Production Manager

About HyLight

Unmanned airships for inspecting our critical assets

The role

**About HyLight**\At HyLight, we are reinventing aerial inspection to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent ecological disasters. We develop hydrogen-powered airships (dirigibles) dedicated to the automated monitoring of critical infrastructure (such as power lines and pipelines).\After successful initial flights and a growing interest from major European energy operators, we are accelerating. Our goal is clear: transition from a prototype phase to a robust, repeatable industrial production line.\We are looking for our first **Production Manager** to structure our workshop, lead our technicians, and drive our production ramp-up.\\**The Mission: What you will achieve**\As our Head of Production, your main goal is to scale our manufacturing capabilities. You will transition HyLight from building initial operational units to a steady, predictable, and scalable industrial cadence to meet our ambitious delivery roadmap over the next few years.\You will be instrumental in separating daily production operations from pure R&D, implementing a structured, predictable, and quality-driven manufacturing process.\\**Key Responsibilities**\**1. Production Planning & Execution (Ramp-up)*** Take ownership of the master production schedule to drastically reduce current lead times and achieve our target cadence.* Anticipate and secure the production of extra units and sub-assemblies to cover operational margins and testing needs.* Coordinate closely with the Supply Chain and Purchasing team to align the delivery of key custom and off-the-shelf components with shop floor needs.**2. Workshop Management & Team Leadership*** Manage, mentor, and grow the technician team on the shop floor.* Instill a rigorous production culture while keeping the agility and fast-paced mindset of a deep-tech startup.* Implement daily shop floor routines based on standard industry frameworks (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery) through quick stand-ups to eliminate daily roadblocks.**3. Process Optimization & Infrastructures*** Define, optimize, and document standard operating procedures (SOP) and assembly sequences ("Write what we do, do what we write").* Structure the physical workshop layouts, tools, and infrastructure to optimize material flow and assembly efficiency.* Drive continuous improvement initiatives to significantly increase the overall reliability and operational uptime of our airships.**4. Quality Collaboration & Cross-functional Routines*** Act as the direct counterpart to our Quality team and the CTO to enforce strict **Quality Gates**.* Ensure that no subsystem enters production without full validation, and support the integration of advanced ground testing phases before any flight.* Participate in daily management meetings to escalate roadblocks and implement immediate corrective actions.\\**About You*** **Education:** Engineering Degree (Master's / Bac+5) with a strong mechanical or aerospace background.* **Experience:** 3 to 5 years of hands-on experience in production management, manufacturing engineering, or workshop scheduling, ideally within a hardware startup, scale-up, or demanding industrial environment (small series, aerospace, automotive, or robotics).* **Leadership:** You know how to talk to, respect, and drive a team of technicians. You are structured but know how to roll up your sleeves when needed.* **Mindset:** You thrive in fast-changing startup environments. You are obsessed with execution and delivery ("getting things done") while maintaining high professional standards.* **Languages:** Fluent in French (shop floor daily operations) and professional English (interactions with international suppliers and partners). \ \ **Why Join HyLight?*** **High-Impact Mission:** Direct contribution to decarbonizing industrial inspection and protecting environments.* **Ownership:** You are the first pure Production hire; you will entirely design and build our assembly routines and factory culture.* **Deep Tech Adventure:** Work on unique hardware integrating cutting-edge aerodynamics, custom structures, and hydrogen fuel cell technology.* **Location:** Brétigny-sur-Orge / Région Parisienne\**Recruitment Process**1. **Screening Call** (30 min) with our Talent/HR team or Head of Mechanical Engineering.2. **Technical & Situational Interview** (60 min) to dive deep into your manufacturing experience.3. **On-site Visit & Team Meet** to see our workshop, the current airships, and meet Josef (CTO) and the engineering team.4. **Final round** with the CEO