Director Of Manufacturing

Job Title:

Director of Manufacturing Engineering

Job Description

The Director of Manufacturing Engineering leads a multi-functional engineering organization with a strong focus on people leadership, team development, and operational excellence. This role oversees manufacturing engineering operations, including a small machine shop and tooling function, and ensures the team is structured, developed, and aligned to meet production and strategic business goals. The Director balances technical engineering credibility with strong leadership, coaching, and business acumen to drive performance, continuous improvement, and alignment with broader business strategy in a regulated, quality-driven environment.

Responsibilities

+ Lead and manage a team of approximately 15 professionals, including manufacturing engineers, tooling and machine shop staff, and technicians.

+ Allocate engineering resources effectively and prioritize work across multiple programs to meet production schedules and strategic objectives.

+ Drive team performance by setting clear expectations, creating accountability, and building capability within the manufacturing engineering organization.

+ Establish the vision, organizational structure, and operating rhythm for the department to support consistent, high-quality execution.

+ Partner closely with cross-functional teams, including production and other operational groups, to support production demands and customer needs in a highly regulated environment.

+ Oversee capital planning activities, including evaluating needs, supporting business cases, and contributing to broader business strategy and long-term planning.

+ Implement continuous improvement and process optimization initiatives using structured problem-solving, lean principles, and data-driven decision-making.

+ Lead and support root cause analysis and corrective action activities to resolve manufacturing issues and prevent recurrence.

+ Develop, maintain, and regularly update a skills matrix for the team to identify strengths, gaps, and development opportunities.

+ Create and execute talent development plans to build a strong pipeline of future leaders and technical experts within the organization.

+ Assess individual strengths and weaknesses and align roles and responsibilities to maximize team effectiveness and engagement.

+ Set direction with confidence, make timely decisions, and drive follow-through to ensure initiatives and projects reach completion.

+ Establish and foster a collaborative, high-performance culture characterized by trust, accountability, and continuous improvement.

+ Lead the function with ownership and autonomy, minimizing reliance on executive-level validation while maintaining alignment with organizational goals.

+ Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, providing clear updates on priorities, performance, risks, and improvement initiatives.

Essential Skills

+ Strong people leadership experience, with 3-5+ years of managing teams in an engineering or manufacturing environment.

+ Manufacturing engineering background in a regulated, quality-driven environment, such as aerospace, defense, or similar industries.

+ Proven ability to conduct root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions to address manufacturing and process issues.

+ Solid business acumen, including experience with capital planning, budgeting, and big-picture strategic thinking.

+ Demonstrated experience allocating resources and leading through others to deliver on project and program objectives.

+ Experience working with project budgets and managing engineering efforts within financial and schedule constraints.

+ background in aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated industries with strong compliance requirements.

+ Familiarity with lean manufacturing principles and continuous improvement methodologies.

+ Bachelor's degree in Engineering (required).

+ Approximately 8-10 years of engineering experience with clear progression into leadership roles.

+ Industry experience in highly regulated, compliance-driven environments with a strong focus on quality and process control.

+ Demonstrated job stability and a track record of…