Director, Manufacturing Development Engineering

Divergent

$201K — $277K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
  • 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering or capital equipment development.
  • 4+ years of engineering leadership experience in dynamic environments.
  • Proven track record in productionizing complex electromechanical systems.
  • Strong background in manufacturing process development and production ramp activities.
  • Excellent cross-functional leadership and communication skills.
  • Highly adaptable and collaborative with an ownership mentality.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the Manufacturing Development Engineering organization for advanced manufacturing systems.
  • Drive the productionization from proof of concept to full-rate manufacturing.
  • Develop scalable processes, tooling, and documentation for factory growth.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance manufacturability and reliability.
  • Own and track manufacturing engineering KPIs like build rate and first-pass yield.
  • Manage operational escalations and feedback loops for continuous improvement.
  • Lead equipment bring-up and process improvement activities.

Benefits

  • Holistic compensation package including competitive salary and equity plan.
  • Paid vacation, sick time, and company holidays with a year-end shutdown.
  • Comprehensive health benefits with both HMO and PPO options.
  • Company-sponsored life insurance and disability coverage.
  • Professional development reimbursement for continuous skill improvement.
  • Collaborative, dynamic team environment fostering innovation.
Full Job Description
Purpose

Lead the Manufacturing Development Engineering team responsible for productionizing Divergent's advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and automation systems from prototype through full-rate production. This role owns the scalable industrialization of complex capital equipment and factory modules, ensuring systems are developed, commissioned, and transitioned into reliable, manufacturable, and repeatable production assets capable of supporting high-rate deployment across Divergent's DAPS ecosystem. This role will drive manufacturing readiness, process maturity, operational scalability, and production execution to achieve aggressive cost, throughput, quality, reliability, and uptime targets while enabling rapid factory expansion and replication.
The Role
  • Lead the Manufacturing Development Engineering organization supporting LPBF systems, automation equipment, and advanced manufacturing modules.
  • Drive productionization of advanced manufacturing systems from proof of concept through pilot, commissioning, and manufacturing at rate.
  • Develop scalable manufacturing processes, tooling, documentation, and operational standards to support factory growth and repeatable deployment.
  • Partner cross-functionally with hardware design engineering, software engineering, technician team, quality, supply chain, and production teams to improve manufacturability, reliability, throughput, and uptime.
  • Own manufacturing engineering KPIs including build rate, throughput, OEE, first-pass yield, downtime reduction, cost, and production readiness.
  • Own Ops escalations, issue triaging, feedback loops, and field service engineering-related activities
  • Lead equipment bring-up, RCCA activities, process improvements, and factory integration efforts.
  • Support implementation and optimization of systems to support manufacturing scalability.
  • Lead organizational planning including hiring, mentorship, prioritization, and team development.
Basic Qualifications
  • Ability to lawfully access information and technology that is subject to US export controls and willingness to support defense-related programs and manufacturing activities.
  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related discipline.
  • 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, capital equipment development, or similar.
  • 4+ years of engineering leadership experience in fast-paced development and production environments.
  • Experience productionizing complex electromechanical systems from prototype through manufacturing at rate.
  • Strong background in manufacturing process development, DFM, RCCA, tooling, commissioning, and production ramp activities.
  • Strong cross-functional leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
  • Highly adaptable, resourceful, collaborative with an extreme ownership mentality.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with LPBF additive manufacturing systems, robotics, advanced manufacturing, or capital equipment.
  • Experience with NX CAD, Teamcenter PLM, and MES.
  • Experience supporting factory scale-up, replication, or multi-site manufacturing deployment.
Work Environment
  • On-site in office, manufacturing floor, and laboratory spaces
  • May occasionally require extended or weekend hours to meet deadlines


Pay Range

$201,940-$277,660 USD

What We Offer:
  • Holistic Compensation Package: Enjoy a world-class compensation package that includes a competitive salary, equity plan, and discretionary results-based incentive bonus opportunities, ensuring you're truly valued for your contributions.
  • Wellness and Time Off: Embrace a healthy lifestyle with paid vacation, sick time, and company holidays, including a year-end shutdown to recharge. We support growing families with paid parental leave, recognizing the importance of bonding time.
  • Comprehensive Health and Wellness: Prioritize your well-being with our comprehensive health and wellness benefits, offering both HMO and Premium PPO options. Additionally, benefit from company-sponsored life insurance and short and long-term disability coverage for peace of mind.
  • Investment in Growth: We're committed to your professional development. Take advantage of reimbursement opportunities for learning and development initiatives, empowering you to continuously expand your skill set and reach peak performance.
  • Collaborative and High-Performing Environment: Join our collaborative, dynamic, and high-performing team within a fast-paced, mission-driven company. Together, we're disrupting the traditional manufacturing industry, fostering innovation, and integrating people and technology to reduce our footprint.

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