Director Manufacturing Architecture

About the role

Muon seeks a highly experienced Director of Manufacturing Architecture to own and evolve the systems, tools, and processes that our entire spacecraft production engine runs on - PLM, MES, scheduling, and the connective tissue between them. As we scale, we're investing in a next-generation production infrastructure, and we're looking for someone who has built up and driven production systems before to lead that effort - architecting from the ground up where needed, and building on the foundation we already have.

The central challenge is versatility: our production infrastructure has to serve three different modes at once: serial/rate production, new product introduction (NPI), and rapid prototyping. You'll architect an infrastructure and operating model that flexes across all three, enabling teams to move quickly on a prototype and repeatedly on a rate build using the same coherent, easy-to-adopt backbone.

This person will be a key member of the team and will collaborate closely with Muon Space's head of production, assembly, integration & test (AI&T), quality, supply chain, and mission engineering teams. This role owns the infrastructure layer those production teams depend on. 

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Own the production infrastructure definition end-to-end - PLM, MES, scheduling, and the integrations between them - and drive it into a robust, scalable, well-documented backbone that grows with the company.
• Architect for the long term and build pragmatically: assess what exists, build on the parts that work well, and stand up new capabilities where needed - while keeping the system simple and intuitive to adopt.
• Design infrastructure capable of accommodating rate production, NPI, and rapid prototyping work. One coherent system that supports both repeatability at scale and speed at the bleeding edge.
• Partner with the production and supply chain teams to define the workflows, data models, and processes the tools should enforce, rather than bolting tools onto undefined processes.
• Establish the standards, templates, and reusable artifacts (BOM/part/change management, routings, work instructions, scheduling frameworks) that programs and Production TPMs can adopt across missions instead of reinventing them.
• Make the systems easy to learn: drive documentation, training, and onboarding so new engineers and TPMs can ramp quickly and rely on the tools with confidence.
• Build dashboards and data integrations that give production and leadership clear, real-time visibility into build status, capacity, and constraints across programs.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with Information Systems, quality, and supply chain to ensure the infrastructure integrates cleanly with adjacent systems and controls.
• Proactively identify and strengthen the critical paths and dependencies in the production stack; drive the roadmap and any migrations without disrupting active builds.
• Serve as the integrating owner of production infrastructure - the single point of contact for how spacecraft get planned, tracked, and built through our systems.

Qualifications

• B.S. in an engineering discipline (M.S. preferred), or equivalent technical experience - a genuine technical background is required.
• 8+ years of relevant experience in manufacturing/production, production engineering, and/or technical program management, with significant time spent building up and driving production operations.
• Demonstrated track record of standing up, scaling, or overhauling production infrastructure (PLM, MES, scheduling/ERP, and their integrations) into a scalable, maintainable system.
• Deep, hands-on experience across multiple production modes - high-rate/serial production, NPI, and prototype/development builds - and an understanding of how infrastructure must differ and flex to serve each.
• Strong grasp of production fundamentals: BOM/part/change management, routings, work instructions, MRP/scheduling, and shop-floor execution.
• Proven ability to design systems and processes that are simple, intuitive, and easy for teams to learn and trust.
• Experience partnering with IT/tools teams on system selection, configuration, and integration.
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work successfully across engineering, production, quality, and supply chain.
• Leadership experience or clear readiness to lead - this role has a path to managing the Production TPM team.
• Nice to have: spacecraft or aerospace/high-reliability hardware production experience; experience scaling an organization from prototype to rate production.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $261,000 - $292,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.