Senior Manager of Autonomous Vehicle Assembly Operations, Outrider

• The ideal candidate has built and scaled complex electromechanical assembly operations from low-volume production through commercial scale and who thrives in a fast-paced environment
• You combine strong manufacturing and quality expertise with technician leadership and a roll-up-your-sleeves approach to solving problems on the production floor and collaborating across departments
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, or a related technical discipline
• 7+ years of progressive experience in assembly, production, manufacturing engineering, or advanced manufacturing of vehicles, complex hardware, or electromechanical systems, including 3+ years leading manufacturing or technician teams
• Demonstrated success taking an assembly or manufacturing operation from concept or low-volume production through commercial scale
• Experience in automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, autonomous vehicles, robotics, aerospace, industrial automation, or similarly complex hardware
• Strong knowledge of mechanical and electrical assembly, vehicle wiring/harnesses, sensors, compute hardware, and integrated electromechanical systems
• Deep knowledge of assembly process design, line balancing, manufacturing layout, tooling, material flow, capacity planning, and production optimization
• Experience establishing standard work, process qualifications, inspection processes, manufacturing control plans, and production documentation
• Experience building or upfitting autonomous, electric, commercial, or other highly complex vehicles. (e.g. experience with integrating LiDAR, radar, cameras, GNSS, compute/networking hardware, robotics, or other vehicle sensing and control systems.)
• Experience with ERP/MRP production processes including work orders, routings, WIP, inventory, material planning, and production control using systems such as NetSuite, SAP, or equivalent
• Experience implementing or operating MES and manufacturing quality data systems
• Experience implementing and sustaining ISO 9001-compliant manufacturing and quality processes, including participation in a successful certification or recertification audit
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, lead, coach, and develop high-performing technician and production teams
• Strong cross-functional leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Comfortable working hands-on in a fast-moving production environment characterized by frequent change, urgency, and evolving requirements
• Ability to travel as needed (although majority of work based in CO HQ)

Desirable

• Outrider is seeking a Senior Manager, Autonomous Vehicle Assembly Operations to lead and scale the operations that transform base electric truck platforms into production-ready Outrider autonomous vehicles
• Based at Outrider's headquarters in Henderson, Colorado, you will own end-to-end vehicle upfit, assembly, integration, inspection, test, and verification, including sensors, compute and electrical systems, wiring and harnesses, mechanical assemblies, and robotic systems
• You will develop the manufacturing blueprint to scale Outrider from low-volume builds to efficient, repeatable production and translate that blueprint into day-to-day execution, both internally and with OEM and contract manufacturing partners
• This is a hands-on leadership role with accountability for safety, people, quality, delivery, inventory, cost, facilities and continuous improvement
• Lead & Scale Assembly Operations
• Own the end-to-end conversion of base electric trucks into fully integrated Outrider autonomous vehicles
• Develop and execute the assembly roadmap for scaling from low-volume builds to efficient, repeatable, high quality commercial production
• Lead daily assembly operations and a high-performing team of vehicle assembly and integration technicians to achieve safety, quality, schedule, and cost objectives
• Design and optimize process flow, line layout, workstations, tooling, material presentation, staffing, capacity, and manufacturing footprint
• Establish standard work, technician instructions, training and qualification programs, inspection criteria, production controls, and build documentation
• Develop internal-versus-external manufacturing strategies and establish scalable processes with OEM and contract manufacturing partners
• Work closely with commercial, engineering and operations cross-functional teams on production planning and cost efficiency
• Oversee Outrider facilities
• Drive Quality & Operational Excellence
• Manage and drive KPIs for safety, quality, delivery, cost, throughput, first-pass yield, rework, cycle time, WIP, and labor efficiency
• Build quality into each stage of assembly through process controls, qualifications, measurement systems, in-process inspection, and end-of-line acceptance
• Apply core lean and quality methods — root-cause analysis, statistical process control, and failure-mode risk analysis (PFMEA) — along with general familiarity with standard lean/quality tools (5S, Value Stream Mapping, Gauge R&R, APQP, etc.)
• Partner with Engineering and Test to develop robust component, subassembly, and final-vehicle test processes, including failure analysis, repair, retest, and vehicle release
• Drive continuous improvement in vehicle quality, reliability, throughput, labor efficiency, build time, footprint, and manufacturing cost
• Build Production Systems & Partnerships
• Deploy MES and manufacturing data systems supporting digital work instructions, work orders, routing, WIP, traceability, quality records, and production reporting
• Partner with Supply Chain, Finance, and IT to implement and improve ERP/MRP, inventory management, material planning, and production-control processes
• Maintain accurate vehicle configuration, build, inspection, test, and non-conformance records
• Partner with Engineering on DFM/DFA/DFT, new product introduction, engineering changes, production readiness, tooling, fixtures, error-proofing, and automation
• Ensure parts, kits, tools, and consumables support production requirements
• Develop manufacturing processes and documentation that can be effectively transferred to external manufacturing partners as Outrider scales
• Manage assembly-related vehicle repairs and modifications using the appropriate cross-functional resources