Production Manager

About

Karman Industries is a Torrance-based thermal technology company building the backbone for giga-scale AI infrastructure. Founded by a team from SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and GE, Karman is moving beyond legacy cooling with the launch of the HPU (Heat Processing Unit)—a new category of thermal architecture designed for the 100kW+ rack era.

The HPU shrinks the exterior mechanical yard by up to 80% while reducing peak energy consumption by 10%+. Unlike traditional systems, the Karman HPU provides zero-water (WUE 0) cooling that ensures high-TDP GPUs and HBM4 memory stay at optimal thermal setpoints without throttling.

Founded in 2024, we’re a fast-growing team of passionate professionals dedicated to making a tangible impact on the future of humanity. We design, build, and test real hardware, and we lead with ownership: you’ll own your work from concept to hardware and help shape how we scale. Our values are Ownership, Performance Excellence, Radical Transparency, and Customer-Centricity.

Join us in our mission to transform the industry and contribute to a more sustainable world.

Production Manager

We are seeking a skilled and hands-on Production Manager to lead the manufacturing and assembly of cutting-edge turbomachinery that will be utilized to build Thermal01. This role is critical to establishing robust production capabilities across skid integration, turbomachinery build, machining, and welding — including workflow design, staffing, and shop-floor standards. We are a team that values first-principles thinking, hands-on problem solving, and close cross-functional collaboration to deliver cohesive, high-performance systems.

Responsibilities

• Hire, lead, and mentor a team of supervisors, technicians, and machinists across skid integration, turbomachinery build, machining, and welding operations

• Support facility activation, new product introductions, line expansions, and workflow upgrades; contribute to strategic decision-making on production layout and bringing new capability online

• Ensure a strong focus on safety and maintain an excellent safety record across all production operations

• Create and enforce training and career development paths to ensure on-time delivery, improve quality, and reduce lead time/cost

• Define and enforce operational standards with strict accountability

• Drive continuous improvement in manufacturing processes, procedures, quality, and production rate

• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering, quality, and leadership to align on long-term goals and resolve complex production issues

• Challenge assumptions and requirements to establish a streamlined, first-principles manufacturing environment

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, operational excellence, and high performance

• Conduct performance reviews and develop team members to maintain a world-class manufacturing organization

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a STEM discipline; OR 5+ years of professional leadership experience in a manufacturing environment

• 5+ years of production operations or process development experience

• 3+ years of experience in a leadership position

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience leading production across skid/module integration, machining, and welding disciplines

• Experience leading new product introduction (NPI) through to volume production

• Experience with the equipment and support systems used across a turbomachinery or precision fabrication value stream (machining, welding, assembly, test, inspection)

• Experience with equipment qualification, validation, and troubleshooting in a production manufacturing environment

• Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders

• Experience implementing or sustaining quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001)

Role level to be determined during interview process

Karman Industries is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Karman Industries is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.