• Demonstrated cross functional execution without formal authority
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. security clearance 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• MBA or equivalent graduate degree
• Experience standing up production at a new site or launching a new line
• SQL, Python, or BI tooling applied to operational analysis
• Combined operations and finance background
• Experience managing a supplier quality escape or production containment
• Lean, TPS, or Six Sigma applied in a production environment 

The salary range for th...