Head of Operational Excellence (OPEX)

About Heart Aerospace

Heart’s mission is to create the fastest, most affordable and sustainable mode of transport for regional travel. Our goal is to serve the market in every corner of the world.

Our first aircraft is the ES-19, a nineteen-passenger airliner with an operating range of 400 km. The ES-19 is a fully electric aircraft, and our goal is to have the aircraft certified for commercial operation by 2026.

Your place of work will be at our main office and hangar facility. This is located on Säve Flygplats in Gothenburg, Sweden. Relocation assistance can be provided.

At Heart you’ll be working at the cutting edge of technology while contributing towards a sustainable future. We offer stock options to all our employees and a challenging and inspiring work environment.

We seek experienced and skilled professionals to join our small, fast moving team developing a new electric aircraft in Sweden. We’re in a very expansive phase and now is the time to join our team.

Come help us write a new chapter in the history of aviation together.

Role Overview

The Head of Operational Excellence (OPEX) reports to the Chief Operations Officer, and has broad responsibility for the implementation of effective organizational processes & systems, including the company Quality Management Systems. Your focus will be on the efficiency of the organization operations and processes, deploying lean, six sigma and continuous process improvement techniques to achieve our goals. You will develop and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and assist the organization in developing actions to meet those KPIs. You will also be responsible for supporting external quality system and organizational approval audits, including the follow-up and corrective actions.
Qualifications

- Graduate degree in Aerospace or similar discipline, or equivalent experience.
- Minimum 15 years experience in operational excellence in an aerospace company environment.
- Practical experience of developing, implementing and continuously improving an AS9100D Quality Management System.
- Experience working in an EASA Part 21J Design Organization, or international equivalent.
- Experience with management of aerospace suppliers including initial and recurring audits
- Experience with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems including configuration and change management.
- Excellent verbal & written communication skills in English.
- Eagerness to work with others.
- Passion for aircraft and Heart’s mission.

The ideal candidate would have

- Experience working in an aerospace start-up environment.
- Formal qualification in Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent.
- Experience with Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI)
- Experience with aircraft certification programs through the entire design, development & certification lifecycle (EASA/FAA Part 23 or 25)
- Working knowledge of systems engineering principles for safety critical systems (SAE ARP 4754/4761)
- Working knowledge of Airborne hardware and software development assurance processes (RTCA DO-178 & 254)


At Heart Aerospace, we believe every career is as unique as the individual and empower employees to reach their full potential in a winning culture motivated by a powerful purpose. We are growing and there will be plenty of opportunities for development and taking on other responsibilities.

Heart is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified candidates and employees pursuant to applicable law. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, gender identity or expression, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Working at Heart Aerospace is not just a career; it is a chance to directly make the world more accessible and sustainable.