Production Team Lead

Role Highlights: - Title: Production Team Lead - Department: Global Manufacturing Organization - Reports to: Head of MAITE, Optics - Location: Lisbon, Portugal - Type of Contract: Permanent - Working model: On-site - Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required) Why this role matters: ICEYE is seeking a Production Team Lead to lead the day-to-day execution of Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Testing activities, including spacecraft assembly and the integration of optical payloads. This is an operational leadership role in an early-stage production environment, where production processes, teams, and operating routines are being established and scaled. You will be responsible for translating production plans and engineering requirements into safe, high-quality, efficient, and predictable MAIT execution. This includes managing daily priorities, resources, production flow, readiness, schedule adherence, quality, productivity, and escalation of issues. You will establish and maintain a structured production management system based on clear priorities, visual management, daily performance reviews, standard work, and continuous improvement, with a strong focus on safety, quality, delivery, and operational efficiency. The role requires a strong presence on the production floor and in cleanroom environments, working closely with AIT Engineering, Quality, Planning, Logistics, Manufacturing Engineering, and other stakeholders to ensure successful spacecraft builds and payload integration. You will play a key role in developing the production organization, establishing operational discipline, and building the capabilities required to scale satellite production. This is a talent pool posting. We are building our Lisbon manufacturing organisation ahead of site ramp-up. We expect this role to open formally in Q4 2026. Applying now registers your interest early and puts you at the front of the process when the req goes live. Who We Are ICEYE is the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space. We deliver persistent monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to changes in any location on Earth. ICEYE owns the world's largest and most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation. To our customers we provide intelligence with unmatched quality, latency and revisit times, in any weather, day or night. To governments who choose to operate their own constellation we provide this proven capability as a sovereign system. ICEYE-built constellations serve customers in defence and intelligence, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management. We enable fast decisions that contribute to a safer future. Founded and headquartered in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1000 employees across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. What you will do - Lead the day-to-day execution of Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Testing (MAIT) activities, including spacecraft assembly and optical payload integration. - Lead and develop the production team, setting clear priorities, responsibilities, and performance expectations. - Manage daily production execution, including capacity, resources, production flow, schedule, and readiness. - Establish effective daily management routines, visual management, and performance tracking to drive safe, high-quality, and efficient execution. - Drive production ramp-up, readiness, and continuous improvement across processes, workstations, and production flow. - Apply Lean manufacturing principles to improve productivity, quality, flow, and repeatability, including 5S, Kaizen, standard work, and visual management. - Identify and resolve production issues through structured problem-solving and root cause analysis, working closely with Engineering and Quality. - Ensure production processes, work instructions, tooling, equipment, and resources are ready and properly implemented before execution. - Work closely with AIT E…