The Role
The Operations Manager oversees factory operations, ensuring production targets are met while leading a team and collaborating across departments to optimize performance and safety.
Summary Generated by Built In
RETHINK MANUFACTURING
The only way to ignite change is to build the best team. At Bright Machines®, we’re innovators and experts in our craft who have joined together to create a new category of manufacturing that will help transform the industry. We believe software and data are the answer, thoughtfully applied to solve our customers’ unique challenges. Through intelligent automation, we give factories newfound flexibility, scalability, and resilience. We deliver products to meet the demands of today while building a platform to take advantage of what comes next.
Working with us means you’ll have the opportunity to make lasting, impactful changes for our company and our customers. If you’re ready to apply your exceptional skills to create the factory of the future, we’d love to speak with you.
ABOUT US
Bright Machines is on a mission to transform how electronics are made—bringing intelligence, scalability, and flexibility to the factory floor. We combine the best of automation, machine learning, and software to modernize manufacturing from the ground up. We are looking for an Operations Manager to join our team.
The Operations Manager will oversee all day-to-day factory operations, including both automated and manual assembly lines. This role is responsible for ensuring production targets are met across safety, quality, output, efficiency, and on-time delivery. You will lead a team of supervisors, operators, and technicians while collaborating closely with Automation Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, and Customer Success teams
The ideal candidate brings strong experience in automation-enabled manufacturing, excels in fast-paced environments, and applies a structured, data-driven approach to scaling production in a high-tech, innovative setting.
WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING
- Own end-to-end factory operations across production, materials, quality, maintenance, and support functions to ensure safe, reliable execution.
- Convert customer demand into executable production plans aligned with capacity, labor, and automated systems.
- Ensure operational readiness across equipment uptime, staffing, materials, tooling, and quality controls.
- Drive performance against key KPIs including OEE, on-time delivery, cost, labor efficiency, scrap, and throughput.
- Establish standard operating rhythms, shift handoffs, and escalation processes to enable disciplined execution.
- Partner with Automation and Manufacturing Engineering to optimize line performance, system uptime, and scalability.
- Lead NPI, line expansions, and ramp-up of new automated cells and processes.
- Maintain accurate, standardized SOPs, MES documentation, work instructions, and training materials.
- Drive continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving.
- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for safety, quality, delivery, and operational issues.
- Partner with Quality to ensure compliance with customer, regulatory, and internal quality standards.
- Lead, coach, and develop supervisors, leads, operators, and technical staff.
- Set clear expectations and drive accountability across the organization.
- Build organizational capability through training, cross-skilling, and succession planning.
- Own safety performance and promote a zero-incident culture.
- Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Supply Chain and partners to ensure material flow and execution alignment.
- Ensure clear communication across shifts, departments, leadership, and customer-facing teams.
- Serve as the primary operational interface for execution, delivery commitments, and escalations.
WHAT WE WANT TO SEE
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
- 8+ years of operations or manufacturing leadership, with 3–5 years in automated or high-volume production environments.
- Proven experience managing cross-functional teams across Production, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Maintenance.
- Track record of driving operational KPIs (OEE, on-time delivery, cost, labor efficiency, throughput, scrap) and delivering measurable results.
- Experience leading NPI, line expansions, and ramp-up of automated or semi-automated manufacturing cells.
- Strong knowledge of automated manufacturing systems, MES/ERP, Lean, Six Sigma, and structured problem-solving.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop teams while fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Exceptional communication and cross-functional collaboration skills with a focus on results and operational excellence.
- Commitment to safety, quality, and delivering reliable customer outcomes in a fast-paced, innovative environment
IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU HAD
- Experience in electronics, electro-mechanical, or high-tech manufacturing environments.
- Exposure to high-mix, low-volume, or configurable manufacturing operations.
- Knowledge of A3/8D problem-solving, Kaizen, or other continuous improvement frameworks.
- Experience with advanced automation, robotics, or smart factory initiatives.
- Prior experience implementing design-for-manufacturing (DFM) or design-for-automation (DFA) practices.
- Global or multi-site operations leadership experience
BE EMPOWERED TO CHANGE AN INDUSTRY
Bright Machines is a next-generation, AI-enabled manufacturer focused on data center infrastructure assembly operations. Bright Machines uses its proprietary AI-based robotics and software to assemble AI infrastructure hardware products (i.e., data center servers) for hyperscalers and leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). With its new AI factory, Bright Machines addresses increasing market demands for computing power due to the surge of AI and the U.S. national mandate to reshore manufacturing by building data center infrastructure at scale with higher quality and shorter time-to-market.
Bright Machines is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with an integration center in Guadalajara, Mexico. The company has been recognized as one of Forbes’ AI 50, awarded “Best AI-based Solution for Manufacturing” by AI Breakthrough, named a “Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum, and highlighted by several other leading technology and innovation organizations.
Top Skills
Automation
Erp
Lean
Machine Learning
Mes
Six Sigma
Software
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The Company
What We Do
We deliver intelligent, software-defined manufacturing by bringing together our flexible factory robots with intelligent software, production data and machine learning. Our growing, global team of more than 300 robotics, software and manufacturing industry veterans believe building physical things should be as seamless and simple as creating digital products. Our software-defined manufacturing platform helps customers innovate faster to meet the growing demands of a new era of manufacturing.
