JOB SUMMARYAs a Senior Supervisor, Manufacturing at Marki Microwave, you will lead a highly skilled production team in a complex, low-volume, high-mix RF and microwave electronics manufacturing environment. You bring deep technical expertise and seasoned leadership experience that allows you to operate with a high degree of autonomy, not only managing your line with excellence, but driving systemic improvements, owning strategic initiatives, and serving as a technical and professional mentor to Manufacturing Supervisors across the floor. You will be a key voice in cross-functional discussions, a champion of Lean and Kaizen culture, and a trusted partner to Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Production leadership. This role demands an experienced, self-directed leader who can resolve complex and ambiguous manufacturing challenges, shape processes that outlast any single production run, and consistently raise the bar for the entire manufacturing organization.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES- Lead, motivate, and develop a skilled team of manufacturing operators and technicians; set clear expectations, model accountability, and foster a high-performance culture.
- Own all aspects of production execution for your line including output, quality, on-time delivery, safety, and labor efficiency. Proactively identify and resolve risks before they impact the business.
- Analyze team resources, line dynamics, capacity constraints, and systemic risks; develop and execute mitigation strategies with minimal direction.
- Define, document, and continuously improve processes within your functional group; design robust standard work that can be sustained and scaled.
- Own manufacturing non-conformances (NCRs) within your line. Lead root cause analysis, drive CAPA, and identify systemic patterns that require broader process or training intervention.
- Track, analyze, and present production metrics including safety, quality, OTD, yield, and productivity; own corrective actions and report progress to leadership.
- Champion Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen initiatives. Own improvement projects from identification through implementation, with measurable targets and documented results.
- Develop and manage comprehensive training matrices, competency frameworks, and instructional materials to systematically upskill operators and technicians.
- Serve as a mentor to Manufacturing Supervisors. Share expertise, provide guidance on complex situations, help develop their technical knowledge and leadership skills, and contribute to a culture of professional growth across the manufacturing team.
- Partner with Engineering on new product introduction (NPI). Assess manufacturability, coordinate production readiness, identify tooling or process needs, and ensure a smooth transition to production.
- Lead or co-lead cross-functional initiatives with Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, and Engineering; represent manufacturing interests in strategic discussions and drive alignment on shared goals.
- Contribute to cost awareness efforts by understanding yield economics, scrap rates, labor utilization, and overtime trends; identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce waste.
- Monitor and manage labor resources including overtime and time-off through the electronic timekeeping system; prepare schedules and prioritize workload to optimize production output.
- Maintain staff through recruiting, onboarding, and development; provide formal performance reviews, recognize strong performance, address performance issues, and escalate to HR as appropriate.
- Develop and implement safety procedures; conduct safety reviews, lead incident investigations, and drive corrective actions to ensure a safe, informed work environment.
- Maintain 5S standards and champion a disciplined, organized, and continuously improving work environment.
REQUIREMENTS- High School Diploma or GED required; Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Electronics Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Engineering Technology, or a related technical field preferred.
- 10+ years of experience in an electronics and/or mechanical manufacturing environment, with demonstrated progression in scope and complexity.
- 7+ years of direct supervisory experience; experience leading teams in low-volume, high-mix or complex mixed-mode production environments is strongly preferred.
- Hands-on experience with surface mount assembly, connectorized module assembly, and/or wire-bondable die handling is a strong plus.
- Deep familiarity with RF, microwave, or high-reliability electronics manufacturing processes is highly preferred.
- Experience with AS9100, ISO 9001, or equivalent quality management systems is strongly preferred.
- ITAR awareness and demonstrated experience working in a controlled or regulated manufacturing environment is preferred.
- Prior experience informally leading, coaching, or mentoring other supervisors or senior-level team members is a plus.
TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; able to build and maintain production dashboards, tracking tools, and analytical reports in Excel.
- Experience with an ERP or MES system required; Sage 100 or Siemens MES experience is strongly preferred.
- Expert ability to read, interpret, and critically evaluate engineering drawings, assembly work instructions, test procedures, and process documentation.
- Strong working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and tools (5S, standard work, value stream mapping, waste elimination, visual management); Six Sigma (Green Belt or higher) is a plus.
- Proficient in quality and root cause analysis tools including CAPA, 8D, fishbone, & 5-why.
- Deep understanding of ESD controls, handling requirements, and process discipline in an RF/microwave electronics assembly environment.
- Skilled in production analysis including yield modeling, capacity planning, labor efficiency measurement, and scrap/cost impact assessment.
- Exceptional written and oral communication skills; able to present data, lead meetings, and influence outcomes with senior stakeholders and cross-functional partners.
- Highly organized and self-directed; able to manage complex, competing priorities across multiple workstreams without close supervision.
- Strong analytical and decision-making skills; comfortable with ambiguity and capable of setting new precedents when established processes don't apply.
- Skilled interpersonal communicator and collaborator; able to build trust, navigate conflict constructively, and maintain effective relationships across all levels of the organization.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and coach others; brings patience, perspective, and practical wisdom to mentoring relationships.
- Systems-oriented mindset. Looks beyond immediate problems to identify root causes, design durable solutions, and drive lasting organizational improvement.
CORE COMPETENCIES- Business Acumen: Awareness and knowledge of and insight into the organization's vision, structure, culture, philosophy, operating principles, values, and code of ethics; ability to apply this understanding appropriately to diverse situations. Knowledge, insight, and understanding of business concepts, tools, and processes that are needed for making sound decisions in the context of the company's business; ability to apply this knowledge appropriately to diverse situations.
- Change: Knowledge of and ability to align the organization's people and culture with changes in business strategy, organizational structure, technology and business processes.
- Communication: Successful communication involves five components. Verbal communication refers to your ability to speak clearly and concisely. Nonverbal communication includes the capacity to project positive body language and facial expressions. Written communication refers to your skillfulness in composing text messages, reports, and other types of documents. Visual communication involves your ability to relay information using pictures and other visual aids. Active listening should also be considered a key communication soft skill because it helps you listen to and actually hear what others say. You need to be able to listen to understand how to best communicate with someone.
- Strategic Thinking: Understands business issues and opportunities and translates or aligns them to a vision, strategy and plans to chart a course of action.
- Teamwork: Collaborate with others to achieve common goals. Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers. Exercise the ability to compromise and be adaptable.
- Problem-Solving / Critical Thinking: Ability to balance the needs of different people in a solution to a problem. Able to meet the needs of different constituents in the solution of a problem. Able to solve problems with multiple criteria that need to be met. Identifies and assesses all potential responses to a problem.
- Integrity / Work Ethic: Deal with Conflict Properly. Report Unethical Behavior. Be upfront about your short comings. Be willing to do hard work. Take accountability for your actions. Be a team player. Respect others. Don't abuse your power. Keep morale up.
- Interpersonal Skills: Interpersonal competencies help you interact, communicate, and collaborate with others effectively. Typical examples of interpersonal skills include empathy, active listening, and emotional intelligence
- Coaching and Mentoring: Coaching and mentoring both exist for the same purpose: helping others grow, develop and reach their full potential. Both coaching and mentoring give the opportunity for individuals to take responsibility for their own personal and career development.
- Managing Up: Managing up is about using the traits of a good manager to help bring out the best in you as an employee. When done effectively, managing up makes your manager's job easier, as well as your day-to-day job. Understanding the best way to communicate with your boss, demonstrating that you care, meeting performance goals and more, won't go unnoticed.
- Conflict Management: Conflict management is the use of techniques to resolve disagreements or control the level of discord. Conflict resolution techniques include facilitating meetings for the conflicting parties to identify the problem, discuss resolutions and create superordinate goals that require cooperation from conflicting parties.
- Delegation: Delegation involves assigning tasks you have responsibility for to your coworkers or team members. When you delegate tasks, you reduce your workload while retaining responsibility. Learning more about delegation can help you improve delegation practices in your organization. Delegation is a basic managment technique that involves assigning responsibility to another person and granting the appropriate level of authority required to complete the assignment.
- Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence in the workplace begins from the inside out with each individual. It involves recognizing various aspects of your feelings and emotions and taking the time to work on the elements of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.
Marki Microwave is a privately-owned company based in Morgan Hill, California, 30 minutes from downtown San Jose in Southern Silicon Valley. We offer a full benefits package, including:
- Holiday pay
- Paid Time Off (4 weeks)
- Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
- Long Term Disability
- Life and AD&D Insurance
- 401(k) ER matching
- College Loan Subsidy Program
