Factory Director - UAV/UAS Manufacturing, Abu Dhabi

About the role

SEGULA Technologies is supporting the establishment of a new unmanned aerial systems manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi and is looking for an experienced Factory Director / Senior Manufacturing Leader. This is a greenfield leadership role: the successful candidate takes full ownership of the facility from initial industrial setup through to serial production and delivery, overseeing industrial licensing, CAPEX, facility mobilisation, production, engineering, quality, supply chain, HSE, site administration, customer interface and overall factory performance.

Key responsibilities

• Lead industrial licensing, permitting and approvals with UAE authorities; develop the CAPEX plan, mobilisation schedule and production-readiness milestones; manage contractors, equipment suppliers and technology partners; oversee installation, commissioning, testing and handover.
• Set up production planning, capacity management and manufacturing processes; define throughput, productivity and cost-per-unit targets; ensure material availability and drive on-time delivery, yield and continuous improvement.
• Establish an AS9100 / ISO 9001 quality system, ensure compliance with UAE aerospace and defence regulations, and oversee configuration management, traceability, first-article inspection, customer acceptance, FATs and export-control documentation.
• Represent the factory with defence authorities, armed forces, OEMs and system integrators, support commercial teams, lead customer visits and audits, and support localisation, ICV and offset commitments.
• Build the factory organisation, lead production, engineering, quality, stores, logistics and administration, own the site's budget, P&L and KPI framework, and oversee HSE, security and facilities.

Required profile

• 12+ years in industrial or manufacturing management, minimum 5 at senior management / director level.
• Proven experience delivering a comparable industrial project in the Middle East, preferably greenfield, and direct UAV/UAS, aerospace or defence manufacturing experience.
• Full ownership of the industrial lifecycle: setup, licensing, commissioning, ramp-up and serial production.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Aerospace or a related discipline; fluent Arabic and English mandatory; able to work full-time on-site in Abu Dhabi.
• Preferred: experience with UAE defence authorities, ICV/localisation/offset frameworks, free-zone factory setups, export controls and defence trade compliance; Master's, MBA, PMP or similar certification.

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of AS9100 and/or ISO 9001 in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience with government and defence customers in the GCC.
• Strong factory operations, industrialisation and project-management expertise.