{"id":4111696,"url":"https://alion.io/job/north-vector-dynamics-program-manager-manufacturing-npi","title":"Program Manager, Manufacturing & NPI","company":{"id":679742,"name":"North Vector Dynamics","domain":"northvectordynamics.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/northvectordynamics","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Management","role_family":"Management","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Calgary, Canada"],"countries":["CA"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AS9100","optional":false},{"name":"EVMS","optional":false},{"name":"Monday.com","optional":false},{"name":"Power BI","optional":false},{"name":"Smartsheet","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-11T19:02:56Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-11","last_verified_at":"2026-11-11T23:27:12Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"Who We Are\nNorth Vector Dynamics is a Canadian-owned and controlled defence technology company specializing in precision interception, autonomy, and advanced propulsion. NVD is building a full-spectrum missile capability, from counter-UAS solutions to hypersonics, designed to serve and defend NATO member states and their allies and partners.\nAbout the Role\nNorth Vector Dynamics is building next-generation defence systems, and the CM70 is moving from prototype builds to a controlled, repeatable production line in a new Calgary manufacturing facility. We’re looking for a Program Manager, Manufacturing & NPI to own the plan that gets our products from released design to delivered hardware, on time, at cost, and ready for rate.\nReporting to the Head of Manufacturing directly, you’ll run the manufacturing program: build schedules for test, demo, and customer deliveries, the new product introduction (NPI) process that carries each design from prototype to production, and the major manufacturing projects that will shape how we scale, including our new facility and the rollout of our MES, ERP, and PLM systems.\nYou’ll be the single point of coordination between Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, and senior leadership, and the manufacturing counterpart to our company-wide Project Manager, who covers our broader program portfolio. Where they own the program view across the business, you own how it gets built.\nThis is a ground-floor role for someone who is organized, data-driven, and energized by turning a fast-moving, ambiguous environment into a plan people can execute against. You’ll work side by side with technicians, design engineers, and senior leadership, and your work will define how North Vector Dynamics delivers hardware as we scale.\nIf you want to stand up the production programs behind platforms that will one day support soldiers in the field, save lives, and serve sovereign national interest - this role was written for you.\nWhat You’ll Do\nProgram & Schedule Management\nOwn the integrated manufacturing schedule for the CM70 and future products: build cycles, material readiness, test and demo articles, kinetic test units, and customer and government deliverables.\nTranslate customer commitments and engineering milestones into build plans with clear gates, owners, and dates, and keep them current as priorities shift.\nRun the risk, issue, and hard-stops registers for manufacturing: surface the gating constraints across method, machine, material, and manpower early, and drive closure plans weekly.\nTrack program cost: unit build cost, bill-of-materials costing, budget versus actuals for manufacturing projects and capital, and the cost impact of design and supplier changes.\nSet and run the manufacturing operating cadence: weekly build reviews, schedule and risk reporting to senior leadership, and clear status on what is on track, at risk, or blocked.\nNew Product Introduction (NPI)\nBuild and own a stage-gate NPI process that carries each product from prototype through pilot builds, low-rate initial production, and rate production, with defined entry and exit criteria at every gate.\nLead manufacturing readiness reviews against Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL), ensuring tooling, fixtures, work instructions, supply, quality plans, and training are ready before each gate.\nDrive design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-test input into engineering reviews, and coordinate design freezes and baselines so production builds to a controlled configuration.\nCoordinate engineering changes from design to the floor: impact assessment on schedule, cost, inventory, tooling, and work instructions, and orderly cut-in through the change control board.\nPlan first article inspections and pilot builds with Quality and Manufacturing Engineering, and capture lessons learned into the next product’s NPI plan.\nSupport the planning for production transfer and expansion with allied partners, including future manufacturing in the EU.\nManufacturing Projects & Systems Deployments\nProject-manage the stand-up of our new manufacturing facility: fit-out, equipment moves, commissioning, and the re-validation needed to restart production with minimal downtime.\nLead the project plan for our MES (Eyelit), ERP, and PLM/PDM rollouts with the Head of Manufacturing and IT: scope, vendor coordination, integration milestones, data migration, training, and go-live.\nCoordinate the manufacturing workstreams of our AS9100 certification plan with the Quality lead, so compliance milestones are scheduled alongside production rather than competing with it.\nPartner with Supply Chain on long-lead and critical parts, rolling purchase orders, second-source qualification, and shortage recovery plans that protect the build schedule.\nOwn manufacturing capital and equipment projects from business case through installation, including printer, automation, and test equipment decisions.\nStakeholders & Tools\nServe as the single point of coordination between Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Security, and the company-wide Project Manager, and keep everyone working from one plan.\nOwn our manufacturing planning and tracking tools, today in monday.com and evolving into the ERP and MES, and build dashboards that make status obvious at a glance.\nPrepare program updates and briefing material for senior leadership, customers, and government stakeholders.\nStep into whatever the mission demands: this is a startup, no two weeks will look the same!\nWhat You Bring\nRequired\nA bachelor’s degree (minimum) in engineering (manufacturing, mechanical, industrial, aerospace, or similar), or an equivalent technical discipline from an accredited program and institution.\n5+ years of program or project management in a hardware manufacturing environment, with direct ownership of NPI, production ramps, or production programs from plan to delivery.\nA track record building and running integrated schedules with real dependencies across engineering, supply chain, and production, and getting hardware out the door on time.\nExperience running stage-gate or phase-gate product development or NPI processes, including readiness reviews and design-freeze discipline.\nWorking knowledge of engineering change control, bills of materials, and configuration management, and how changes ripple through cost, inventory, and the shop floor.\nStrong command of planning tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, monday.com, or similar) and of data: building and presenting schedule, cost, and risk metrics in Excel, Power BI, or similar tools to make an ambiguous problem clear.\nExperience managing budgets and cost tracking for programs or capital projects.\nAbility to read engineering drawings and bills of materials, and enough technical depth to challenge a plan with engineers and technicians.\nClear, direct communication with technicians, engineers, executives, suppliers, and customers, and the judgment to escalate early with options, not just problems.\nEligibility for a Government of Canada security clearance and registration under the Controlled Goods Program; active clearance is a significant asset.\nA builder’s mindset: you take ownership of the outcome, not just the schedule, and you’re as comfortable on the floor with a technician as you are in a leadership review.\nPreferred\nPMP, PgMP, or equivalent program management certification.\nExperience in a UAS, aerospace, munitions, or defence manufacturing environment, ideally at a startup or scale-up moving from prototype to rate production.\nFamiliarity with Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRL), APQP (AS9145), and AS9100 requirements for production planning, first article inspection, and configuration management.\nExperience leading an ERP, MES, or PLM implementation, or a facility stand-up, relocation, or production line transfer.\nExposure to earned value management (EVM) and government or defence contract deliverables, including DND or allied program reporting.\nLean manufacturing or Six Sigma experience (Green Belt or higher), applied to production flow and line balancing.\nExposure to electromechanical assembly, additive manufacturing, PCBA, or energetics production.\nP.Eng. or EIT designation, or eligibility for registration in Alberta or conversion from an eligible province.\nWhy North Vector Dynamics\nReal ownership from day one: the systems and processes you help build will be foundational to how this company operates for years to come.\nWe’re working on technology that matters at a national and global level, and every person on the team feels that weight and that purpose.\nA tight-knit, high-calibre team that moves fast, holds each other to a high standard, and doesn’t waste time on bureaucracy for its own sake.\nCompetitive compensation and meaningful upside from joining an early-stage company at the forefront of the defence technology sector.\nOn-site in Calgary, AB, a growing hub for tech and defence, with a culture built around resilience and getting things done.","description_format":"text","description_chars":9005,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Military Drones","Defense 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