Manufacturing Engineering Program Manager

Department: Manufacturing

Location: New York City

Employment Type: FullTime

Job Description

Fauna Robotics is looking for a Manufacturing Engineering Program Manager to own execution across supply chain, vendor management, and build operations as we take our robots from prototype into repeatable production. This role sits at the center of engineering, operations, and manufacturing, driving build readiness, managing external suppliers and contract manufacturers (CMs), and ensuring our in-house builds run on schedule with high quality.

You’ll be responsible for making sure parts show up on time, vendors perform, builds run smoothly, and manufacturing issues get resolved quickly and permanently.

Key Responsibilities

Supply Chain Execution

• Own end-to-end material readiness for builds: forecasting, purchasing coordination, kitting, and shortages management

• Maintain clear build BOM status and track long lead items, alternates, and risks

• Partner with engineering to ensure designs are buildable, sourceable, and stable for production

• Drive material cost reduction efforts through vendor negotiation, alternate sourcing, and design-for-cost inputs

• Coordinate inbound logistics, inventory planning, and basic warehouse/stockroom processes as needed
  

Vendor & Supplier Management

• Own supplier communication for critical mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical components

• Manage RFQs, quoting cycles, lead times, payment terms, and delivery schedules

• Develop supplier scorecards (quality, delivery, responsiveness, cost) and drive supplier performance improvements

• Coordinate supplier corrective actions for issues such as defects, late delivery, and recurring failures

• Identify and onboard new suppliers as requirements evolve (machining, sheet metal, injection molding, PCBAs, harnessing, etc.)

Build Management

• Plan and drive execution of internal builds: EVT/DVT/PVT, pilot builds, and production runs

• Own build schedules, readiness gates, work instructions, tools/fixtures coordination, and staffing planning

• Work directly with technicians and engineers to unblock builds in real time

• Track yields, rework rates, failures, and manufacturing blockers with clear prioritization and urgency

• Lead build postmortems and drive corrective actions into design, process, tooling, or supplier changes

• Manage CM builds including schedule, material readiness, build reports, and quality escapes

• Ensure CM deliverables match cost, quality, and timeline expectations

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years in manufacturing program management, supply chain program management, NPI, or manufacturing engineering leadership

• Strong project management skills: timelines, risk management, issue tracking, stakeholder updates

• Comfort working in a fast-moving environment with high ambiguity and frequent change

• Proven ability to manage suppliers, lead times, quoting, and vendor performance

Nice-to-have Qualifications

• Experience with robotics, automotive, consumer electronics, drones, or other complex electromechanical systems

• Experience managing contract manufacturers (domestic and/or overseas)

• Familiarity with DFM/DFA, tolerance stackups, inspection methods, and assembly process development

• Familiarity with PCBA manufacturing, harnessing, and test infrastructure

• Experience with production tooling and fixture development

Compensation
$120K-140k/yr, plus equity