R&D Manufacturing Director

Job TitleR&D Manufacturing Director Location Herndon , VA - Herndon, VA 20171 US (Primary)

Job Description Fibertek is seeking a hands-on R&D Manufacturing Director to lead manufacturing of first-of-kind prototypes, demonstration units, and initial low-rate production units for laser and electro-optical systems used in aerospace and space programs. This includes deliverable engineering development units (EDUs) and flight units as well as low-rate initial production.  In addition to manufacturing execution, this role oversees production planning, Assembly Integration and Test (AI&T) processes, and manufacturing engineering across the R&D organization.
This is not a purely managerial role. The Director will be actively involved in day-to-day manufacturing execution while improving Fibertek’s manufacturing capability, including updating core processes, leading implementation efforts for a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), and helping to scale production capacity. The role serves as the operational link between engineering, configuration management, quality, supply chain, planning, and the build teams.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Shop & Operations Ownership Provide technical & execution oversight of production shops, including optical and electronics assembly, parts cleaning, and machine shop operations

Identify constraints and drive improvements across the production floor

Production Planning & Execution Develop work instructions in collaboration with design engineers that result in efficient assembly and testing with predictable hardware delivery outcomes Ensure build packages, travelers, drawings, and procedures are complete, controlled, and build-ready

Ensure build schedules and resources are realistic and executable

Serve as the primary escalation point for manufacturing execution issues

Manufacturing Engineering & Process Improvement Responsible for Design for Manufacturing (DFM) feedback and definition of build strategy and flow.

Standardize and continuously improve manufacturing processes for repeatability, traceability, and throughput

Select, implement, and operationalize a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) aligned with optical and laser manufacturing needs

Resolve nonconformances and production issues using structured root cause analysisAI&T Process Ownership Serve as the process owner from released design through assembly & integration

Act as the integration point between engineering, configuration management, quality, safety & mission assurance, supply chain, planning, and builders

Facilities & Team Leadership Lead and develop the manufacturing engineering team while remaining hands-on Partner with leadership to plan facility improvements aligned with future program needs

Job Requirements Experience and Expertise

Required:

10–15 years of experience in manufacturing engineering or production leadership

Experience with optical, laser, electro-optical, aerospace, or space-qualified hardware

Experience with transitioning new engineering designs through prototype, manufacturing development, and initial production phases

Direct experience with AI&T and controlled build environments

Strong understanding of configuration control, build documentation, and traceability

Experience with an ERP system such as Deltek Costpoint Experience in an ISO-9001 (or AS9100) certified manufacturing environment

Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline (engineering preferred)
Proven hands-on leadership style

Success in This Role Looks Like:

AI&T activities are disciplined, repeatable, and audit-ready Manufacturing issues are identified as early as possible, and resolved quickly Hardware transitions smoothly from engineering into production

Manufacturing lessons learned are documented and applied…