Skip to content
CV Rocket
Get started
How it worksThe enginePricingBlogContactSign in

Open nowPosted 2 days ago

Head of Aircraft Production (R6147)

Shield AI582 open roles

Pay
$230,000 – $340,000 a year
Where
Seattle, Washington
Work mode
On site
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Your applicationOpen nowHead of Aircraft Production (R6147)Shield AI · Seattle, Washington

  1. YouYes, apply to this one.

  2. CV RocketCV written for this posting.

  3. 25 readersRecruiter, hiring manager, skeptic. Round after round.

  4. CV RocketApplied on Shield AI's own form.

The reply lands in your private mailbox

3×more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

The clock on this job

Early applications get read.

7.8% of postings close within 7 days. Measured by our own scanner across the market. Shield AI postings stay open a median of 25 days.

Share of postings closed within
  1. 1.6%1 day
  2. 3.4%3 days
  3. 7.8%7 days
  4. 14.3%14 days
  5. 33.7%30 days
This job: posted 2 days ago

Shield AI median: 25 days open

The posting

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Shield AI:

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Our products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies.

Job Description:

We’re looking for a hands-on manufacturing leader to take X-BAT from early prototype builds through production launch and into rate production.

You will lead prototype build execution and the manufacturing setup of our new Seattle-area facility, X-Forge 3. You’ll build the production team, establish the factory’s operating system and deliver the readiness needed to scale aircraft production safely, reliably and efficiently.

This role carries accountability across the full journey: turning lessons from development builds into a repeatable production system, then leading that operation against safety, quality, delivery and cost commitments. You’ll work closely with Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain and Program Management to make that happen.

What you'll do:

  • Own the day-to-day execution of X-BAT prototype and development aircraft builds, including assembly, integration, rework and build support for testing.
  • Partner with Program Management to establish achievable build schedules, resource plans and milestones, making constraints and trade-offs visible early.
  • Work with Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering through build-test-learn cycles, ensuring build issues are captured, resolved and reflected in future designs and production processes.
  • Plan and execute pre-series builds to prove tooling, work instructions, material flow, process controls and workforce readiness before production ramp.
  • Maintain configuration discipline and aircraft traceability throughout development builds in partnership with Engineering and Quality.
  • Lead manufacturing setup and operational readiness for X-Forge 3, working with Facilities and Manufacturing Engineering on factory layout, equipment installation, commissioning and production flow.
  • Recruit, develop and lead the production organization, building capable frontline leadership and a skilled aircraft assembly team.
  • Own production staffing, training and capacity plans, aligning investment and workforce growth with program demand.
  • Drive launch readiness across people, tooling, materials, processes and quality, with clear owners and closure plans for gaps.
  • Lead the transition from prototype operations into Seattle production, ensuring build knowledge and lessons learned transfer with the work.
  • Own production execution against safety, quality, delivery and cost targets as X-BAT moves through initial production and into sustained rate.
  • Establish daily operating routines, visual management and escalation processes that surface problems early and drive timely resolution.
  • Improve throughput, labor productivity, first-pass quality and schedule adherence through practical Lean methods and structured problem-solving.
  • Partner with Supply Chain and Planning to align material availability, supplier readiness and outsourced manufacturing with the production plan.
  • Work with Manufacturing Engineering and Quality to eliminate recurring build issues and embed permanent corrective actions.
  • Deploy digital manufacturing tools and appropriate automation to improve execution, traceability and scalability.
  • Give leadership a clear view of production performance, launch readiness, risks and the decisions needed to maintain progress.

Required qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing or a related technical field.
  • 10+ years of experience in aerospace or comparable advanced manufacturing, including at least 5 years leading production teams.
  • Demonstrated experience leading prototype or new product introduction builds and carrying a product into sustained production.
  • Proven ability to build and scale manufacturing operations, including workforce development, capacity planning and production systems.
  • Experience leading complex assembly and integration operations with demanding quality, configuration and traceability requirements.
  • Strong understanding of manufacturing readiness, tooling validation, material coordination and production launch.
  • Track record of improving safety, quality, delivery and cost through Lean manufacturing and structured problem-solving.
  • Ability to lead across Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain and Program Management, resolving competing priorities and driving clear accountability.
  • A hands-on leadership style, with the ability to move between long-term factory planning and detailed problem-solving on the floor.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Direct experience taking a new aircraft program from prototype through initial and rate production.
  • Experience establishing a new manufacturing facility or transferring production between sites.
  • Experience in aircraft final assembly, systems integration and production test.
  • Familiarity with aerospace quality systems, including AS9100, and digital manufacturing and traceability tools.
  • Experience managing production interfaces with outsourced manufacturing partners and complex supplier networks.
  • Advanced degree or relevant training in manufacturing leadership, program management or production launch.

#LF

Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

###

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

From $25, paid onceGet the CV for this job

What happens when you press

One press. We do the rest.

  1. A CV for this posting

    Written against Shield AI's own wording, from every piece of relevant proof in your profile.

  2. 25 readers review it

    Recruiter, hiring manager, skeptic and more read every draft, round after round. You get the best round.

    The review screen in CV Rocket: how each CV was read, round by round.

  3. We apply on Shield AI's form

    Our application engine gets through the hardest forms there are. Where a question needs you, AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

    An application in CV Rocket: every answer filled in on the employer's form.

  4. Every reply, sorted

    Shield AI's answer lands in your private mailbox, and we classify it on arrival: interview, question, rejection.

    The CV Rocket inbox: each employer reply classified as an interview, an action or a rejection.

  5. Reply with AI

    AI helps you write the email, checks it and sends it. We show you whether the recruiter read it.

  6. The interview in your calendar

    Full integration with your calendar. The invitation goes straight in.

    An interview invitation in the CV Rocket inbox, added to the candidate's calendar.
Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

Why it works

3×

more interviews than doing it yourself with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT writes a CV and never learns what happened to it. We see every reply. For each CV we know:

  • How it was written, and how the review scored it
  • When we applied, and how long after the posting went up
  • Which posting, which company, which city
  • Who got the interview, and who heard nothing

That is how we know which CVs get called.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

The numbers game

More applications. More interviews.

Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting and paid once. Send enough of them and the law of large numbers finds you the job.

Get the CV for this job
By hand5–10
With CV Rocket100
applications a day

Nearby

Live postings like this one

Same employer first, then the same role elsewhere.

Before you press

Straight answers

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.

What if my background isn't good enough?

We make the most of the background you have. The CV uses every piece of relevant proof your profile holds, and one of the 25 readers reads your whole profile and flags what the CV left out.

Do you really apply for me?

Yes, on the employer's own form, the hardest ones included. Where a question needs you, you answer it right there and AI suggests the best answer. Don't want us applying from our IP addresses? Use our Chrome extension: we apply straight from your own browser.

Is it a subscription?

No. You pay once per CV, from $25. Every application goes out with its own CV, written for that posting.

One job. One CV.
Paid once.

Pick the posting you want. We write for it, apply for you and catch the reply.

Get the CV for this job

From $25 per CV, paid once. No subscription.