Head of Production / Produktionsleiter (m/f/d)

Responsibilities

We are representing a confidential space-tech organization based in München that requires a Head of Production to lead their manufacturing operations. In this role, you will take full ownership of production output, quality, scheduling, and productivity while building a scalable production system to support rapid growth.

Your core responsibilities include:

• Directing day-to-day production operations through hands-on shopfloor management
• Establishing and managing a KPI-driven production system tracking plan fulfillment, first-pass yield, scrap rates, rework, throughput time, and on-time delivery
• Structuring the production organization with clear roles, responsibilities, decision authority, and escalation paths
• Ensuring robust capacity and personnel planning while systematically eliminating operational bottlenecks
• Implementing and maintaining standardized processes across all production activities
• Driving lean management principles and continuous improvement initiatives
• Leading, developing, and upskilling production team members
• Serving as the primary interface between production and quality, supply chain, sales, planning, and program management functions
• Providing transparent performance reporting and escalating critical risks to executive leadership
• Ensuring production issues are systematically analyzed, clearly assigned, and sustainably resolved

What We're Looking For

Professional Experience:

• Multiple years of leadership responsibility in operational production as Production Manager, Head of Production, Operations Manager, or equivalent
• Background in technically demanding production environments with high quality and process requirements, preferably aerospace, space, medical technology, automotive, defense, or precision engineering
• Proven track record building and scaling production organizations
• Experience with variant-rich small-batch or series production involving assembly, inspection, and testing processes
• Confident handling of capacity planning, production control, personnel planning, and bottleneck management
• Demonstrated collaboration with quality, supply chain, and customer-facing functions

Technical Competencies:

• Strong understanding of shopfloor management and operational production leadership
• Established expertise building and managing production KPIs
• Solid knowledge of lean management, continuous improvement, standard work, 5S, problem-solving, and root cause analysis
• Experience improving scrap rates, rework, throughput time, and delivery performance
• Sound understanding of quality management, traceability, process discipline, and documented work instructions
• Familiarity with ERP, MES, or digital production planning systems
• Strong technical comprehension of assembly, manufacturing, and testing processes

Leadership and Personal Qualities:

• Pronounced hands-on mentality with high visibility on the shopfloor
• Clear, committed, and consistent leadership style with strong results orientation
• Ability to define responsibilities, make decisions, and follow through on implementation
• High problem-solving capability with structured, data-driven, and pragmatic approach
• Capacity to develop and train team members while driving adherence to clear standards
• Resilience and composure in a dynamic, fast-growing environment
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills with ability to represent operational requirements to executive leadership
• Entrepreneurial mindset, high sense of accountability, and readiness to personally drive operational change

Education and Languages:

• Completed technical or engineering degree (mechanical engineering, production technology, mechatronics) OR technical vocational training with Meister, Techniker, or comparable qualification plus extensive relevant leadership experience
• Excellent German and English language skills

How We Work with You

Candidates apply directly through Get A Job.ai. Our talent team conducts initial screening conversations to understand your background and match you with the right opportunity. Once aligned, we submit your profile to our client for their review. Please do not contact the client organization directly—all communication flows through our recruiting team to ensure a professional, coordinated process.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process based on your experience level and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity: Get A Job.ai is committed to inclusive recruiting practices. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of background.