Head of Manufacturing

Whisper Aero

Whisper Aero

Quality Assurance
Crossville, TN, USA
Posted on Saturday, April 22, 2023
Location: Crossville, TN

About the Role

Whisper Aero is a next-generation, air propulsion company that delivers thrust more cleanly, efficiently, and quietly than ever before.
Whisper is looking for a leader to rapidly mature its manufacturing capabilities. To date we have been focused on internal R&D and fast-prototyping. However, we are now moving to a production mode with ambitions of selling propulsors to our first customers as early as Q3 2023. We need a leader who can help us go zero-to-one on manufacturing from building up a manufacturing team, refining our supplier management systems, initializing our first production lines, standing up fabrication best practices, creating quality assurance protocols, establishing formal sales channels, amongst many other responsibilities. The ideal candidate will work closely with Whisper’s Chief Engineer, CEO, COO, and other engineering leaders across the team to ensure plans meet company-wide goals without sacrificing standout product performance or acoustics.

What You’ll Do

Building, growing, developing a manufacturing team within Whisper
Establishing baseline manufacturing capabilities that can scale Whisper’s propulsor production for the next 2-3 years
Managing external suppliers (meetings, database management, etc) and dispositioning non-conformances
Coordinating with touch labor and addressing concerns and suggestions for improvement
Collaborating closely with Whisper’s internal design teams and facilities management

Basic Qualifications

U.S. Person status is required, as this position may access export controlled data
B.S. or M.S. in STEM related discipline, ideally with a background in mechanical engineering, materials science, operations research and/or data science
Practical experience bringing products to market from early design stages
Practical experience standing up real manufacturing lines and growing those lines to high throughput (X,000’s units per year)
Demonstrated hands on experience with one or more of the following: CNC machining, composites, 3D printing, rapid prototyping, mechanical assembly, injection molding
Experience hiring, developing, and leading world-class teams of engineers and analysts
Experience with CAD and PDM (SolidWorks Preferred)
Familiarity conforming to AS9100 and/or ISO9001
Strong familiarity trading off competing priorities between cost, manufacturing complexity, schedule, and product performance

Bonus Qualifications

Experience with production planning software and operational models
Qualified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Experience working on turbomachinery, electric motors, and/or aerospace grade products
Experience machining aerospace grade materials such as Al2024/7075 series and Titanium
Experience working on consumer facing hardware products (packaging, consumer electronics, toys)
Familiarity with the production of electric machines and electric speed controllers

Whisper Aero is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. All aspects of employment are decided on the basis of merit, qualifications, and business needs. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Whisper Aero also participates in E-Verify and will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each applicant's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

Application Process

Identify a role that’s a solid fit. We realize that perfect fits are hard to find, so if something doesn’t exactly line up, but you believe you could be the one, you should still consider applying.
Read through our values. We want every one of our team members to be a culture add. This means sharing our core values and the way we work.
Prepare your application. If you’ve found a job fit AND think you’ll be a culture add, we’d love to hear from you.
Email
with the following subject line
[name_of_the_role] first_name last_name for Whisper Aero
ex. [CFD Engineer] Jane Doe for Whisper Aero
Attach reference materials
• Resumé
• Portfolio of prior work
• Links to your LinkedIn, website, and/or Github repo