Membrane Manufacturing & Supply Chain Manager

Captura is a climate technology company that has developed a Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) process to remove carbon dioxide from seawater, thereby amplifying the ocean's natural ability to absorb atmospheric carbon. The company's core technology is a high-performance bipolar membrane electrodialysis system that extracts dissolved CO2 from seawater without the use of additives or by-products, then returns the treated water to the ocean to draw down additional atmospheric carbon. Captura operates a 1,000 ton-per-year pilot plant in Hawaii and manufactures its electrodialysis platform from a production facility in Pasadena, California. Captura's mission is centered on harnessing the ocean as a scalable, natural resource for climate healing while prioritizing ocean health throughout its operations. The company was invented at Caltech and has received support from prominent backers including XPRIZE, Frontier, and the U.S. Department of Energy. In June 2026, Captura raised $12.5 million in the first close of its Series B financing round to expand its electrodialysis platform. Beyond carbon removal, Captura's electrodialysis technology serves a range of industrial sustainability markets, including direct lithium extraction, desalination, wastewater valorization, energy storage, and electrochemical carbon capture. The company has also secured a supplier deal to provide ocean-captured CO2 for an electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) plant in France, demonstrating the commercial versatility of its platform.

About the Role

Captura is seeking a highly motivated and hands-on Director of Manufacturing Operations to build and scale our manufacturing operations as we transition from development to commercial production. Reporting directly to the COO, this role will own manufacturing, production planning, procurement, and supply chain operations end to end.

This is a unique opportunity to build the manufacturing operations function from the ground up within a fast-growing technology company. The ideal candidate has experience in materials or chemical manufacturing, chemical processing, advanced materials, or related industrial manufacturing environments and thrives in a startup setting where processes, systems, and teams are being created and scaled.

Responsibilities

Manufacturing & Production

• Lead day-to-day manufacturing operations, ensuring safe, efficient, and high-quality production.
• Develop and implement production planning, scheduling, and capacity management processes.
• Establish manufacturing KPIs and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Scale production from development, to pilot-scale manufacturing, leading to significant scale-up to commercial volumes.
• Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and quality systems, and train employees on new SOPs.
• Drive operational excellence through lean manufacturing and process optimization.
• Ensure manufacturing processes and equipment meet applicable safety, environmental, and regulatory standards on the production floor.

Supply Chain & Procurement

• Build and manage the supply chain function, including sourcing, procurement, inventory management, and logistics.
• Develop relationships with key suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Ensure continuity of supply for critical raw materials/chemicals and components.
• Implement inventory planning systems and controls to support production growth.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs and improve supplier performance.
• Partner with accounting to develop processes to support appropriate tracking.

Production Equipment & Maintenance

• Oversee manufacturing equipment, production-line utilities, and process infrastructure.
• Manage production line installations and manufacturing capacity expansion projects.
• Establish preventative maintenance programs and operational best practices for manufacturing equipment.

Team Leadership

• Provide guidance to development resources in an indirect reporting structure and transition/hire direct production resources.
• Recruit, develop, and lead production and manufacturing operations personnel.
• Build a high-performance manufacturing culture focused on accountability, safety, quality, and execution.
• Partner closely with engineering, R&D, product development, and leadership teams to support commercialization efforts.

Strategic Operations

• Develop systems, processes, and metrics to support rapid organizational growth.
• Support manufacturing scale-up, new product introductions, and commercialization initiatives.
• Provide operational forecasting, reporting, and performance analysis to executive leadership.
• Serve as a key member of the operations leadership team helping shape the company's manufacturing strategy.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Chemistry, Materials Science, or related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience in manufacturing, operations, supply chain, or production management.
• Experience in membrane manufacturing, chemical processing, advanced materials, industrial equipment, or related process manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated success scaling manufacturing operations and implementing production systems.
• Experience managing suppliers, procurement, inventory, and logistics.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities.

Preferred

• Experience working in a startup or high-growth technology company.
• Experience transitioning products from pilot-scale manufacturing to commercial production.
• Knowledge of membrane technologies, electrochemical systems, water treatment, energy, or climate technology sectors.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or related operational excellence experience.
• Familiarity with ERP, MRP, and inventory management systems.

Featured Benefits

Compensation

The approximate salary range for this role is $145,000–$175,000. Actual compensation depends on factors unique to each candidate, including geographic location, education, experience, qualifications, and job-related skills. It is not typical for someone to be hired above the midpoint of the range. This range reflects base salary only — total compensation includes the benefits and rewards outlined below, and will be considered as a whole when we present an offer.

Benefits & Total Rewards

• Health coverage: Medical, dental and vision fully covered for employees, with partial coverage for dependents
• Equity: Stock option grant, with amount determined based on role and experience
• Retirement: 401(k) with match
• Time off: 3 weeks PTO plus company holidays and a paid winter break between Christmas and New Year's
• Growth: Ground-floor opportunity to build and scale the manufacturing and supply chain function as Captura grows