--- title: 'Pilot Manufacturing Manager at Heron Power' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/pilot-manufacturing-manager-heron-power-scotts-valley-5atccr5gxsn8' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-12' --- # Pilot Manufacturing Manager at Heron Power - **Company:** Heron Power - **Location:** Scotts Valley, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-01 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/heron-power/1461b3e1-f8c7-4e62-a05b-a4d713c3fc32 ## Job description What to Expect Heron Power is a startup company building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to debottleneck the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware solutions, accelerating the electrification of everything. Our first focus goal is to build better converters to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron Power's leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade. We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems. Job Overview Heron Power's engineering organization is scaling from prototype builds to volume production, and this role owns that transition. We seek a builder, first and foremost — someone who thrives in a prototyping environment, gets energy from ambiguity and pioneering paths forward as processes take shape, and is genuinely at home on a factory floor. You'll lead the pilot build technician team and define the program-level process that turns engineering designs into buildable, repeatable, high-quality hardware — and you won't be afraid to get your hands dirty doing it. This is both a people-leadership role and a program-ownership role. Beyond hiring and developing the technician team, you lead the prototype program itself: build readiness, schedule, ramp-to-volume execution, and the handoff of manufacturing processes to the production plant. You will work daily across design engineering, EPMs, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and quality to keep every build coordinated instead of executed in isolation. You are expected to operate with a “no surprises” standard — surfacing schedule, quality, and resourcing risk before it costs a build day, and be accountable to build status for each active program. As Heron scales toward high-volume production, we expect this role to grow with the company — including a potential path to Head of Production for the right person. ## How You Will Contribute - Own end-to-end build program execution of prototype and early engineering builds, including schedule, resourcing, and readiness gates, and driving ramp-to-volume strategy. - Build and lead the organization — hire, manage, and develop the pilot technician team, scaling structure and career paths as build volume and program count grow. - Serve as the cross-functional glue for every build, coordinating design engineering, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, quality, and EPMs so builds run against a shared plan rather than in isolation, with particular attention to change management. - Maintain build readiness plans to track part availability, tooling and fixture readiness, and open engineering changes ahead of each build; run readiness reviews and drive open items to closure with clear owners and dates. - Own the manufacturing transition of early manufacturing processes to the production plant, partnering with manufacturing engineering to define what “production ready” means for each process and calling out explicitly where a prototype process won't hold at volume. - Coordinate engineering change cutovers, including configuration and serial-number effectivity tracking, and plan and execute unique builds (customer pilot, qualification, demo units) without disrupting the core program schedule. - Own the master build schedule and risk mitigation, account for long-lead components and specialized processes, proactively identify supply chain and single-source risk, and drive contingency plans. - Monitor yield and build-related issues, drive resolution with the relevant stakeholders, and connect recurring issues back into a real root-cause and corrective-action process rather than one-off fixes. - Maintain program visibility through dashboards and KPI reporting on build health, on-time delivery, launch readiness, and risk for program leadership and executive audiences. - Identify cost and process improvement opportunities in design, materials, and process, and lead tradeoff discussions that balance low-risk savings against higher-payoff options. ## What You Will Bring We're looking for someone with hands-on NPI or manufacturing program leadership experience in a hardware environment who can run a build program end-to-end, leading a technician organization, and partner with supporting organizations to ensure build readiness without needing to own all technical decisions themselves. Must-Have Requirements - Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent demonstrated experience will be considered. - 7+ years in NPI, prototype build, or manufacturing engineering in hardware, including 2–3+ years managing a technician or build team. - Direct experience owning prototype or early engineering builds as a program — schedule, resourcing, and readiness gates end-to-end, not just executing to someone else's plan. - Experience transitioning work from prototype to a production manufacturing organization, including ramp-to-volume execution. - Comfortable with the ambiguity of an early-stage hardware startup — willing to be hands-on on the floor while building the team and process so that eventually you don't have to be. - A strong communicator who can hold engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing accountable to build readiness without owning the technical decisions yourself. Nice-to-Have Qualifications - Power electronics, energy storage, or comparably complex electromechanical hardware background. - Experience with PPAP, APQP, or similar supplier and industrialization qualification frameworks. - Experience building program dashboards and KPI reporting for executive audiences. - Familiarity with cost-down or VAVE initiatives in a hardware manufacturing environment. - Proficiency with Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence) or similar platforms for program tracking. If you are passionate about technology and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, we would love to hear from you. Join us in accelerating the electrification of everything at Heron Power. Heron Power provides competitive compensation (salary and equity) and benefits. ## About Heron Power ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Heron Power develops next-generation medium-voltage power electronics, including solid-state transformers, to modernize the electrical grid for AI data centers, renewable energy, and surging electricity demand. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B) - **Headquarters**: Scotts Valley, California, United States - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Drew Baglino ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution; Industrial Power Electronics; Energy Infrastructure - **Target customers**: B2B — hyperscale data center operators, solar and storage developers, utility-scale energy project developers, and the broader electricity sector. - **Mission or purpose statement**: To build power electronics purpose-built for the 21st-century grid, helping the electricity sector grow faster and more affordably with scalable, reliable, and software-integrated infrastructure. ## Products & Services - **Heron Link for Data Centers**: An integrated solid-state transformer + SuperBBU (battery backup unit) solution purpose-built for AI and hyperscale power needs, enabling more efficient, scalable, and reliable power delivery. - **Heron Link for Solar & Storage**: An integrated solid-state transformer and inverter in one infinitely scalable platform, designed to streamline the connection of renewable generation and battery storage to the grid. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Total Funding of **$178 million** across two rounds (Series A: $38M led by Capricorn Investment Group in June 2025; Series B: $140M led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz in February 2026). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: - **Investors**: Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz (American Dynamism Fund), Capricorn Investment Group, Gigascale Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Energy Impact Partners, Powerhouse. - **Advisors**: JB Straubel (Tesla Co-Founder), Zach Kirkhorn (Former Tesla CFO). - **Strategic Partner**: LG Energy Solution Vertech (collaboration to integrate Heron Link with U.S.-manufactured battery energy storage systems). - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount has grown **975% year-over-year** to 72 employees, with 58 active job postings. - Awarded **$26.375 million** in tax credit incentives from the state of California to build a 40-gigawatt manufacturing facility and create 600+ advanced manufacturing jobs. - Rapidly scaling from engineering prototypes to early customer deployments with major industry partners. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep technical moat**: Heron’s core technology is an integrated solid-state transformer (SST) — a fundamental re-architecture of medium-voltage power electronics that is more scalable, software-integrated, and efficient than traditional copper-and-iron transformers. - **Founder pedigree**: CEO Drew Baglino was a 18-year veteran and SVP of Powertrain and Energy at Tesla, where he led development of the 4680 battery cell, Megapack, and built multi-billion-dollar energy and charging businesses. - **Strategic backing**: Backed by a world-class syndicate of climate-tech and deep-tech investors (Breakthrough Energy, a16z, Valor) and advised by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel and former Tesla CFO Zach Kirkhorn. - **Manufacturing-first approach**: Already planning a 40 GW U.S. manufacturing facility with state incentives secured, signaling a focus on high-volume, cost-competitive production from the start. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale manufacturing**: Building out a large-scale U.S. factory to meet demand from AI data centers and renewable energy projects. - **Commercial deployment**: Moving from engineering prototypes to delivering integrated solutions with strategic partners like LG Energy Solution Vertech. - **Debottleneck the grid**: Targeting the critical infrastructure bottleneck where traditional transformers and grid equipment cannot keep pace with surging electricity demand from AI, electrification, and renewables. ## Why Work Here - **High-impact mission**: Work on foundational hardware that directly enables the energy transition and AI infrastructure — systems that will be deployed and operated for decades. - **Engineering culture**: Values rapid iteration ("build, test, learn"), first-principles reasoning, and cross-functional collaboration across hardware, software, manufacturing, and operations. - **Ownership and autonomy**: Strong emphasis on taking accountability for outcomes, not just tasks, and working across team boundaries to deliver an impeccable product. - **Transparent and direct**: Culture prizes clear communication, honest feedback, and progress over posturing — "no defensiveness, no ego." - **Location and flexibility**: Based in Scotts Valley, California (near Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley), with a presence in Canada. The work is highly hands-on (hardware, lab, factory), so on-site presence is expected for engineering roles. - **Growth trajectory**: Explosive headcount growth (975% YoY) and 58 open roles across electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, software, and supply chain disciplines — offering significant career acceleration for early hires. - **Notable perks**: Opportunity to work alongside a team with deep expertise from Tesla, Meta, and KKR, with direct mentorship from a proven founder. ## Sources 1. [heronpower.com](https://heronpower.com/) 2. [heronpower.com/about](https://heronpower.com/about) 3. [heronpower.com/careers](https://heronpower.com/careers) 4. [linkedin.com/company/heron-power-electronics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/heron-power-electronics) 5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/heron-power](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/heron-power) ## Other roles at Heron Power - [Staff Industrial Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-industrial-designer-heron-power-scotts-valley-fpx59mmenp7f) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Accounting Manager/Senior Accounting Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/accounting-manager-senior-accounting-manager-heron-power-scotts-valley-fnvtfa8188q9) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Staff Supplier Industrialization Engineer - Mechanical](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-supplier-industrialization-engineer-mechanical-heron-power-scotts-valley-957jykeqt1bf) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Staff Supplier Industrialization Engineer - PCBA](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-supplier-industrialization-engineer-pcba-heron-power-scotts-valley-eva12vmsvtfh) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Head of People Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-people-operations-heron-power-scotts-valley-w6j1waf56azk) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Hardware Validation Systems Developer](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-validation-systems-developer-heron-power-scotts-valley-rt7hhp0tqay6) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Test Engineer – Power Electronics](https://feeny.ai/job/test-engineer-power-electronics-heron-power-scotts-valley-68sp21xs5b1x) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Electrical / Electronics Design Engineer - PCBA Test Automation](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-electronics-design-engineer-pcba-test-automation-heron-power-scotts-97hcjwyaz5kk) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Systems Integration Engineer, SST & BESS Applications](https://feeny.ai/job/systems-integration-engineer-sst-bess-applications-heron-power-scotts-valley-vgbkn6jhna14) — Scotts Valley, CA - [Senior Product Test Engineer, Energy Storage Applications](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-test-engineer-energy-storage-applications-heron-power-scotts-jpvdhkdth144) — Scotts Valley, CA