Branch Manager - Materials and Process

Leidos•Huntsville, AL

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Leidos' Defense Systems is seeking a Materials & Processes Engineering Branch Manager to lead the Advanced Materials and Test Division. This division provides materials engineering expertise across all program phases, from R&D to manufacturing support, utilizing a multi-disciplinary team with backgrounds in materials science, chemistry, physics, and more. The team possesses analysis equipment, multi-physics modeling capabilities, and experimental lab space to support a wide range of activities. The Materials & Process Branch specifically focuses on engineering, manufacturing, process development, and qualification work. As Branch Manager, the successful candidate will develop and lead their team to achieve organizational objectives, with a focus on growing the branch's capabilities to meet program and customer demands. This role requires a self-starter with strong technical skills, proven technical leadership in Materials and Process Engineering, and excellent interpersonal skills to build and develop a team capable of tackling challenging technical and manufacturing problems. The ideal candidate will foster a learning environment that encourages leadership, technical growth, and collaboration.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Chemical, or Aerospace Engineering, or a similar degree from an ABET-accredited institution.
BS degree and 12+ years, MS degree and 10+ years, or PhD and 8+ years of total professional experience.
Experience in project management including cost, schedule, and technical direction responsibilities.
5+ years of experience leading technical teams.
3+ years of experience with direct personnel management including hiring, employee development, appraisals, and staff assignment coordination responsibilities.
Must be a resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville, AL or surrounding area.
Demonstrated ability and/or past experience in technical problem solving and root cause analysis, particularly related to manufacturing processes and production issues.
Demonstrated ability to decompose system-level requirements into Materials & Process specifications and tasking.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Capable of performing in a collaborative engineering environment working with multi-disciplinary teams.
Direct hands-on or supervisory experience with hardware and process equipment (testing, fabrication, integration, operation, or maintenance).
Strong skills and past experience growing customer relationships through a focus on delivering high-value customer service and consistent positive customer interactions.
Substantial hands-on experience and in-depth technical expertise in Materials and Process Engineering, manufacturing, or production environments.

Nice To Haves

Experience and/or working knowledge of Design, fabrication, procurement, AI&T, check-out, and operation of materials processing or manufacturing systems.
Process qualification, statistical process control, and manufacturing readiness assessment.
Industrial or laboratory safety systems and procedures.
Direct personnel management of teams larger than 10 people.
Business development activities including developing briefings, white papers, and proposals.
AppKinetic

Responsibilities

Play a lead role in setting the Materials and Process Engineering roadmap for the Advanced Materials & Test Division, considering customer needs, industry developments, and group capabilities. Serve as Solution Architect on relevant programs and assist in defining and leading IRaD efforts.
Engage proactively with other divisions and product development organizations to understand their technical needs and connect them with appropriate Materials & Process (M&P) support, acting as a liaison between the branch and internal customers.
Forecast the organization's future M&P needs and position branch capabilities and expertise in relevant technical domains to ensure project teams have the necessary support.
Perform or directly oversee in-lab and production-floor process development, scale-up, and qualification activities to deliver engineering solutions for customer programs or IRaD.
Provide technical oversight and mentorship to develop team members, with an emphasis on developing future leaders, or coordinate and monitor mentorship when delegation is necessary.
Develop strong working relationships with team members to maximize productivity.
Manage personnel, including hiring, employee development, appraisals, and staff assignment coordination.
Track staff coverage to identify hiring needs, write job postings, coordinate applicant screening, conduct interviews, and make hiring recommendations.
Perform, or delegate within the branch, and oversee program management for efforts primarily led or executed by the branch.
Support business development goals and initiatives by building and maintaining customer relationships and contributing to (or leading) proposals.
Provide technical input to program leadership during the planning and execution of engineering and advanced manufacturing projects.
Provide technical expertise to group safety procedure development and reviews, contributing to decisions on the appropriateness and acceptability of proposed procedures and policies.