Head of Assembly and Integration

Air Q Limited is looking for a Head of Assembly & Integration to build and lead our Assembly & Integration function from the ground up.

This is a hands‑on leadership role responsible for establishing the assembly organization, building the team, setting production standards, and ensuring efficient, high‑quality assembly operations across multiple production streams.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Assembly & Integration organization, including hiring and developing Assembly Leads and Technicians.
• Establish work standards, staffing plans and shift structures ahead of facility go‑live.
• Own assembly line performance across Low Volume, High Volume (S2), and Ad‑Hoc/Launcher production streams.
• Monitor production throughput, quality, manpower utilization and schedule adherence.
• Ensure compliance with work instructions, quality standards and production schedules.
• Work closely with Industrialization and Process Engineering teams on work instructions, tooling and production readiness.
• Coordinate with component/tooling suppliers, subcontractors and contract manufacturers.
• Identify and escalation material, tooling, quality and production issues affecting line readiness.
• Drive Lean manufacturing, line balancing and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure the Assembly & Integration function achieves required go‑live and production readiness targets.
• Report assembly performance, staffing and quality KPIs to the VP of AIT.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in assembly or production leadership.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, UAV, or other regulated manufacturing environments is highly preferred.
• Proven experience in building, establishing or scaling a production/assembly organization.
• Strong experience in production planning, line balancing, manpower planning and industrialization.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 / AS9100 quality principles.
• Experience developing work instructions, staffing structures and shift plans.
• Strong understanding of Lean/production principles and continuous improvement.
• PMP, Six Sigma or other manufacturing leadership certification is an advantage.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong people leadership and team‑building capability.
• Hands‑on and quality‑focused approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑moving, pre‑launch environment.
• Strong problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with engineering, quality, supply chain and production teams.
• Strong communication and stakeholder‑management skills.

Key Performance Indicators

• Assembly Lead/Technician hiring completion against plan.
• Production schedule adherence of 90–95%+.
• Rework and defect rate of less than 3%.
• On‑time facility and production go‑live readiness.

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