Director of Engineering

Great opportunity to work as a Director of Engineering for a Global Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing organization located near Starkville, MS

Engineering Leadership & Execution

• Lead and manage day-to-day activities for Manufacturing Engineering, Engineering Technicians Test Engineering, and Configuration Management.
• Translate program requirements into executable manufacturing plans that meet cost Quality, schedule, and compliance objectives.
• Ensure engineering resources are aligned to production priorities and program ramp-ups.
• Establish clear accountability, metrics, and performance expectations across the engineering organization.

• Serve as the primary engineering interface to Program Management, supporting proposal activities, production planning, and execution.
• Partner with Manufacturing leadership to ensure process readiness, capacity planning, and efficient production flow.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain to support make/buy decisions, tooling strategies, supplier readiness, and manufacturability.
• Work closely with the Quality Director to ensure robust process controls, FAI readiness, and continuous compliance with AS9100 and customer requirements.

• Lead engineering execution for New Product Introduction efforts, ensuring a disciplined transition from development to production.
• Establish and lead formal NPI gate/phase reviews, ensuring technical, manufacturing, Quality, and supply chain readiness at each phase.
• Drive manufacturability reviews, risk assessments, and production readiness reviews as part of the gated NPI process.
• Ensure tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and work instructions are developed, validated, and released prior to production authorization.
• Identify and mitigate technical schedule, and manufacturing risks early in the NPI lifecycle.

• Lead development and deployment of production tooling, fixtures, and test equipment.
• Drive automation initiatives to improve safety, Quality, throughput, and cost.
• Implement error-proofing(poka-yoke) strategies across manufacturing and test processes.
• Champion continuous improvement initiatives leveraging Lean, Six Sigma, and aerospace manufacturing best practices.

• Ensure Disciplined configuration management, change control, and documentation practices.
• Oversee engineering change implementation to minimize disruption to production.
• Maintain compliance with AS9100, customer specifications, and internal engineering standards.
• Support internal and external audits, including customer and regulatory audits.

• Bachelor's degree in engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Electrical, Aerospace, or related field).
• Strong working knowledge of AS9100, FAI, configuration management, and production engineering.
• Demonstrated success leading NPI, tooling development, and manufacturing process improvements.

• Master's degree in engineering or business (MBA)
• Experience with automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent continuous improvement experience.
• Experience supporting government or defense programs.