Senior Supplier Development & Manufacturing Readiness Engineer

Location: Remote, United States
· Frequent domestic travel

Compensation: $140,000–$150,000 base + employer-funded ESOP + 401(k) match

Employment: Full-time

Clearance:
Active Top Secret strongly preferred. U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance are required. Active Secret candidates will be considered; sponsorship may be available.

Help manufacturers deliver more of what the Navy needs.

Our client is a 100% employee-owned national security firm building a team to accelerate Navy production, with particular emphasis on missiles and the critical suppliers behind them.

This opportunity is for someone who knows how to walk into a manufacturing facility, identify what is limiting production, and work alongside the people on the floor to fix it. You will help suppliers recover delivery performance, prepare for higher production rates, and demonstrate that improvements hold over time.

Automotive OEM and Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier-development, launch, and production-ramp experience is particularly valued
, including professionals who have transitioned into aerospace or defense.

• Assess supplier readiness across equipment, tooling, labor, maintenance, material flow, inspection, testing, and lower-tier dependencies.
• Identify production bottlenecks using cycle times, changeovers, equipment availability, scrap, rework, first-pass yield, and delivery performance.
• Validate what suppliers can consistently produce through production observation, data analysis, and authorized run-at-rate activities.
• Build and execute supplier recovery plans with clear corrective actions, owners, milestones, and evidence of sustained improvement.
• Support new-product introductions, production transfers, added shifts, equipment installations, facility expansions, and production-rate increases.
• Apply APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, SPC, MSA, Lean, and structured problem solving to improve manufacturing performance.
• Work with cost and investment analysts to assess improvement options, including tooling, capital equipment, alternate sourcing, and additional shifts.
• Translate site findings into clear recommendations for supplier leadership, prime contractors, and government stakeholders.

• A record of personally improving manufacturing performance through supplier recovery, program launches, production transfers, or capacity expansion.
• Measurable results in throughput, delivery, first-pass yield, scrap reduction, cycle time, or demonstrated capacity.
• Practical knowledge of manufacturing processes, process capability, quality systems, and production dependencies.
• Credibility with plant managers, engineers, quality teams, and operators, along with the ability to communicate clearly with senior leaders.
• Ownership of implementation and follow-through until improvements are demonstrated and sustained.

Relevant backgrounds include supplier development, supplier quality, manufacturing engineering, industrialization, launch engineering, supplier performance, and manufacturing operations.
Your hands-on record matters more than an exact title or a specific number of years.

• Automotive OEM or Tier 1/Tier 2 manufacturing and supplier development.
• Aerospace, defense, missile, propulsion, or other regulated manufacturing.
• Precision machining, castings and forgings, stamping and welding, heat treatment, composites, electronics, harnesses, motors, or electromechanical assemblies.
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, ASQ CQE, CSQP, or comparable credentials.

You may be based anywhere in the United States. Frequent domestic travel to client and supplier sites is required, including locations such as Tucson, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama
. There is no Pentagon attendance requirement.

Expect substantial time inside manufacturing facilities, working directly with supplier teams to improve production.

• $120,000–$150,000 base salary
  , based on experience.
• Fully employer-funded Employee Stock Ownership Plan, with annual share allocations that vest over time.
• 401(k) with an immediately vested Safe Harbor match of up to 4% of pay.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with an HSA option.
• 14 days of annual PTO, increasing with service.
• Up to $5,250 annually for eligible education, certifications, and training after one year.
• Company-paid life, AD&D, and short-term disability insurance.

Brass Tracks is committed to equal opportunity and welcomes qualified candidates from all backgrounds.