Director, Manufacturing Architecture

About the role

Muon seeks a highly experienced Director of Manufacturing Architecture to own and evolve the systems, tools, and processes that our entire spacecraft production engine runs on - PLM, MES, scheduling, and the connective tissue between them. As we scale, we're investing in a next-generation production infrastructure, and we're looking for someone who has built up and driven production systems before to lead that effort - architecting from the ground up where needed, and building on the foundation we already have.

The central challenge is versatility: our production infrastructure has to serve three different modes at once: serial/rate production, new product introduction (NPI), and rapid prototyping. You'll architect an infrastructure and operating model that flexes across all three, enabling teams to move quickly on a prototype and repeatedly on a rate build using the same coherent, easy-to-adopt backbone.

This person will be a key member of the team and will collaborate closely with Muon Space's head of production, assembly, integration & test (AI&T), quality, supply chain, and mission engineering teams. This role owns the infrastructure layer those production teams depend on.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Own the production infrastructure definition end-to-end - PLM, MES, scheduling, and the integrations between them - and drive it into a robust, scalable, well-documented backbone that grows with the company.
• Architect for the long term and build pragmatically: assess what exists, build on the parts that work well, and stand up new capabilities where needed - while keeping the system simple and intuitive to adopt.
• Design infrastructure capable of accommodating rate production, NPI, and rapid prototyping work. One coherent system that supports both repeatability at scale and speed at the bleeding edge.
• Partner with the production and supply chain teams to define the workflows, data models, and processes the tools should enforce, rather than bolting tools onto undefined processes.
• Establish the standards, templates, and reusable artifacts (BOM/part/change management, routings, work instructions, scheduling frameworks) that programs and Production TPMs can adopt across missions instead of reinventing them.
• Make the systems easy to learn: drive documentation, training, and onboarding so new engineers and TPMs can ramp quickly and rely on the tools with confidence.
• Build dashboards and data integrations that give production and leadership clear, real-time visibility into build status, capacity, and constraints across programs.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with Information Systems, quality, and supply chain to ensure the infrastructure integrates cleanly with adjacent systems and controls.
• Proactively identify and strengthen the critical paths and dependencies in the production stack; drive the roadmap and any migrations without disrupting active builds.
• Serve as the integrating owner of production infrastructure - the single point of contact for how spacecraft get planned, tracked, and built through our systems.

Qualifications

• B.S. in an engineering discipline (M.S. preferred), or equivalent technical experience - a genuine technical background is required.
• 8+ years of relevant experience in manufacturing/production, production engineering, and/or technical program management, with significant time spent building up and driving production operations.
• Demonstrated track record of standing up, scaling, or overhauling production infrastructure (PLM, MES, scheduling/ERP, and their integrations) into a scalable, maintainable system.
• Deep, hands-on experience across multiple production modes - high-rate/serial production, NPI, and prototype/development builds - and an understanding of how infrastructure must differ and flex to serve each.
• Strong grasp of production fundamentals: BOM/part/change management, routings, work instructions, MRP/scheduling, and shop-floor execution.
• Proven ability to design systems and processes that are simple, intuitive, and easy for teams to learn and trust.
• Experience partnering with IT/tools teams on system selection, configuration, and integration.
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work successfully across engineering, production, quality, and supply chain.
• Leadership experience or clear readiness to lead - this role has a path to managing the Production TPM team.
• Nice to have: spacecraft or aerospace/high-reliability hardware production experience; experience scaling an organization from prototype to rate production.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $261,000 - $292,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states

AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information.

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency.

The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.