---
title: 'Head of Manufacturing at North Vector Dynamics Inc.'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-manufacturing-north-vector-dynamics-inc-calgary-6th1ta2dgbsh'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-10'
---

# Head of Manufacturing at North Vector Dynamics Inc.

- **Company:** North Vector Dynamics Inc.
- **Location:** Calgary, Canada
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-01
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/northvectordynamics/a856668a-01e4-47a6-8c2a-f00d3bfe8f68

## Job description

## About the Role

North Vector Dynamics is seeking a Head of Manufacturing to establish the company’s manufacturing function from the ground up. This role will be the senior manufacturing authority at NVD, encompassing the design and operation of our pilot production line and leadership of NVD’s first AS9100 certification. The successful candidate will be responsible for the people and processes spanning supply chain, quality and compliance testing, and production technicians, working closely with engineering to translate from hand-built prototypes to a repeatable, scalable manufacturing system. We are seeking a candidate with a demonstrated record of scaling complex hardware systems from prototype to production and of building a quality management system from the ground up.

## What You’ll Do

- Own the scale-up of CM-70 production, from current prototype-rate builds through to a mature, repeatable manufacturing line.
- Lead NVD through its first AS9100 certification, building the quality management system, documentation, and processes required to pass audit.
- Design, stand up, and run the pilot production line: defining workflows, tooling, and staffing needed to hit rate and yield targets.
- Build and lead the manufacturing organization, hiring and managing personnel across supply chain, quality/compliance testing, and production technicians.
- Partner closely with design and systems engineering to identify and resolve manufacturability issues before they become production bottlenecks.
- Own the supply chain function and manage supplier relationships, ensuring materials and components arrive on schedule and to spec.
- Own production KPIs, including cycle time, yield, scrap rate, and on-time delivery, and use them to drive continuous improvement across the floor.
- Build the manufacturing processes, SOPs, and training programs that let NVD scale headcount and output without sacrificing quality.

## What You Bring

Required

- 10+ years of experience in manufacturing or industrial engineering, with a proven track record scaling complex hardware systems from prototype through to production, ideally in aerospace, defence, or another highly regulated hardware environment.
- Direct experience building a quality management system from scratch and leading an organization through first-time AS9100 or ISO 9001 certification.
- Experience managing personnel across multiple functions, including supply chain, quality/compliance, and production.
- Hands-on familiarity with pilot line development: tooling, fixturing, workflow design, and the transition from manual to repeatable processes.
- Strong project management instincts, able to balance speed, cost, and quality under an aggressive scale-up timeline.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to align engineering, operations, and leadership around a shared production plan.
- Eligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance.

## Preferred

- Experience manufacturing missile, munitions, or other precision-guided hardware systems.
- Background standing up a manufacturing function at an early-stage or startup hardware company.
- Familiarity with supply chain management for regulated or export-controlled components.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field.

## Why North Vector Dynamics

- Real ownership from day one, the systems and processes you build will be foundational to how this company operates for years to come.
- We’re working on technology that matters at a national and global level, and every person on the team feels that weight and that purpose.
- Competitive compensation and meaningful upside from joining an early-stage company at the forefront of the defence technology sector.
- On-site in Calgary, AB, a growing hub for tech and defence, with a culture built around resilience and getting things done.

## About North Vector Dynamics Inc.

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: North Vector Dynamics is a Canadian defense and autonomy technology company building precision autonomous systems and counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) weapons for the future battlefield.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- **Founded**: 2022 (originally as Think Solutions Engineering; rebranded to North Vector Dynamics in 2025)
- **Founders**: Paul Ziadé (Co-founder & CEO), Dr. Craig Johansen (Co-founder & Chief Science Officer), and a third co-founder (aerospace engineers specializing in hypersonics, rocket propulsion, and high-speed aerodynamics)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Defense technology, aerospace, counter-UAS systems, hypersonics, autonomous systems
- **Target customers**: Canadian Department of National Defence (DND), allied military forces, NATO partners
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "On the battlefield, survival isn’t a feature – it’s the requirement." The company is building Canada's first full-spectrum air and missile defence company, focused on sovereign capability for Canada and its allies.

## Products & Services
- **CM-70**: A low-cost, highly-maneuverable, attritable mass, precision-guided missile designed to neutralize Group I-III drone threats. It measures 0.72m in length, weighs ~2 kg, has a range of 3.5 km, and a speed of over 1,000 km/h. Features semi-active laser homing (SALH) guidance supported by AI and a blast fragmentation warhead.
- **SHIELD**: An expeditionary counter-UAS system that uses the Arctos sensor and launch node. It can loiter for hours and deploy air-launched CUAS effects.
- **CI-60**: A next-generation expendable UAV available in two configurations: a threat simulation system (subscale aerial target for air defense training) and a CUAS vehicle designed to neutralize hostile drones with speed and agility.
- **SPIKE**: A subscale aerial target system for use by land, naval, and air forces, providing realistic, threat-representative targets for air defense qualification and live-fire training.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company)
- **Key Metric**: Backed by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) and venture capital firms
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Canadian Department of National Defence (DND), venture capital firms (specific names not publicly disclosed)
- **Growth Signals**: Rebranded from Think Solutions Engineering in 2025 to go all-in on air-defense development; shifting focus to the CM-70 C-UAS missile to meet growing demand; building Canada's first full-spectrum air and missile defence company; backed by DND for hypersonic and advanced interception work

## Competitive Advantages
- **Sovereign capability**: Building a Canadian-controlled technical base for counter-UAS and hypersonic interception, reducing reliance on foreign supply chains
- **Deep technical expertise**: Founders and team trained at top institutions (Waterloo, Oxford, Calgary) and organizations (NASA, Atomic Energy of Canada, national aerospace labs)
- **First-of-its-kind systems**: SHIELD is described as a first-of-its-kind expeditionary counter-UAS system
- **Attritable mass approach**: The CM-70 is a low-cost, precision-guided missile designed to invert the battlefield economics of drone warfare
- **Full-spectrum ambition**: Building toward hypersonic interception capability, positioning as Canada's first full-spectrum air and missile defence company

## Strategic Focus
- **Near-term**: Low-cost, precision-guided missile system (CM-70) for intercepting Group I-III drones and providing short-range force protection
- **Long-term**: Hypersonic interception capability for North American air defence and allied partners
- **Sovereign capability**: Building a Canadian-controlled technical base for defense technologies to reduce reliance on fragile supply chains
- **Product expansion**: Shifting focus to the CM-70 C-UAS missile to meet growing demand for counter-UAS interceptors

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven work**: Directly contributing to national defense and sovereignty for Canada and its allies
- **Deep tech focus**: Work on cutting-edge technologies including hypersonics, autonomous drone guidance, AI-driven flow control, and rocket propulsion
- **Elite team**: Colleagues include engineers and applied scientists from institutions like Waterloo, Oxford, and Calgary, with experience at NASA, Atomic Energy of Canada, and national aerospace research labs
- **Growth stage**: Recently rebranded and "all in" on air-defense development — a high-growth, high-impact environment
- **Remote-friendly**: Listed as having remote options across 27 locations, with an in-office presence in Calgary
- **Small, agile team**: Approximately 9-12 total employees, offering significant ownership and impact
- **Government backing**: Supported by Canada's Department of National Defence, providing stability and strategic importance

## Sources
1. [northvectordynamics.com](https://www.northvectordynamics.com/)
2. [northvectordynamics.com/about-us](https://www.northvectordynamics.com/about-us)
3. [northvectordynamics.com/advanced-systems](https://www.northvectordynamics.com/advanced-systems)
4. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/north-vector-dynamics)
5. [janes.com](https://www.janes.com/defence-intelligence-insights/defence-news/industry/north-vector-dynamics-aims-to-bring-missile-production-to-canada)

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