About the job

Join us at Phase Four as we deliver cutting edge electric propulsion to thousands of spacecrafts over the next decade. We enable large constellations of satellites in low earth orbit (LEO) and beyond, both for commercial and government entities. Our plasma thruster enables new missions for satellites with next-generation propellants, while eliminating the primary failure points of legacy technologies.

Job Summary

At Phase Four we are focused on delivering innovative propulsion solutions to meet the needs of tomorrow’s satellite constellations. As Phase Four's Technician Manager, you will be responsible for the technicians that support the fabrication and test efforts within Phase Four — from monitoring shop floor activities of key assembly and/or service work centers to creating actions for maintaining production schedules, identifying risks, and communicating with key stakeholders. The Technician Manager will lead several multi-disciplinary technicians & projects and will be required to dive into the unique engineering challenges we face daily in building our plasma thruster.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead and manage technicians including all performance management related tasks.
• Supervise shop floor activity, including daily schedules and workflow.
• Manage fabrication, assembly, and test of Maxwell products to achieve on-time delivery and quality targets.
• Coordinate with engineering and other departments to minimize production interruptions.
• Review work instructions and make change recommendations when needed.
• Develop and implement cost reductions processes and efficiency improvement measures.
• Ensure product quality and conformance to specifications.
• Improve area safety and efficiency through regular auditing and continuous improvement.
• Responsible for assessing, staffing and vetting the appropriate skill sets needed.
• Identify training needs and develop training programs.
• Develop and assure adequate machine maintenance schedules and back-up spares availability.
• Monitor labor hours & overtime and implement improvement plans & time management with staff.
• Support configuration management and drawing standardization.
• Develop strong working relationships with Engineering, Manufacturing, Materials Management, and Production teams to ensure all company objectives can be met.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering field or at least 2 years of experience as a manager/supervisor in a production environment
• Experience with AS9100 or other ISO 9001-based QMS standard (e.g., ISO 13485, IATF 16949).
• Self-starter that has demonstrated the ability to define and own a process from scratch and roll out that process through adept communication to a diverse team
• Demonstrated ability and experience reading, interpreting and following: schematics, engineering drawings, layouts, part lists
• Able to effectively communicate with engineering and production (verbal and written)
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving skills with outstanding work efficiency and accuracy
• Experience monitoring, tracking and continually improving manufacturing processes
• Able to adapt to constant changing work assignments and fast paced work environment
• Ability to build and maintain consistently winning and cohesive teams
• Strong leadership skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience bringing teams and processes from development to production
• Experience using various measuring tools (calipers, micrometers, CMM etc.)
• J-STD soldering certification
• Knowledgeable with IPC standards such as IPC-A-610 & IPC-A-620
• New product introduction (NPI) of hardware system into a manufacturing, test, and production system with proven success
• Safety training and/or safety certifications
• Experience managing & handling products that require Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Salary Range

• $78,000 - $117,000 USD

Benefits

• Phase Four offers competitive salary and equity, comprehensive health benefits, generous vacation policy, and a collaborative and fun work environment.

Notes

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
• We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.