Job Purpose

The Senior Manager, Assembly Operations is responsible for Core, Module, and Harness Assembly at the Cedar Park, Texas facility as KARNO production moves from development builds to repeatable production. Hyliion designs and builds the KARNO Power Module, a fuel-agnostic linear generator for data center, commercial and industrial, and defense applications, combining additive manufacturing with precision electromechanical assembly. The position runs the shop floor through Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) performance, builds the standard work and discipline that make production predictable, and develops supervisors into front-line leaders. Designs are maturing, work instructions are evolving, and some assemblies are still being productionized, so the position brings structure to that environment without slowing the build. Continuous improvement is part of the daily work of the role. Leadership is exercised on the production floor by listening to the people doing the work and solving problems alongside them, with high standards and accountability delivered with respect.

AI at Hyliion

At Hyliion, AI is core to how we work. We equip every team member with leading AI tools and count on you to use them — to move faster, solve harder problems, and help us realize the full potential of KARNO technology for the world.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Own Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, and People (SQDCP) performance across Core, Module, and Harness Assembly, with defined metrics, visual management, and daily tiered accountability.
• Build a safety-first culture in an environment that includes high-voltage systems, pressurized assemblies, and heavy lifting and rigging, and lead incident investigations and corrective actions through closure.
• Partner with Quality to improve first-pass yield, contain escapes, and drive structured root cause and corrective action (8D, A3) on build issues.
• Deliver to the build plan by translating production schedules into staffing, shift, and capacity plans and managing schedule adherence day to day.
• Control labor efficiency, scrap, rework, and consumables, and support operating budget development for the assembly organization.
• Take ownership of assembly processes in transition from development to production, identifying gaps in work instructions, tooling, fixtures, and in-process test and closing them in partnership with Manufacturing Engineering and Quality.
• Establish takt, line balance, and flow as volumes ramp, and use capacity modeling to anticipate constraints before they reach the floor.
• Lead production readiness for new builds and process transfers into Cedar Park, including layout optimization, material presentation, technician training, and build validation.
• Implement practical standard work that evolves with the design rather than waiting for a frozen process.
• Lead continuous improvement from the gemba, running kaizen events and driving daily problem-solving at the point of work.
• Apply lean tools with measurable results, including value stream mapping, value-added and non-value-added analysis, 5S, standard work, error-proofing, and flow design.
• Deploy and mature site production system practices on the assembly floor.
• Engage technicians in identifying and solving problems, and recognize the people who make improvements stick.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Supervisor, Module & Harness Assembly and the Supervisor, Core Assembly, building front-line leadership capability and succession depth.
• Set and consistently enforce expectations for shop discipline, including standard work adherence, 5S, safety practices, documentation, and attendance.
• Own staffing, hiring, onboarding, skills matrices, cross-training, and technician certification for the assembly organization.
• Partner daily with Supply Chain on material availability, shortages, and kitting.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering on process development, tooling, fixtures, and work instructions.
• Provide design for manufacturability and assembly feedback to Product Engineering and implement engineering changes on the floor.
• Work with Quality on nonconformance, MRB, control plans, and build quality.
• Represent the shop in design reviews and build readiness, and communicate status, risks, and escalations to Operations leadership.
• Additional duties and responsibilities as assigned, needed, or required for the business.

Qualifications

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Qualifications include:

• Education, Experience and Certifications
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
  • 10+ years of manufacturing operations experience required, including 5+ years leading supervisors or front-line leaders in an assembly environment.
  • Demonstrated track record of scaling an assembly operation, such as ramping a new product to volume, standing up a new line, or building production capability from early-stage processes, required.
  • Hands-on lean/TPS practitioner with documented, measurable improvement results required.
  • Experience in complex, labor-intensive, low-to-mid volume assembly where skilled technicians build to work instructions required, with experience building or scaling assembly of complex, heavy, or high-precision products where skill and craftsmanship matter.
  • Heavy assembly experience in engines, generators, turbines, compressors, power systems, or other capital equipment preferred.
  • High-precision electromechanical assembly experience involving tight tolerances, torque control, cleanliness requirements, and metrology preferred.
  • Wire harness or electrical assembly experience, including high-voltage safety practices, preferred.
  • Experience with aerospace, defense, or similarly rigorous quality systems (AS9100, PPAP, FMEA, control plans) preferred.
  • Experience in a pre-commercial, startup, or high-growth manufacturing environment preferred.
  • Lean or Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt) preferred.
• Skills and Abilities
  • Strong command of SQDCP, tiered daily management, and visual management required.
  • Comfort operating with ambiguity, evolving designs, and incomplete documentation required.
  • Clear, direct communication, credible with both technicians and engineers, required.
  • Ability to bring structure to unfinished processes without slowing the build, treating an unfinished process as an opportunity to build it right.
  • Ability to lead improvement personally on the production floor rather than delegating it.
  • Ability to develop people through coaching and teaching rather than directing.
  • Ability to hold shop discipline standards consistently, fairly, and with respect, and to earn trust by listening to the people doing the work.

Role Classification and Working Conditions

This is a salaried, exempt-level position. This position typically works in a production/assembly/engineering lab environment.

Physical/Other Requirements

• Ability to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to travel, as needed, by plane, automobile, etc., including very limited travel to the Milford, Ohio development facility.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods on the production floor.
• Ability to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Direct Reports

This position has or may have direct reports.

We are not accepting candidates who require sponsorship for this role at this time.