The Company
Astra's mission is to improve life on Earth from space by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Astra delivered its first commercial payload into Earth orbit in 2021, making it the fastest company in history to reach this milestone, just five years after being founded in 2016. By achieving monthly, weekly, then daily launches, we'll create the infrastructure services our customers need in space to build a healthier and more connected planet. If you're excited by a sense of possibility, the chance to innovate, and make a difference here on Earth, we think you should work here too.
The Opportunity
Astra manufactures nearly every component of an orbital launch system, including rocket engines, stage structures, avionics, satellites and the launchers at its campus in Alameda CA.
As Astra's Director of Production, you will be responsible for managing and scaling the production of rockets from one unit per month to one unit per day, and for scaling up satellite and launcher production to meet the needs of our launch manifest.
The Director of Production will be responsible for growing and leading a team of production leaders to continuously improve the efficiency of production while meeting Astra's rigorous quality standards. Working closely with the leaders in Operations, Program Management and Engineering, you will be responsible for continuous improvements to quality and efficiency, while continuing to help drive manufacturing complexity and costs down. Accurately measuring and projecting the time and resources required by your team, and suggesting improvements to processes will be key to your success.
Reporting to you will be production leaders, coordinators and technicians that will be responsible for manufacturing and assembling all of Astra's products. You will report to the VP Operations.
How You'll Fulfill Your Mission

• Operational
• Material flow, factory layout and standards & practices within
• Work with supply chain and program management to plan and resource production and development programs
• Monitor and drive execution of the teams, both delivery and efficiency
• Develop new capabilities with Manufacturing Engineering
• Set and maintain work standards for production areas
• Lead and coordinate continuous improvement activities
• Drive feature development of our internal software management systems




• People
• Staffing and Resourcing Teams based on program and production schedules
• Recruiting, developing and mentoring Production Managers
• Production Team Retention
• Drive your organization's culture
• Performance Management
• Developing Careers within and across your organization
• Setting Salary, Raises and Bonuses




• Technical
• Hands-on and technical Contribution and Mentorship




• Organizational
• Communication
• Best Practices and Training for intradepartmental tools
• Develop and maintain metrics for assessing health of the organization
• Managing Departmental Budget
• Training
• Travel
• Cross Product Services
• Tooling & consumables

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing/production leadership role producing a complex product
• Demonstrated experience working with vertically integrated production businesses
• Proven track record working with MES/work order systems and MRP driven scheduling
• Experience with ESD sensitive environments - circuit boards, electronic systems
• Experience working with and optimizing early stage ERP/MES system integration
• Bachelor's Degree in an engineering field or at least 8+ years' experience in a production/military/automotive environment

Desired Multipliers

• Experience with metallic parts - machined, sheet metal, castings
• Highly detailed oriented and passionate about advancing the commercial space industry
• Master's degree in an engineering discipline
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, autonomously driven start-up environment

ITAR Requirements: This position requires compliance with U.S. Government space technology trade restrictions, specifically the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and additional regulations governing satellite, launch vehicle, missile, and other related technologies. All jobs restricted by these regulations will be contingent upon the applicant's status as a documented U.S. Person or their ability to receive a trade license from the cognizant government agency; in addition to any required company background checks and in compliance with applicable U.S. and California laws. Similarly, positions requiring the ability to work on government contracts or a security clearance are also contingent upon the applicants ability to receive the appropriate clearance and be allowed to work on U.S. government contracts.
You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Astra, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.
San Francisco Applicants: Astra will consider applicants with arrest and conviction records (criminal histories) in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.