Senior Manufacturing Project Manager
About The Position
General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) is seeking a Senior Manufacturing Project Manager to join their high-performance team. This role involves developing, maintaining, and executing manufacturing project plans aligned with program schedules, contractual milestones, and delivery requirements. The position requires translating program Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) into actionable manufacturing work plans, identifying critical path activities, and managing resource requirements. The Senior Manufacturing Project Manager will monitor and report manufacturing progress, identify schedule risks, and implement corrective actions. They will also support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities, coordinate production readiness reviews, first article builds, and transition planning. This role serves as the primary manufacturing point of contact to program offices, engineering, contracts, and supply chain teams, participating in various program reviews and meetings. Additionally, the role involves coordinating with engineering teams to resolve technical issues, partnering with supply chain for material availability, and ensuring quality compliance. Resource and workforce management, including identifying staffing needs and managing Direct Labor Utilization (DLU) targets, is also a key responsibility. The position requires identifying, documenting, and tracking manufacturing risks and issues, developing mitigation plans, and maintaining lessons learned. The Senior Manufacturing Project Manager will prepare and present manufacturing status briefings, maintain program manufacturing documentation, and provide written inputs for reports and deliverables.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing, Engineering, Business, or related field; equivalent experience considered.
- 5+ years of experience in a manufacturing or program management role within a defense or aerospace environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing production programs through NPI, LRIP, and FRP phases.
- Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM), IMS development, and program review processes.
- Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Experience with ERP systems (IFS, SAP, or equivalent).
- Applicants selected may be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
- U.S. citizenship is required due to the nature of the work performed within their facilities.
Nice To Haves
- Experience supporting undersea or defense programs or products.
- Familiarity with MIL-STD quality and configuration management requirements.
- Experience with ISO 9001-2015 certified manufacturing environments.
Responsibilities
- Develop, maintain, and execute manufacturing project plans aligned to program schedules, contractual milestones, and delivery requirements.
- Translate program Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) into actionable manufacturing work plans, identifying critical path activities and resource requirements.
- Monitor and report manufacturing progress against established baselines; identify schedule risks and implement corrective actions as required.
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities, coordinating production readiness reviews, first article builds, and transition planning from development to LRIP and FRP.
- Maintain manufacturing schedule visibility across concurrent UUV programs and communicate status to leadership and program offices.
- Serve as the primary manufacturing point of contact to the program office, engineering, contracts, and supply chain teams.
- Participate in program reviews, Integrated Product Team (IPT) meetings, and milestone events representing the manufacturing organization.
- Coordinate with Manufacturing Engineers and Test Engineers to resolve technical issues impacting production flow.
- Partner with Supply Chain to monitor material availability, mitigate shortages, and ensure on-time receipt of long-lead and critical components.
- Work closely with Quality Assurance to ensure compliance with inspection plans, non-conformance disposition, and program-specific quality requirements.
- Identify staffing requirements to support program demand and coordinate with Operations leadership to align workforce to build plans.
- Manage Direct Labor Utilization (DLU) targets across assigned programs, balancing workforce allocation to meet both cost and schedule commitments.
- Support development of labor estimates and Basis of Estimate (BOE) documentation for proposals and contract modifications.
- Identify, document, and track manufacturing risks and issues; develop mitigation plans and escalate as appropriate.
- Maintain manufacturing lessons learned and support root cause / corrective action (RCCA) processes for recurring issues.
- Prepare and present manufacturing status briefings for internal leadership and external program office reviews.
- Maintain program manufacturing documentation including schedules, action item logs, meeting minutes, and milestone reports.
- Provide written inputs to monthly program status reports, CDRLs, and customer deliverables as required.
Benefits
- Highly competitive benefits
- Flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
