Head of Manufacturing in Oxford

Build the manufacturing capability behind the next generation of opto-chemical sensors.

Mode Labs is developing an autonomous opto-chemical sensing platform for remote environmental monitoring.

We are looking for a senior, hands‑on engineering leader to own the productisation and industrialisation of our first commercial sensor platform.

THE ROLE

You will lead the translation of our proven engineering MVP into a robust, compliant, serviceable and manufacturable product.

You will define and manage the route from existing prototype through engineering, design and production validation to controlled release.

Working across engineering, quality, operations and supply chain, you will balance performance, reliability, compliance, cost and manufacturability.

This role begins as a senior individual‑contributor and technical‑lead role, combining strategic ownership with hands‑on involvement in builds, testing and problem‑solving.

You will then build and lead a wider manufacturing team to deliver your vision.

• WHAT YOU’LL DO
• Productisation and NPI
• Own the industrialisation roadmap, development stages, release gates and production‑readiness criteria.
• Lead DFM, DFA, design‑for‑test, service and reliability activities across optical, mechanical, electronic, fluidic and sensing‑chemistry interfaces.
• Establish a controlled product definition covering bills of materials, drawings, specifications, software dependencies and manufacturing data.
• Lead pilot and pre‑production builds, converting results into prioritised design and process improvements.
• Verification, Compliance and Market Access
• Determine the applicable regulatory and certification routes for the product’s intended markets and use.
• Own the verification and validation strategy, including requirements traceability, test methods, acceptance criteria and treatment of failures.
• Coordinate pre‑compliance and formal testing with specialist advisers and accredited laboratories.
• Build the evidence required for applicable UKCA or CE conformity, technical files, declarations and product labelling.
• Define appropriate environmental and reliability testing for remote deployment, including ingress, temperature, humidity, corrosion, shock, vibration and accelerated life testing.
• Manufacturing, Quality and Scale‑up
• Develop and release repeatable assembly, inspection, calibration and end‑of‑line test processes.
• Specify the tooling, fixtures, reference standards and test infrastructure required for production.
• Establish proportionate process controls, PFMEAs, control plans, traceability, change control and non‑conformance processes within the QMS.
• Define production metrics covering yield, quality, cycle time, capacity and unit cost.
• Select and develop key suppliers and manufacturing partners, managing qualification, transfer and supply‑chain risks.
• Ensure service, repair, calibration and field‑return requirements are reflected in the product and manufacturing design.
• Mentor colleagues and help establish the manufacturing practices and capabilities needed as the company grows.
• WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Within your first 100 days, you will have

• Built a detailed understanding of the MVP, intended use, architecture, current prototype build process and principal technical risks, transferring knowledge from the existing engineering team.
• Completed a productisation gap assessment covering design maturity, reliability, compliance, manufacturing, supply chain and serviceability.
• Agreed an integrated industrialisation roadmap with clear stages, owners, budget, schedule and readiness criteria.
• Defined the verification, compliance and certification strategy, including external test requirements.
• Led or supported a representative build and test cycle, turning the findings into a prioritised action plan.
• Identified the critical suppliers, long‑lead, single‑source and make‑versus‑buy decisions.

By the end of your first year, you will have

• Scoped and recruited an appropriately scaled manufacturing team, including a roadmap for future expansion.
• Delivered an agreed production baseline achieving the required performance, reliability, compliance, cost and manufacturability targets.
• Completed the planned engineering, design and production validation stages, with remaining risks formally understood and owned.
• Achieved the applicable conformity, certification and market‑access milestones.
• Released repeatable assembly, calibration and test processes with suitable tooling, controls and traceability.
• Demonstrated agreed production performance through pilot or pre‑production builds.
• Qualified the critical supply chain and established a scalable NPI and manufacturing operating system.

ABOUT YOU

You are a hands‑on product industrialisation leader who brings structure to ambiguity.

You have taken complex hardware beyond prototype and understand the trade‑offs required to make it reliable, compliant, manufacturable and supportable.

You have the ability to balance evolving design with the need to deliver MVP units to customers.

You have substantial industry experience and may have a degree, HND or apprenticeship in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline.

Essential experience

• Significant experience in NPI, product industrialisation, manufacturing engineering or complex hardware development.
• A track record of taking at least one multidisciplinary hardware product from prototype through validation and into controlled production.
• Experience defining and managing product verification, compliance and external certification testing.
• Strong practical knowledge of DFM, manufacturing process development, production test, tooling and quality planning.
• Experience leading pilot builds, process validation and data‑led improvements in yield, reliability, capacity or cost.
• Experience developing relationships with suppliers or transferring products and processes to manufacturing partners.
• Working knowledge of engineering change, non‑conformance, root‑cause analysis and corrective action within a QMS.
• Ability to lead cross‑functional programmes, communicate risks clearly and make sound decisions with incomplete information.
• Willingness to remain hands‑on with product build, test and troubleshooting.

Desirable experience

• Optical systems, spectroscopy, precision alignment or fibre technologies.
• Fluidics, wetted materials, contamination control, sensor chemistry, reagents or consumables.
• Connected or battery‑powered instruments intended for remote or outdoor deployment.
• Electrical safety, EMC, radio, ingress‑protection, Ro HS or WEEE requirements.
• Environmental and accelerated‑life testing.
• Low‑ or medium‑volume manufacture of complex scientific, analytical or industrial instruments.
• ERP or product‑lifecycle systems and ISO9001‑aligned quality management systems.

Eligibility

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate the right to work in the UK and be willing to travel to suppliers, manufacturing partners and test laboratories in the UK and occasionally overseas.

WHAT WE OFFER

depending on skills and experience.

Benefits

• Employee share‑option scheme.
• 25 days paid leave plus bank holidays.
• Company pension contributions matched up to 5%.
• Group life & legacy cover.
• Annual discretionary training allowance.
• One paid charity volunteering day per year.
• Travel‑to‑work loan and cycle‑to‑work salary sacrifice schemes.
• Flexible working arrangements where practical.

Flexible or hybrid working arrangements may be available, although regular on‑site presence in Oxfordshire will be essential given the hands‑on nature of the role.

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• EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We are an equal opportunities employer and commit to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace whilst creating an environment which promotes dignity and respect for all.

We post our job descriptions across a wide range of recruitment platforms to enable us to attract the most diverse range of candidates we possibly can.

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• ADJUSTMENTS & PROVISIONS

We want our recruitment process to be accessible.

If you need a reasonable adjustment at any stage, please contact us and tell us what would help.

You do not need to disclose a diagnosis to request an adjustment.

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• ABOUT MODE LABS

Mode Labs is a customer‑driven technology company developing the next generation of autonomous chemical sensing systems for environmental monitoring.

Based in Oxford, UK, the company was founded in 2024 as a spin‑out from the University of Oxford's Chemistry and Materials departments.

Our vision is to bring chemical understanding outside the laboratory, delivering clear measurement data where it is needed most: precision sensing, anytime, anywhere.

Our mission is to protect the environment and human health by monitoring and reporting changes to our ecosystems.

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