ICEYE is a Finnish spacetech company that builds and operates the world's largest SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation for persistent Earth observation and intelligence.
ROLE HIGHLIGHTS: - Head of Production, MAITE Finland - Location: Espoo, Finland (on-site) - Department: MAITE (Manufacturing and AIT) — Production; Global Manufacturing Organisation - Reports to: Director of MAITE Finland - Employment type: Permanent - Workplace model: Office - Employment is subject to applicable security screening (incl. SUPO, where required) WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS ICEYE is looking for a Head of Production to lead and scale the satellite production organization in MAITE Finland. This is one of the most consequential leadership roles in the company, the person in this role will be directly responsible for taking ICEYE's production from its current rate to 120+ satellites per year, while maintaining the quality and discipline that space hardware demands. MAITE Production encompasses two major flows: subsystem production, a global supply function feeding programs across multiple international sites, and SAR satellite integration and validation, a build-to-launch flow delivering complete satellites directly to the launch manifest. Both are high-care production lines requiring the same rigorous operational discipline and production mastery. We are not looking for someone who maintains the status quo. We are looking for someone who knows exactly what world-class production looks like, can see the gap between where we are and where we need to be, and has the drive and experience to close it. 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. YOUR DAY-TO-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES LEAD AND DEVELOP THE PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION - Own the full production output of MAITE Finland, from subsystem production through SAR satellite integration and validation, through to delivery to the launch manifest. - Manage production team leads directly, building a high-performing, accountable, and continuously improving organization. - Set the standard for how production is run, in terms of discipline, quality, pace, and team culture. - Grow the team as production rate increases, ensuring the right structure, skills, and capacity are in place ahead of demand. DRIVE PRODUCTION RATE AND PERFORMANCE - Own the production schedule and delivery targets, ensuring satellites are built and delivered on time, at the right quality, every time. - Monitor and manage key production metrics, throughput, cycle time, yield, first-pass quality, and on-time delivery, and drive systematic improvement across all of them. - Identify bottlenecks, risks, and constraints before they become problems, and act on them decisively. - Ensure the production system is designed and operated to scale, from 50 to 75 to 120+ satellites per year, without sacrificing quality or control. IMPLEMENT AND EMBED WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTION PRINCIPLES - Lead the transformation of MAITE production towards a true pull-based, one piece flow-driven manufacturing system, applying Lean principles not as a methodology exercise but as a practical, daily operating discipline. - Drive the implementation of 6S, visual management, standard work, and continuous flow across all production lines. - Champion the shift from milestone-driven production to a flow-based model driven by stock levels, takt time, and replenishment rates. OWN QUALITY IN PRODUCTION - Take full ownership of production quality, from in-process quality gates to final acceptance. This means zero tolerance for systemic quality failures and a production system designed to catch and prevent defects, not just detect them. - Work closely with AIT Engineering and Quality to ensure that production procedures, tooling, and test setups are robust, repeatable, and up to date. - Lead root cause analysis and corrective action on production anomalies, closing the loop with Engineering and ensuring lessons learned are captured and embedded. COLLABORATE ACROSS THE MAITE ORGANIZATION - Work closely with all MAITE functions, Stock Management, AIT Engineering, Smart Manufacturing, production planner, to ensure seamless flow, clear boundaries, and continuous improvement across the full value chain. - Represent production with clarity and confidence in senior leadership discussions, project reviews, and cross-functional forums. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR MUST HAVES: This role requires a rare combination of deep production mastery, strong leadership, and the energy to drive a high-growth organization through a fundamental scaling event. We are not looking for someone who has built satellites before, we are looking for someone who has built production systems that deliver complex, high-value, low-volume hardware at scale, with zero tolerance for defects. - 10+ years of experience in production, manufacturing operations, or industrial engineering, with a strong track record of leading production teams through scaling phases. - Proven mastery of Lean manufacturing principles, not as a certification, but as a daily operating philosophy. You should be able to give concrete, specific examples of how you have implemented pull systems, standard work, visual management, and flow-based production in real environm