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Rock West Composites

Designs, engineers, and manufactures composite products

Production Supervisor

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$35 - $42/hr+ $3,000 annual bonus + 401(k) 5% match + Employee stock option program
Expert
San Diego, CA, USA
In PersonPosition is located at the San Diego Aircraft facility in Otay Mesa.
Manufacturing & Production Operations
No H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • A high school diploma or GED is required; technical degree or training is a plus.
  • At least 8 years of production supervision experience, preferably in composites or aerospace manufacturing.
  • At least 3 years of composite fabrication experience.
  • Experience managing teams of 10 or more technicians in a job-shop or high-mix, low-volume environment.
  • Strong understanding of lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement tools.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with ERP/MRP systems is a plus.
  • Strong communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, and authorized to work in the United States without company immigration sponsorship now or in the future.
  • Certain positions require meeting the U.S. Person definition in 22 CFR 120.62.
Responsibilities
  • Supervise, train, and manage a team of 10 or more technicians, including performance management and staffing decisions.
  • Set clear job expectations and manage individual and team performance against production goals.
  • Identify training needs, implement development programs, and maintain skill matrices.
  • Promote accountability, safety, and engagement through leadership and coaching.
  • Develop and retain team members to build a strong talent pipeline.
  • Oversee production schedules, workflow, labor allocation, and daily floor activities across assigned work areas.
  • Monitor and optimize labor hours and overtime for efficiency.
  • Ensure compliance with work instructions, travelers, and QMS documentation.
  • Maintain a safe, clean, and organized work environment, promoting 5S and behavior-based safety practices.
  • Ensure adherence to the company's Quality System, AS9100 standards, and company policies.
  • Monitor product quality and conformance to specifications through proactive monitoring and auditing.
  • Collaborate with Quality Assurance on nonconformance investigations and corrective actions.
  • Lead Lean initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, scrap reduction, and cost savings.
  • Use data to control and improve production processes, reduce waste, and improve throughput.
  • Support root cause analysis and corrective action plans for production issues.
  • Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Program Managers to align production priorities and resolve technical challenges.
  • Provide input on tooling, fixtures, materials, and process improvements.
  • Contribute to work instruction development and provide feedback for new product introduction.
  • Lead implementation of cost reduction and capital improvement projects, as assigned.
  • Track progress toward department KPIs and enterprise goals using Visual Management tools, including KPI boards and Tier meetings.
  • Conduct daily Tier 1 meetings to communicate priorities and performance updates.
  • Establish SMART objectives linked to plant and strategic goals and follow through on execution.
Desired Qualifications
  • Technical degree or training.
  • Production supervision experience in composites or aerospace manufacturing.
  • Experience with ERP/MRP systems.

About the company

Rock West Composites provides engineered composite parts using a range of manufacturing processes such as roll-wrapping, filament winding, press curing, bladder molding, resin infusion, and oven curing. Customers can choose the manufacturing method that best fits their application, and Rock West handles design, engineering, and manufacture to deliver quality products at a good value. The company emphasizes on-time shipping and strong post-sale support, with an empowering culture where every employee helps improve the customer experience. The management and sales team average over two decades of experience in composites, and technicians typically have 15+ years of experience. This combination positions Rock West to offer reliable, tailored composite solutions rather than generic, one-size-fits-all offerings. The goal is to design, engineer, and produce high-quality composite solutions that meet customer needs on time, backed by dependable service.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

San Diego, California

Founded

2009

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • August 2026 STRATOPultrusion and SmallSat promotion open new demand from deployables customers.
  • October 2025 R4 radome delivery and April 2026 CERN hardware prove repeatable execution.
  • EOI Space telescope delivery showed Rock West wins complex, high-spec programs on compressed schedules.

What critics are saying

  • RWC still depends on defense and space programs; contract gaps hit utilization fast.
  • Competitors can copy pultrusion formats, compress pricing, and erase STRATO's lead-time advantage.
  • A failed space hardware qualification would damage trust and shut down the STRATO expansion.

What makes Rock West Composites unique

  • August 2026 STRATOPultrusion adds predesigned space-grade pultrusions with four-to-eight-week lead times.
  • Rock West combines ecommerce, flightworthy documentation, and serialized traceability for space buyers.
  • 2023 Performance Plastics assets added machining, forming, bonding, and 80 employees to RWC.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • 401(k) Company Match
  • Stock Options
  • Paid Holidays
  • Paid Vacation
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Performance Bonus

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

16%

1 year growth

15%

2 year growth

15%
PR Newswire
Aug 10th, 2026
Rock West Composites partners with DPP Pultrusion to launch space-grade STRATOPultrusion profiles

Rock West Composites has partnered with DPP Pultrusion to expand its space-grade STRATO product line with pultruded solid and hollow profiles. The new STRATOPultrusion range is designed to support next-generation space-grade deployables. The collaboration between the two companies aims to enhance Rock West Composites' ecommerce offerings for space-ready materials. The expanded product line builds on the existing STRATO range, which specialises in space-grade composite solutions.

PR Newswire
Sep 13th, 2023
Rock West Composites Acquires The Assets Of Performance Plastics, Inc.

We are very excited with the addition of PPI's People, Capability and Capacity to Rock West, which will enhance the value we bring to our combined customer base. This will clearly accelerate our strategic growth into the future!. .

PR Newswire
Sep 2nd, 2023
Rock West Composites Delivers Completed Space Telescope Structure To Eoi Space

We leveraged our deep background in stable space structure fabrication to achieve the demanding requirements of this program, and we were able to exceed those demands for our customer. .

Rock West Composites
Nov 21st, 2022
RWC Named Top Workplace 2022! | Rock West Composites

Rock West Composites, Inc. is proud to announce that both its Salt Lake City and San Diego offices have been named Top Workplaces for the second year in a row.

Rock West Composites
Mar 21st, 2022
Rock West Composites, Inc. launches 0.060” and 0.125”

Rock West Composites, Inc. has added 0.060” and 0.125” to the lineup but still offer 0.250” and 0.500” if you require thicker plate.