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Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn,X, YouTubeand Instagram.
Job Description:
The Senior Manager of Operational Excellence & Manufacturing Performance will drive the design, deployment, and continuous advancement of performance systems and operational standards within Shield AI’s manufacturing organization. This leader will be responsible for instilling a culture of execution excellence, embedding structured problem-solving practices, and driving measurable improvements in cost, quality, and productivity.
You will lead the development and governance of core manufacturing processes—such as visual management, 5S, root cause analysis, and KPI tracking—while also owning the manufacturing budget cycle, business rhythm, and executive reporting interface. This role partners across engineering, production, and business functions to execute high-priority improvement initiatives and elevate factory performance at scale.
Do you have the expertise and leadership to embed excellence into the fabric of autonomous defense manufacturing?
What You'll Do:
- Define, train, deploy, and continually improve operational standards across manufacturing (5S, root cause analysis, visual management, and more).
- Develop and institutionalize the manufacturing budget process, including forecasting, controls, and performance tracking.
- Set financial targets in collaboration with operations and finance teams and drive adherence to budget and cost goals.
- Lead high-impact cross-functional improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, productivity, and cost performance.
- Prepare and coordinate senior and executive-level reporting packages for Manufacturing leadership reviews.
- Partner with production, quality, and engineering teams to deploy Lean and continuous improvement practices across the factory.
- Own business office functions for Manufacturing including goal tracking, KPI dashboards, and process governance.
- Coach and train team members to elevate operational discipline and program execution maturity across the organization.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field.
- Experience leading operational excellence, Lean, or business office programs within a manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated ability to design, roll out, and sustain structured operational standards and improvement systems.
- Strong background in budgeting, reporting, and performance management at a senior level.
- Excellent communication skills and experience preparing executive-level summaries and presentations.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or formal Lean Six Sigma certification.
- Experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing environments.
- Proficiency with digital tools for KPI visualization, reporting automation, and business process tracking.
- Track record of influencing change across large, cross-functional manufacturing organizations.
#LI-JM1
#LE
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.
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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.
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Shield AI and has not been reviewed or approved by Shield AI.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as excellent, spanning medical, dental, vision, mental‑health EAP, and optional pet insurance. Location‑based wellness perks such as onsite or discounted gym access reinforce the health offering.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is positioned as a standard component of total rewards for full‑time employees, with stock/RSUs noted across roles. Access appears broad‑based rather than limited to select cohorts.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time‑off programs highlight paid parental leave alongside an accrual‑based PTO structure with a high carryover cap. Flexibility elements such as flexible hours complement the core leave offering.
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The Company
What We Do
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.
Why Work With Us
What makes Shield AI special is our people. We unlock the power of autonomy, and in the face of overwhelming odds and challenges, we find ways to win and make a difference for our customers. We bring together software, AI, and aerospace engineering disciplines to deploy the most intelligent aviation capabilities in the world.
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