Director of Advanced Manuacturnig

Tract Capital adopts a unique approach to digital infrastructure investment. Leveraging experience and strategic insights honed over three decades of creating successful companies in the space, we excel in nurturing and advancing leading-edge digital infrastructure enterprises. Our team of specialized experts are united by a singular purpose: to support the growth of digital infrastructure. Tract Capital goes beyond simple investment by acting as a strategic partner and catalyst for innovation within the sector. We ensure our engagements not only generate strong financial results but also develop essential digital infrastructure to meet growing demands. **Position Overview** The Director of Advanced Manufacturing will lead the manufacturing strategy for complex data center infrastructure products, overseeing the transition from prototype to full-scale production. This role is responsible for manufacturing footprint decisions, automation strategy, production scalability, quality, and partner selection while ensuring products are delivered efficiently, cost-effectively, and at the highest quality standards. The position works closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Operations, and external manufacturing partners to support rapid growth and operational excellence. **Key Responsibilities:** **Manufacturing Strategy & Scale** - Define end-to-end manufacturing strategy, including make-vs-buy decisions, manufacturing footprint, partner selection, capacity planning, and regional deployment strategy. - Evaluate tradeoffs across cost, quality, lead time, logistics, supply chain risk, automation opportunities, and customer requirements. - Develop manufacturing roadmaps supporting new product introduction, production ramp-up, and long-term scaling. **Process, Automation & Industrialization** - Establish manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures, test systems, production flows, and equipment strategies. - Lead adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies including robotics, automation, machine vision, digital work instructions, and data-driven process controls. - Partner with engineering teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, testability, serviceability, and production scale. **Operations & Performance** - Build production systems that achieve throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, and capacity targets. - Lead pilot builds, process validation, production readiness, staffing plans, and volume production transitions. - Implement KPIs and dashboards to monitor yields, schedule attainment, bottlenecks, and overall manufacturing performance. **Quality & Continuous Improvement** - Define manufacturing quality strategies, in-process controls, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria. - Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for manufacturing, supplier, and field quality issues. - Drive improvements in first-pass yield, defect reduction, process capability, and operational discipline. **Workforce & Partner Leadership** - Develop scalable training programs, work instructions, certification requirements, and operating procedures. - Lead relationships with contract manufacturers, OEMs, integrators, equipment suppliers, and automation partners. - Drive partner performance across quality, cost, capacity, responsiveness, and delivery metrics. **Cross-Functional Leadership** - Serve as the manufacturing leader across Product Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, Operations, and Customer Delivery. - Provide executive-level recommendations on manufacturing investments, risks, sourcing strategies, and scaling opportunities. **Qualifications:** - Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or a related field. - 10+ years of manufacturing, operations, industrialization, or advanced manufacturing experience. - 5+ years leading manufacturing strategy, process development, or production scale-up for complex hardware products. - Proven experience with manufacturing footprint dec…