Director of Manufacturing Engineering & Estimating (Aerospace/Defense)

It’s 7:30 a.m. at a confidential precision manufacturer serving U.S. Naval and aerospace programs. You step onto the floor to review first-article readiness, sync with Production Planning on a critical shipset, and huddle with Estimating to tighten a complex bid. By mid-morning, you’re coaching a manufacturing engineer through a tooling decision, aligning with the PMO on launch milestones, and sitting with Business Development to de-risk a new opportunity. This is the rhythm you’ll own as the senior leader transforming engineering into a decisive advantage.

We build complex, build-to-print components and assemblies in a production-driven environment where quality, delivery, and margin all matter. We’re looking for a hands-on executive who can scale teams, mature processes, and raise the bar on throughput and predictability. Backgrounds in naval shipbuilding, marine systems, and maritime defense are especially valued.

What You’ll Own

• Manufacturing Engineering — methods, routings, tooling, and continuous improvement
• Cost Estimating & Pre-Production Planning — models, bid strategy, and launch readiness
• Quality Engineering — prevention-focused systems aligned to AS9100/ISO 9001
• CNC Programming — high-integrity programs and DFM feedback loops
• Engineering Specialists & Technical Staff — capability growth and performance management

Your Impact

• Increase estimating accuracy and confidence while shortening quote cycle times
• Lift first-article success and accelerate new program introductions
• Improve on-time delivery by removing engineering bottlenecks and clarifying handoffs
• Strengthen margin performance through smarter methods, fixtures, and routings

Core Leadership Mandates

Build a High-Performance Organization

• Recruit, mentor, and develop a multi-disciplinary team across ME, Estimating, Quality, and CNC Programming
• Right-size structure and skills for current programs and projected growth
• Set crystal-clear expectations tied to delivery, quality, and financial outcomes

Turn Estimating into a Differentiator

• Institutionalize standardized, repeatable estimating methodologies and pricing frameworks
• Ensure all quotations reflect technical feasibility and shop capability
• Translate wins into precise plans, work packages, and launch checklists

Throughput & Schedule Performance

• Own engineering KPIs: throughput, quote lead time, quality escapes, FAI pass rates, OTD
• Eliminate constraints that impede flow; speed up launches and FAIs
• Partner with Operations, PMO, and Planning to improve schedule adherence

Operational Discipline

• Standardize methods, documentation, and revision control for error-free execution
• Continuously improve cross-functional handoffs and documentation clarity
• Ensure compliance to AS9100, ISO 9001, and applicable defense standards

Business Partnership

• Collaborate with Business Development to vet opportunities and identify technical risk early
• Represent engineering with customers, offering credible subject-matter expertise
• Align engineering capacity with program forecasts; inform long-range planning

Qualifications

• BS in Engineering (Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, or related)
• 10+ years in complex precision manufacturing with increasing leadership scope
• Evidence of leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams in defense/aerospace or other regulated environments
• Proven success in build-to-print or tightly specified production
• Expertise in manufacturing processes, cost drivers, and quality systems
• Fluent in GD&T and blueprint interpretation
• Experience with AS9100, ISO 9001, or equivalent QMS

Technical Fluency

• Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
• ITAR Compliance
• AS9100 Experience

Eligibility

U.S. Citizenship required (defense program security requirements)