Head of Operational Excellence

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Job Description 

The Head of Operational Excellence will lead operational excellence across Shield AI’s Group 3 UAV manufacturing in Frisco, TX (V-BAT) and Group 5 UAV manufacturing in Seattle, WA (X-BAT). Based in Frisco, this leader will create, deploy, and actively manage manufacturing KPIs and performance systems across both sites, embedding operating rhythms that improve accountability, visibility, and results. 
 
You will be responsible for instilling a culture of execution excellence, embedding structured problem-solving practices, and delivering measurable improvements in cost, quality, delivery, and productivity. This includes leading the development and governance of operational standards—such as visual management, 5S, and root cause analysis—while owning the manufacturing budget cycle, business rhythm, and executive reporting interface across both locations. This role partners with engineering, production, quality, and business functions to execute high-priority improvement initiatives, support V-BAT production, and establish operational excellence as X-BAT progresses through prototype and into rate production. 

Do you have the expertise and leadership to embed excellence into the fabric of autonomous defense manufacturing? 

• Create, deploy, and actively manage consistent manufacturing KPIs and performance dashboards across both sites to drive visibility and accountability for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity. 

• Define, train, deploy, and continually improve operational standards across V-BAT manufacturing in Frisco and X-BAT manufacturing in Seattle, including 5S, root cause analysis, and visual management. 

• Develop and institutionalize the manufacturing budget process across both sites, including forecasting, controls, and performance tracking. 

• Set financial targets in collaboration with operations and finance teams and drive adherence to budget and cost goals. 

• Lead high-impact cross-functional improvement initiatives across both sites to improve quality, delivery, efficiency, productivity, and cost performance. 

• Prepare and coordinate senior and executive-level reporting packages for Manufacturing leadership reviews. 

• Partner with production, quality, and engineering teams to deploy Lean and continuous improvement practices, adapting execution to the needs of established production and prototype-to-rate manufacturing. 

• Own business office functions for Manufacturing across both sites, including goal tracking, KPI dashboards, and process governance. 

• Coach and train teams and leaders across both sites to elevate operational discipline, share effective practices, and sustain improvements. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Operations Management, or related field. 

• Experience leading operational excellence, Lean, or business office programs within a manufacturing environment, with the ability to lead improvement across multiple sites. 

• Demonstrated ability to design, roll out, and sustain structured operational standards and improvement systems. 

• Strong background in budgeting, reporting, and performance management at a senior level. 

• Excellent communication skills and experience preparing executive-level summaries and presentations. 

• Master’s degree or formal Lean Six Sigma certification. 

• Experience in aerospace, defense, or complex hardware manufacturing environments. 

• Proficiency with digital tools for KPI visualization, reporting automation, and business process tracking. 

• Track record of influencing change across large, cross-functional manufacturing organizations and multiple sites.