Head of Production / Manufacturing Manager – UAV Systems

About the Role

We are looking for a Head of Production / Manufacturing Manager to lead the scale-up of SUIND's UAV manufacturing, starting with Bumblebee and expanding to future platforms such as WASP.

This role will be responsible for building and running a structured production process for UAV systems, including assembly planning, technician management, production documentation, process control, coordination with procurement, coordination with engineering and production output.

The ideal person should be comfortable with low-volume, high-complexity hardware manufacturing where designs may evolve, quality matters and field reliability is critical.

Key Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day production planning and execution for SUIND's UAV systems.
• Convert engineering-led assembly into a repeatable manufacturing process.
• Set up production workflows, assembly stations, work instructions and process checklists.
• Manage production technicians, integration teams and assembly schedules.
• Coordinate with engineering for design updates, manufacturability improvements and issue resolution.
• Coordinate with procurement and stores to ensure material availability.
• Maintain BOM discipline, version control and production documentation.
• Implement serial number tracking, batch records and production traceability.
• Work with QA/QC to define and enforce quality gates.
• Track production output, rework, failures, delays and bottlenecks.
• Support creation of jigs, fixtures, calibration processes and testing workflows.
• Ensure safety, cleanliness and discipline on the production floor.
• Plan production capacity based on sales forecasts and business requirements.
• Support service, repair and field issue feedback loops.

Requirements

• 7–12 years of experience in manufacturing, production, operations or hardware assembly.
• Experience with electronics, mechatronics, robotics, drones, EVs, aerospace, automotive electronics, industrial equipment or similar products.
• Strong understanding of production planning and shop-floor execution.
• Experience managing technicians and cross-functional production teams.
• Ability to create and enforce work instructions, checklists and process discipline.
• Strong coordination skills with engineering, procurement, QA and management.
• Comfort with evolving products and low-volume/high-complexity manufacturing.
• Strong problem-solving and execution mindset.

Good to Have

• Experience in drone/UAV manufacturing.
• Experience with ISO-style quality systems, production traceability or aerospace/defence manufacturing practices.
• Experience with inventory systems, ERP/MRP tools or BOM management.
• Experience setting up assembly lines or production cells from scratch.
• Knowledge of wiring harnesses, electronics integration, composite structures, propulsion systems or flight controllers.

Who Will Succeed in This Role

You will succeed if you are hands-on, process-driven and comfortable building systems from the ground up. SUIND does not need someone who only maintains an existing factory. We need someone who can help create the production engine for a new category of autonomous aerial systems.

Why Join SUIND?

At SUIND, you will work on technology that leaves the lab and operates in the real world.

Our drones are designed for environments that are complex, messy and high-value — farms, plantations, infrastructure sites, industrial assets, remote areas, security-sensitive zones and other places where reliable autonomous aerial systems can make a meaningful difference.

You will be part of a team building core autonomy, aerial robotics, embedded systems, field operations, manufacturing capability and commercial platforms from India for global-scale markets. The work is hard, interdisciplinary and deeply hands-on — but it is also meaningful.