--- title: 'Manufacturing Operations Lead at Seneca' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-operations-lead-seneca-sausalito-gngjdq17pa4a' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # Manufacturing Operations Lead at Seneca - **Company:** Seneca - **Location:** Sausalito, CA - **Compensation:** $71k–$130k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-27 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/seneca/55a2260f-f5e3-4d92-aeb8-9335357339fd ## Job description ## THE OPPORTUNITY: Seneca is looking for a Manufacturing Operations Lead to build and run the manufacturing system required to produce our aircraft reliably at increasing volume. You turn production goals into an executable production plan: material requirements, procurement, inventory, build schedules, staffing, work instructions, assembly, testing, and aircraft release. You will help transition final assembly and test into a dedicated production operation, ensuring that materials, tooling, documentation, people, and quality controls are ready when needed. This is a hands-on role. You will perform aircraft assembly and test yourself, using firsthand build experience to create practical work instructions, improve production processes, and give Engineering actionable design-for-assembly and design-for-test feedback. You will also right-size manufacturing processes for our stage. The goal is to introduce enough structure to improve safety, quality, traceability, and predictability without imposing high-volume manufacturing processes on a product that is still evolving rapidly. You will be the single source of truth for production readiness and status, coordinating across Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Test, Launch, and external suppliers. You will also build the manufacturing operating system—including our MES, inventory controls, production schedules, standard work, readiness gates, and metrics—that makes each aircraft build more repeatable and scalable. ## WHAT YOU’LL DO: - Own manufacturing operations from the production plan through final assembly, test, and aircraft release to flight test. - Translate company delivery and launch commitments into an integrated production schedule, including milestones, dependencies, owners, risks, and critical path. Maintain clear, current communication on production status, material readiness, risks, decisions, and open actions. - Establish and maintain a manufacturing execution system appropriate to our scale and product maturity, including production records, routings, work instructions, travelers, part and serial-number traceability, test results, rework, and aircraft configuration history. - Own inventory management and material readiness. - Work hands-on in aircraft assembly and test to develop production flow, workstation layout, tooling, fixtures, work instructions, and standard processes. Translate build-floor observations into actionable design-for-assembly and design-for-test feedback for Engineering. - Build, train, and lead a dedicated final assembly and test team. - Establish appropriate incoming inspection, in-process checks, end-of-line testing, and release criteria. - Drive timely resolution of nonconformances, rework, recurring defects, and production blockers. - Coordinate a defined handoff of completed and tested aircraft to the Launch Program Manager and customer deployment team. - Feed recurring manufacturing issues and lessons learned back into Product, Engineering, Quality, and supplier decisions. ## BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE: - 7+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, production management, supply chain, industrial operations, or a similar role. - Experience scaling a complex physical product from prototype or low-rate production into a repeatable manufacturing operation, with the willingness and ability to work hands-on in assembly and test. - Hands-on experience with production planning, inventory management, procurement, and manufacturing systems such as MES or ERP. - Strong cross-functional planning, risk management, and execution skills. - The ability to turn ambiguous production goals into detailed, actionable processes and operating rhythms. - Experience building and leading teams of assemblers, technicians, or other production personnel. - A practical understanding of manufacturing quality, configuration control, traceability, process documentation, and end-of-line testing—and the judgment to apply the right level of process for a low-rate, rapidly evolving product. - A high level of ownership, attention to detail, and follow-through. - Comfort working in a fast-moving environment where both the product and the manufacturing process are still evolving. Experience in aviation, drones, robotics, aerospace, complex electromechanical assembly, battery systems, high-voltage systems, production test, supplier management, or lean manufacturing is helpful but not required. ## WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: - Every aircraft build has a clear plan, accountable owners, and defined readiness criteria. - Materials, tooling, documentation, facilities, personnel, and test equipment are ready when needed. - Leadership and functional teams have one reliable view of production status and risk. - Final assembly and test are performed by a trained production team rather than relying on ad hoc engineering support. - Completed aircraft are built to the correct configuration, fully tested, traceable, and ready for customer launch. - Production reliably scales toward five aircraft per month without sacrificing safety or quality. - Build time, first-pass yield, inventory accuracy, schedule attainment, and production quality improve over time. - Each aircraft build improves both the product and a repeatable manufacturing system ehile preserving the team’s ability to iterate quickly. ## WHAT WE OFFER: - Competitive Salary – Reflective of your skills and experience - Equity Compensation – Be a part-owner in the company’s future - Comprehensive Health Coverage – Medical, dental, and vision plans - Health Savings Account (HSA) – Optional pre-tax savings for medical expenses - Unlimited PTO – Flexible time off to recharge, plus paid company holidays ## About Us Seneca is building cutting-edge drone and sensor technology for wildfire suppression, aiming to eliminate wildfire risk across 500 million acres of high-risk U.S. + allied territory. Backed by top-tier investors, including Convective Capital, Caffeinated Capital, First Round Capital, Slow Ventures, Nextview Ventures, Transition Capital, Bullpen Capital, Stepstone Group, Roar Capital, Offline Ventures, and leaders from Palantir, Google, Meta, and many others, the company has raised $110M in Series A funding and is valued over $500 million. Founded by Stu Landesberg (former Founder & CEO of Grove Collaborative — IPO in 2022 at $1.7B) and fire industry experts, Seneca is a mission-driven company dedicated to climate resilience and fire prevention. Don’t meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply — you may still be the right fit for our team. ## About Seneca ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Seneca builds autonomous aerial systems that detect and suppress wildfires rapidly, using AI, drones, and robotics to protect communities and ecosystems. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series unknown; raised $60M in venture capital) - **Headquarters**: Sausalito, California, USA - **Founded**: Founded in 2022 (as a corporate entity; founding team has prior experience with billions in capital raised and two IPOs) - **Founders**: Stuart Landesberg (CEO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Fire Technology / Resilience Technology, Autonomous Systems, Climate Tech / Wildfire Defense - **Target customers**: Fire departments (municipal, county, state), utilities (e.g., power companies), government agencies (federal, state, local), and allied nations. **B2B / Government / Public Sector** - **Mission or purpose statement**: To protect 500 million acres in the U.S. and allied nations by 2035. (“Amor Fati” — love of fate — is a core philosophy, as is the belief that technology is how we create a more resilient civilization.) ## Products & Services - **Autonomous Fire Suppression System**: A complete system of autonomous suppression drones, modular ground cases (for field deployment), and a software platform. Each quadcopter is hand-portable, battery-electric, carries >100 lbs of suppressant (water + Class-A foam concentrate), and pumps at >100 PSI. Drones use AI (computer vision, heat signature recognition) to navigate and knock down fires. The system is offered as a **System-as-a-Service (SaaS) annual subscription**, including hardware, software, maintenance, and support — not a hardware purchase. - **Software / Control Dashboard**: An iOS and web-based interface that allows a single operator to supervise multiple drone swarms simultaneously, coordinate with manned aircraft (via ADS-B transponders), and manage missions from launch to automatic return/refill. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not disclosed (raised $60M in venture capital) - **Key Metric**: **Total Funding: $60M** (the largest venture capital round in fire technology to date) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: - **Lead Investors**: Caffeinated Capital, Convective Capital - **Participating Investors**: First Round Capital, Transition VC, Advance Venture Partners, Nextview Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Stepstone Group, DCVC, Offline Ventures, Roar Capital, Slow Ventures - **Key Partners / Advisory Board**: San Bernardino County Fire (Chief Dan Munsey), Aspen Fire Department (Chief Rick Balentine, 25-year Chief), Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell (former U.S. Fire Administrator), John Mills (Founder/CEO of Watch Duty) - **Growth Signals**: - Secured a **five-year contract** with a public agency (details not fully public; announced in 2025). - Rollout to field during **2026 fire season**. - 34 employees and growing (as of mid-2025). - Strong partnership with major fire agencies across the American West. ## Competitive Advantages - **First-mover in autonomous fire suppression**: The only company building an end-to-end, fully autonomous aerial suppression system from launch to knockdown. - **Speed to initial attack**: Autonomous drones can suppress fires in **under 10 minutes** from dispatch, vs. 30+ minutes for manned aircraft. This is critical for preventing small ignitions from becoming megafires. - **System-of-systems approach**: Drones coordinate among themselves, with manned aircraft, and with a central dashboard. Modular, case-based design for easy field deployment. - **Deep public-sector partnerships**: Developed in collaboration with leading fire agencies, not in a vacuum. This gives them credibility, real-world testing, and a clear go-to-market path. - **Business model**: Annual SaaS subscription provides predictable revenue and ensures customers always have the latest technology. ## Strategic Focus - **Production scaling**: Use the $60M to improve capabilities, harden the overall system, and increase production. - **Field deployment (2026)**: Roll out first systems to save lives during the 2026 fire season. - **Mission expansion**: Grow from initial contracts in the American West to a national/allied-nation footprint, targeting 500 million acres protected by 2035. ## Why Work Here - **High-impact mission**: Opportunity to work on a problem that affects 115 million+ Americans and costs $1T+ per year. The company’s stated goal is to “build technology to protect the things we love.” - **Elite team**: Founding team has built multiple companies, raised billions, and taken two companies public. Backed by world-class investors. - **Fast-paced, high-resource environment**: Designed for exceptional people — “No useless meetings, hierarchy, or office politics.” The team is resourced to move quickly. - **Cross-disciplinary work**: Roles span deep learning (perception), controls, embedded software, iOS development, electrical engineering, UAV test engineering, hardware fabrication, and people operations. - **Office culture**: Based in Sausalito, CA (near San Francisco). **In-office culture** with hybrid flexibility in certain cases. The team is expected to be physically present for hardware/software integration and team collaboration. - **Recent job openings** (as of mid-2025): Senior Deep Learning Engineer, Senior Software Engineer (Controls), Software Engineer (Embedded & iOS), Electrical Engineer, UAV Test Engineer, Hardware Assembly & Fabrication Specialist, Recruitment + People Operations Specialist. ## Sources 1. [Seneca.com Careers](https://seneca.com/careers/) 2. [Seneca Jobs (Ashby)](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/seneca) 3. [PRNewswire - Seneca Launch / Funding](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seneca-launches-with-60-million-to-equip-firefighters-utilities-and-communities-with-advanced-wildfire-defense-technology-302589441.html) 4. [Sacra - Seneca Company Profile](https://sacra.com/c/seneca/) 5. [Built In - Seneca Jobs](https://builtin.com/company/seneca-senecacom/jobs) ## Other roles at Seneca - [Electrical Technician - Final Assembly & Test (UAV/Drone Systems)](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-technician-final-assembly-test-uav-drone-systems-seneca-sausalito-7js32r7khy57) — Sausalito, CA - [Launch Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/launch-program-manager-seneca-sausalito-2w7wp2zgf0jx) — Sausalito, CA - [Hardware Leader](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-leader-seneca-sausalito-jqgs22qbea1x) — Sausalito, CA - [Software Leader](https://feeny.ai/job/software-leader-seneca-sausalito-q85e6k5w3zn8) — Sausalito, CA - [Hardware Engineer General Interest](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-engineer-general-interest-seneca-sausalito-a9fgpgjhptmq) — Sausalito, CA - [UAV Test Engineer (Systems/Mechatronics)](https://feeny.ai/job/uav-test-engineer-systems-mechatronics-seneca-sausalito-gnpa773d0e27) — Sausalito, CA - [UAS Flight Test Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/uas-flight-test-technician-seneca-sausalito-qydgya8r9gjq) — Sausalito, CA - [Senior Software Engineer (Controls)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-controls-seneca-sausalito-bcbr0v1paqge) — Sausalito, CA