Manufacturing Engineering Director

Northrop Grumman • Baltimore, MD

1d • $194,600 - $292,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Manufacturing Engineering provides functional and strategic leadership for the manufacturing engineering organization in Baltimore, Maryland. The role is accountable for process capability, producibility, and product quality across production programs, and leads managers and engineers who develop, deploy, and continuously improve manufacturing, test, and related industrial engineering processes to meet safety, quality, delivery, cost, and people objectives.

The director leads and develops the organization, establishes functional standards and best practices, and owns manufacturing engineering processes from new product introduction through sustainment. The position partners with Design Engineering to improve producibility and transition products to production, and works with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Business Management to resolve production issues, support program execution, manage resources and budgets, and develop manufacturing technology and capital investment plans. The role also ensures compliance with applicable requirements and represents the function in reviews, audits, and customer engagements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related discipline and at least 10 years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree in Engineering or a related discipline and at least 8 years of relevant experience.
• At least 3 years of functional management experience leading organizations of at least 100 employees.
• Progressive leadership experience in manufacturing or production, operations, program management, testing, or a related area, including direct leadership of engineers and/or first-line managers.
• Demonstrated experience in manufacturing or production engineering supporting complex hardware, such as aerospace, defense, or electronics products.
• Track record of improving manufacturing and test processes, yields, cycle times, and product quality using data and metrics.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing process controls, quality systems, and relevant industry or regulatory standards.
• Financial acumen, including budget, rate, and cost management.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical and operational content to leadership and customers.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance or greater, or DoE equivalent or greater.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Director or senior manager experience leading a manufacturing engineering or test engineering organization in aerospace, defense, or a similarly regulated environment.
• Experience working across design, manufacturing, and test engineering, with a focus on product development, producibility, and transition to production.
• Hands-on experience with continuous improvement frameworks.
• Experience managing capital equipment roadmaps and facility upgrades to support long-term manufacturing capacity and capability.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop high-performing teams, including succession planning, leadership development, and engagement initiatives.
• Experience supporting proposals and customer reviews, including explaining manufacturing engineering approaches, risks, and mitigations.
• Experience working in a matrixed organization and balancing program demands with functional standards and development needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a manufacturing engineering organization of managers, engineers, and supporting staff.
• Define and maintain functional standards, methods, tools, and best practices for manufacturing engineering.
• Recruit, develop, and retain talent; support succession planning, leadership development, engagement, and inclusion.
• Coach managers and engineers and provide performance feedback and career development.
• Own manufacturing engineering processes from new product introduction through sustainment, including process controls, standard work, and documented work instructions.
• Direct development and maintenance of MBOMs, routings, work instructions, tooling, and production strategies.
• Partner with Design Engineering to incorporate producibility into designs and support transition to production and rate readiness.
• Establish and manage manufacturing performance indicators, including yields, scrap, rework, cycle time, and labor efficiency, and drive data-based continuous improvement.
• Partner with Operations, Quality & Mission Excellence, and Supply Chain to stabilize processes and resolve production issues.
• Oversee manufacturing engineering participation in MRB and nonconformance disposition, including root-cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions.
• Champion improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Lead manufacturing engineering support for factory readiness, capacity planning, and rate ramp-ups.
• Align functional objectives, resources, and priorities with program and business needs while balancing execution and long-term capability development.
• Partner with Program Management and Business Management on bids, proposals, and program execution, including manufacturing scope, risks, and cost and schedule inputs.
• Manage manufacturing engineering labor, capital, and expense budgets.
• Develop and execute technology roadmaps and capital investment plans for manufacturing processes, equipment, and facilities.
• Ensure manufacturing engineering processes comply with regulatory requirements, customer standards, and internal procedures.
• Represent manufacturing engineering in internal and external reviews, audits, and customer engagements.
• Build relationships with sector and site leadership, program teams, and functional peers to support alignment and resolve cross-functional constraints.

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company-paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
• Potential eligibility for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus, depending on the position
• Potential eligibility for long-term incentives for employees in Vice President or Director positions
• Relocation assistance may be available

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director