Head of Manufacturing Operations

Gothenburg, Sweden | Full-time | On-site | Reports to the CEO | Business Area: Manufacturing

Build and lead the manufacturing business that will take advanced metal components from prototype to qualified serial production and become a strategic core of Freemelt.

We are looking for a Head of Manufacturing Operations to establish and lead an entirely new part of our business, and to build it from the ground up. This is a rare build-and-run mandate for a hands-on leader who is energised by creating something new and leading from the front. You combine deep manufacturing experience with an entrepreneurial mindset, thrive close to the operation, and know how to turn plans into action and a blank sheet into a running production line.

About Freemelt

Freemelt is an ambitious deep-tech company developing cutting-edge metal additive manufacturing solutions. Our proprietary Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (E-PBF) technology enables customers to accelerate their journey from research and feasibility studies to full-scale industrial production. Today we are known as a technology and machine builder, and we are now taking a decisive next step: becoming a European leader in the advanced manufacturing of qualified metal components in extreme materials. It is one of the most exciting chapters in our history, and this role sits at the heart of it. As a scale-up company listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Stockholm, we combine the pace and energy of a young company with the ambition and transparency of a public one.

To drive this, we are establishing a dedicated new business area, Manufacturing, to produce qualified metal components for the most demanding applications in defence, fusion energy and other critical industries in Europe.

About the role

This is not a role where you inherit a finished factory, an established team or ready-made processes. You join at the very beginning, with a genuine mandate, and the resources to create the structure, capabilities and production culture needed to move from prototype production to reliable, scalable serial production. Few manufacturing leaders ever get to design an operation from the first layout drawing. This is that opportunity.

As Head of Manufacturing Operations, you will lead the establishment of Manufacturing, Freemelt’s new manufacturing business area, and ensure that we can deliver qualified metal components to our customers. You will work closely with our engineering, commercial, quality and supply functions to put the right processes, partnerships and team in place.

Your initial focus will be to establish the operation and secure the first successful customer deliveries. You will report directly to the CEO and be a full member of Freemelt’s management team, with a strong voice in the direction of the company from day one.

Key responsibilities

• Build Freemelt’s manufacturing operation end to end, from pilot production to qualified serial production
• Develop the production setup, including factory layout, capacity, equipment, material flows and workplace safety
• Establish clear processes, documentation and production standards, and ensure that they are followed
• Lead the industrialisation of components in close collaboration with engineering, quality and commercial teams
• Ensure that customer requirements relating to quality, cost, delivery and traceability are translated into robust manufacturing processes
• Build a strong network of suppliers and manufacturing partners and decide what should be produced internally or externally
• Recruit, lead and develop the manufacturing team as the operation grows
• Own the operation’s P&L and operational KPIs, continuously improving cost, yield, capacity, quality and delivery performance
• Contribute manufacturing expertise to customer discussions, quotations and decisions about which components and projects Freemelt should pursue

Required qualifications

You have solid experience in advanced manufacturing, such as metal components, CNC machining, contract manufacturing, aerospace, defence, semiconductors or other quality-critical industries.

You have played a key role in building or scaling a manufacturing operation and have experience of taking components from prototype to serial production.

We believe that you:

• Have hands-on experience of industrialising components and developing production processes
• Understand production economics and the relationship between manufacturing decisions, cost per part and profitability
• Have experience from quality-critical or regulated manufacturing, including quality systems, traceability and customer qualification
• Are comfortable moving between strategic decisions and hands-on operational problem-solving
• Can introduce the structure and production discipline needed while making use of the technical expertise already present in the organisation
• Communicate clearly and can explain why standardised processes, documentation and quality requirements are important
• Have a customer-focused and commercial mindset
• Are based in, or willing to relocate to, the Gothenburg area and want to work close to the operation

Experience in additive manufacturing, refractory or hard metals, or defence-related manufacturing is an advantage but not required.

Why Freemelt

At Freemelt, you will join a customer focused-, diverse- and innovative team and work in an international environment with high pace and close collaboration. You will work with world-leading technology and help bring metal components into reliable serial production for some of society’s most demanding applications.

Above all, this is a rare chance to build a business, not just run one. You will shape how Freemelt’s manufacturing operation is designed, staffed and scaled and leave a lasting mark on the company at a defining moment.

This role is built to grow. Manufacturing is set to become critical of Freemelt’s business, and you will own its P&L. As the operation scales, so does the mandate, with a clear path to broader operational leadership across the company for the person who proves it can be done.

Apply now

We review candidates continuously, so please send in your application as soon as possible.

The final application date is 2026-08-31.

Please note that we do not accept applications via email.

If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact: Daniel Gidlund, CEO, daniel.gidlund@freemelt.com

Read more about Freemelt at our website and in social media:

www.freemelt.com

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