VP / Head of Assembly and Supply Chain

We are an innovative aerospace startup seeking a VP / Head of Assembly and Supply Chain to lead the transition from prototype builds to reliable, repeatable, and scalable drone production. At Maple Aviation we develop a unique Tail-Sitter Drone that combines lightweight aircraft design, electric propulsion, flight control, and a delivery system into a new autonomous platform.In this role, you will own the complete build and supply chain process: sourcing, supplier development, inventory, assembly, production planning, quality interfaces, cost reduction, and ramp-up. You will work closely with engineering to design for manufacturability and with operations to ensure that aircraft are built, tested, maintained, and delivered reliably.

What you'll do

• Build and lead Maple Aviation’s assembly, procurement, supply chain, logistics, and production planning functions
• Develop the transition from prototype workshop builds to structured pre-series and serial assembly processes
• Define assembly workflows, work instructions, tooling, test stations, quality gates, and production documentation
• Establish supplier relationships for mechanical parts, electronics, composites, propulsion components, batteries, sensors, and logistics services
• Own make-or-buy decisions, supplier selection, supplier qualification, lead times, cost targets, and delivery performance
• Implement inventory management, BOM control, configuration tracking, and production planning processes
• Work with engineering to improve manufacturability, serviceability, reliability, and cost of the drone system
• Coordinate incoming inspection, non-conformance handling, rework processes, and root-cause analysis with quality and engineering
• Build scalable processes for spare parts, maintenance material, field support, and future fleet operations
• Hire and develop technicians, production planners, buyers, logistics specialists, and team leads

What you bring

• 8+ years of experience in production, assembly, supply chain, procurement, manufacturing engineering, or operations in aerospace, drones, automotive, electronics, robotics, or hardware scale-up environments
• Proven experience building or scaling assembly and supply chain processes for complex technical products
• Strong understanding of BOMs, configuration management, supplier development, production planning, inventory, and quality interfaces
• Experience with aircraft, UAVs, electronics, batteries, embedded systems, composites, or lightweight mechanical assemblies is a strong plus
• Practical experience with ERP/MRP systems, supplier contracts, cost reduction, and production KPIs
• Ability to work hands-on in an early-stage workshop while designing processes that can scale
• Strong negotiation, planning, and cross-functional leadership skills
• High quality mindset and strong appreciation for aviation safety, documentation, and traceability
• Highly self-motivated, structured, pragmatic, and comfortable with ambiguity
• We are an international team communicating in English; German language skills are an advantage

What we offer

We offer a rare opportunity to build the manufacturing and supply chain foundation for a new category of drone aircraft. If you enjoy turning prototypes into reliable products and building teams that deliver, we would love to hear from you.