Director of Manufacturing

Description The Director of Manufacturing leads Fortem’s day-to-day manufacturing operations, with accountability for production execution, inventory control, warehouse operations, and manufacturing systems across multiple product lines. This role improves throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, and lead times while maintaining safe operations and product quality. Reporting to the VP, Manufacturing and Operations, the Director develops manufacturing leaders, establishes consistent operating practices, and translates delivery priorities into executable production plans. The Director partners with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management to resolve constraints and prepare manufacturing operations for continued growth.

The Director is accountable for measurable manufacturing performance and for building a scalable operating organization that consistently delivers against customer, quality, cost, and schedule commitments.

Key Responsibilities Manufacturing Leadership

• Manage and develop production managers and operational leaders through clear expectations, coaching, performance management, and succession planning.
• Establish consistent standard work, operating routines, and accountability across manufacturing and warehouse teams.
• Provide the VP and cross-functional stakeholders with manufacturing forecasts, risks, and recovery plans; communicate delivery impacts early and recommend actions.
• Build a scalable manufacturing organization by developing production managers, establishing clear ownership and decision-making authority, and ensuring teams consistently meet safety, quality, cost, and delivery objectives.

Production Execution & Continuous Improvement

• Translate delivery requirements into coordinated production plans, staffing requirements, and operating targets.
• Own schedule attainment and throughput; lead operating reviews, resolve competing priorities, and direct recovery actions.
• Lead improvements that reduce bottlenecks, work-in-progress delays, material shortages, and rework to improve productivity and shorten lead times.
• Monitor safety, quality, delivery, throughput, labor productivity, inventory accuracy, work in progress, and lead time; verify that improvements produce sustained results.
• Establish and achieve measurable manufacturing performance targets, using data-driven operating reviews to identify performance gaps, assign corrective actions, and sustain improvements.

Inventory, Warehouse & Manufacturing Systems

• Oversee receiving, storage, kitting, production replenishment, material movement, and shipment preparation to maintain efficient material flow.
• Maintain inventory accuracy through disciplined transactions, cycle counting, and reconciliation with Finance and Supply Chain.
• Ensure accurate, timely use of ERP and manufacturing systems for work orders, inventory records, production status, and operational reporting.
• Partner with Engineering, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain to maintain accurate manufacturing documentation and material requirements and control product and process changes.
• Ensure production plans are executable based on material availability, labor capacity, and equipment constraints, and maintain disciplined ERP execution to provide accurate visibility into production status, shortages, and projected completion dates.

Quality & Safety

• Maintain manufacturing accountability for quality at the source; support defect containment, root-cause investigations, and corrective actions to reduce scrap and rework.
• Reinforce safety, housekeeping, and process compliance, ensuring production demands do not bypass required inspections, approvals, or safe work practices.
• Maintain clear boundaries with Quality Assurance, preserving its independent authority for inspection, product acceptance, and quality-system compliance while ensuring manufacturing promptly addresses defects and corrective actions.

Financial Management & Capacity Readiness

• Manage manufacturing expenses and labor performance within approved budgets; identify cost drivers and implement productivity improvements.
• Drive cost and productivity improvements by monitoring labor utilization, cost per unit, scrap, rework, and other significant operating cost drivers.
• Assess capacity and staffing needs; recommend hiring, cross-training, equipment, facility, and capital investments to the VP.
• Lead manufacturing readiness for new or revised products and expanded production areas, coordinating staffing, training, tooling, materials, and documented processes.
• Develop and execute manufacturing capacity plans covering production layout, staffing models, equipment utilization, material flow, and facility readiness to support forecasted demand and business growth

Requirements Required Skills & Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive manufacturing or operations experience, including at least 5 years in leadership roles managing managers or multiple operational teams.
• Experience leading production across multiple product lines in a hardware or technical manufacturing environment.
• Experience overseeing inventory control, warehouse operations, and material flow.
• Demonstrated results improving throughput, schedule attainment, productivity, and manufacturing lead times.
• Strong working knowledge of ERP systems, work-order control, inventory transactions, and manufacturing reporting.
• Experience developing production leaders and establishing consistent operating practices during organizational growth.
• Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, capacity planning, root-cause problem-solving, and quality improvement.
• Strong financial and analytical skills, including labor planning, budgeting, cost analysis, and productivity measurement.
• Ability to resolve competing priorities and collaborate with Engineering, Supply Chain, Finance, and Program Management.
• Bachelor’s degree in manufacturing, engineering, operations, business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant education, training, and experience.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in aerospace, defense, unmanned aircraft systems, robotics, or complex electromechanical manufacturing.
• Experience scaling operations through facility expansion, new product introductions, or substantial production growth.
• Experience implementing or improving ERP, manufacturing execution, warehouse management, or production reporting systems.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001, AS9100, or comparable quality management systems and controlled manufacturing practices.
• Experience in mixed-volume manufacturing with changing product configurations.
• Lean or Six Sigma certification; APICS/ASCM CPIM, CSCP, or comparable operations credentials.
• Master’s degree in business, engineering, operations, or a related field.

ABOUT US Fortem Technologies is the global leader in airspace security, delivering advanced solutions that protect against today’s autonomous aerial threats while ensuring the safety of tomorrow’s advanced air mobility. Fortem’s AI-powered SkyDome® Family of Systems combines TrueView™ sensors, command-and-control software, and autonomous DroneHunter® interceptors to defend military, government, and commercial operations worldwide from hostile or unauthorized drones. Fortem is the only company authorized to deploy a drone-on-drone kinetic interceptor in U.S. airspace, and its technology has been validated in operational deployments across Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.

Headquartered in Lindon, Utah, Fortem is privately held and backed by Lockheed Martin, DCVC, Toshiba, AE Industrial Partners, AIM13, Signia Venture Partners, and others.

Fortem Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We believe that diversity drives innovation and makes us stronger.