Head of Manufacturing H/F
About Alta Ares
Alta Ares is a deeptech startup founded in 2024, building real-time AI for defense operations (ISR, C-UAS). Our primary clients are NATO-aligned militaries, with regular deployments during live exercises. Raised €2M pre-seed in May 2025 Products include:
- Real-time AI ISR module deployable on drones and tactical platforms
- Counter-UAS solution enabling autonomous drone takeover under GNSS-denied environment
- Full-stack MLOps platform for training & deploying military-grade AI models
- Data fusion and trajectory prediction
Position details
- Location: France (on-site at manufacturing and integration facilities), with regular travel within France and NATO
- Reports to: CEO & Chief of Staff
- Position objective: Build, structure, and scale Alta Ares’ manufacturing capabilities from early-stage production to industrial-scale operations, ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality, defense-grade counter-drone and detection systems while maintaining strict standards of quality, traceability, and supply security.
- Contract: Full-time, permanent position (CDI)
Role & Mission
As Head of Manufacturing, you are responsible for building, structuring, and scaling Alta Ares’ manufacturing capabilities to support the rapid growth of our counter-drone and detection systems (BlackBird, X-Wing, Gamma Box). You lead the transition from small-batch production to industrialized manufacturing while maintaining the quality, reliability, and traceability required for defense applications.
- Strategic Manufacturing Leadership
- Define and execute Alta Ares’ manufacturing strategy aligned with business growth and customer demand
- Build and structure the manufacturing organization, including hiring, team organization, and processes
- Define KPIs, production targets, and capacity plans aligned with the sales pipeline
- Drive make-vs-buy decisions and long-term supplier strategy
- Report directly to the CEO and Chief of Staff on capacity, costs, risks, and delivery timelines
Operations & Production Scaling
- Scale production from current volumes to meet 2026–2027 demand forecasts
- Establish and optimize assembly, integration, testing, and QA operations
- Implement production planning and scheduling to meet customer commitments
- Balance efficiency with flexibility to support ongoing R&D iterations
- Drive continuous improvement across workflows, tooling, and layouts
Supply Chain & Vendor Management
- Build and manage a robust supplier and subcontractor ecosystem
- Implement supplier qualification and audit processes suitable for defense applications
- Manage procurement to balance cost, quality, lead times, and supply security
- Implement inventory management and forecasting systems
- Develop contingency and risk-mitigation plans for supply chain disruptions
Quality, Compliance & Traceability
- Establish quality control systems compliant with defense and high-reliability standards
- Implement full traceability for components, assemblies, and finished systems
- Define and maintain production documentation and records for defense contracts
- Work with QA to define test protocols, acceptance criteria, and release processes
- Coordinate with compliance teams on export control and regulatory requirements
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with R&D to ensure manufacturability of new designs (DFM/DFA feedback)
- Work closely with Sales and Customer Success to align production with delivery commitments
- Collaborate with Finance on manufacturing budgets, cost models, and margin improvement
- Interface with Deployment and Field teams to support installation, maintenance, and feedback loops