Production Director
Company:
Confidential — disclosed to candidates at the interview stage after signing an NDA.
A Ukrainian developer and manufacturer of military UAVs. Key product: interceptor drones countering enemy strike UAVs — an innovative, codified product with in-house R&D and an operating serial-assembly production. Strategy: an R&D company focused on interceptors and small air-defence systems protecting troops and civilian infrastructure; serial volumes scale through partner production sites.
Markets:
Ukraine (defence and security sector).
Location:
Kyiv, Ukraine.
Role description & who We are looking for
Turn the operating assembly production into a highly efficient, technologically advanced and scalable serial UAV production with transparent accounting and predictable quality.
Key responsibilities
Operational control of production (planning, capacity loading, day-by-day fulfilment of the output plan).
Technology and innovation (optimisation of assembly processes, tooling, automation of work areas, cost reduction).
Quality (incoming/in-process/outgoing control with the technical control department, handling claims).
Documentation and reporting (routing sheets, norms, specifications, plan-vs-actual output, accounting in 1C/ERP to be put in order).
People management (staffing up to 40 assemblers, work rationing, motivation, training, occupational safety).
Synchronisation with R&D (transferring new products into serial production) and with procurement (component supply without downtime).
Scaling (preparing production for multi-fold volume growth, including via outsourcing partners).
Requirements (must-have)
5+ years of production leadership (production director / head of production) at serial assembly enterprises in electronics, instrument-making or machine-building; preferably defence industry, UAVs, aviation/radio electronics or similar.
Experience building or substantially rebuilding production (planning, rationing, process engineering, quality control).
Hands-on implementation of production accounting (1C/ERP, MES) and production reporting.
Experience managing teams of 30-50 workers.
Nice-to-have
Knowledge of state-customer requirements and military acceptance (MoD representatives), product codification experience.
Lean/Kaizen, 5S, Theory of Constraints with proven cost-reduction results.
Experience launching new products into serial production together with R&D.
Reporting line & team structure
Reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Direct reports: production department — deputy, staff of up to 40, warehouse, print operator.
Personal qualities
Systematic approach, exacting without micromanagement, readiness to work "on the shop floor", resilience under wartime deadlines.
Success criteria (KPIs)
Output plan fulfilment >= 95% at target quality; transparent plan-vs-actual accounting of production and warehouse (daily reporting); assembly cost / takt time reduction by an agreed %; fully staffed and trained production workforce.
Terms of engagement
Target start date:
ASAP.
Salary:
UAH 120,000/month (net) + bonus for meeting the output plan. The rate is a budget benchmark (net); negotiable for strong candidates.
Form of engagement:
Employee — official employment.
Work format:
On-site.
Reservation from mobilisation (Ukraine):
Can be discussed.
Polygraph required:
Yes — required at hiring.
Selection checks (references & security):
Reference letters and reference calls with previous managers (minimum two), a security check, and a polygraph test at hiring.
Production Director
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