NPI / Product Operations Engineer

Description

Kela is a defense technology startup pioneering next-generation command & control and data infrastructure systems. We empower defense organizations with robust, scalable, and secure platforms that integrate diverse sensors and AI to deliver real-time battlefield intelligence. Backed by leading investors, Kela combines Israeli innovation with global mission impact.

We move faster than any defense startup you've worked at, and faster than most commercial ones. Prototypes go from sketch to metal in weeks, not quarters. Ideas walk from the whiteboard into working hardware with customer milestones already on the calendar.

The Role

You will own our products from an operational perspective throughout their lifecycle: the engineering-to-production transition, the establishment and ramp-up of production lines in-house and at subcontractors, and the completeness and accuracy of all product data, BOMs, and documentation that supply chain and production run on. The role works closely with R&D and Supply Chain and leads the establishment of PLM processes and infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Lead New Product Introduction (NPI) from design to rate production: pilot builds, first-article inspection, and closing open issues before the line starts running.
• Own the engineering-to-production package: production BOMs, work instructions, assembly and test flows, and build documentation for multi-configuration products.
• Validate BOM completeness, accuracy, and manufacturability.
• Own configuration management: ECO / MCO processes, BOM control, serial-level traceability, deviations and waivers, and controlled field updates.
• Lead the establishment of PLM processes and infrastructure, including system selection and rollout.
• Drive DFM / DFA / DFP feedback into mechanical, electrical, and harness design, and push back when a design cannot be built on schedule.
• Define the Approved Vendor List (AVL) and alternative components; qualify and industrialize suppliers and build-to-print subcontractors (mechanics, harnesses and cables, optics), including first-article approval and engineering-change flow-down.
• Define and validate acceptance testing (ATP) at kit and system level: test equipment, calibration flow, and pass / fail criteria.
• Identify and mitigate technical and supply risks early, working daily with systems engineering, procurement, and operations to keep long-lead items from becoming line-down events.
• Plan and execute retrofit and update campaigns for fielded units, and present production readiness at design and production reviews (PDR, CDR, PRR).

Requirements

• B.Sc. in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, or Industrial Engineering, or an equivalent hands-on track record.
• 5+ years in NPI / Product Operations / manufacturing engineering of complex electro-mechanical systems, including at least one full cycle from prototype to rate production that you personally owned.
• Proven experience establishing a production line, in-house or at a subcontractor, including qualifying and industrializing build-to-print subcontractors in Israel (mechanics, cable / harness houses).
• Proven DFM / DFA experience: you have changed designs, not just commented on them.
• Strong configuration-management fundamentals: ECO / MCO, BOM control, serial-level traceability.
• Hands-on experience with first-article inspection, process validation, and acceptance test definition.
• Ability to define and implement processes and work methods where they do not yet exist.
• Strong cross-functional work with R&D and Supply Chain; comfortable working against tight customer milestones while the design is still maturing.

Advantages

• NPI or production experience in defense, aerospace, or UAV programs, including MIL-STD environmental qualification (810 / 461).
• Experience with electro-optical assemblies: alignment, calibration, and handling in production.
• Experience delivering hardware in parallel with qualification, and running retrofit / update campaigns.
• Familiarity with MoD program reviews (PDR / CDR / PRR / TRR) and the documentation they demand.
• Hands-on experience implementing PLM (and ERP / MRP) systems in a young production environment.
• Started as a technician or assembler and can still build and test the unit yourself.