Description:
This position will report directly to the Optical Systems Division VP & General Manager. The successful candidate will be a dynamic leader who drives business performance through proactive leadership, plays a key role in securing future opportunities by effectively engaging customers, and provides strategic input to product management and operations to support business planning initiatives. While the primary focus is within the business division, there are many opportunities for partnership and collaboration across the A&D enterprise. The A&D manufacturing sites deliver products for a variety of defense applications, primarily for U.S. Government prime contractors, the U.S. Military and other aerospace OEMs. Our projects span a wide-variety of applications that support mission areas including ISR&T, missiles and munitions, space-based remote sensing, among others.
Primary Duties & Responsibilities
- Lead the organization responsible for engineering in high-performance optical components and assemblies, which includes SMEs in areas ranging from crystal growth to optical fabrication.
- Responsible for developing and implementing an optimized organizational structure, workforce planning and performance management of the engineering team. Drive collaboration and synergy with other engineering teams across the enterprise.
- Lead and participates in cross-functional technical investigations into issues affecting yield and specification non-conformance. Work with other functional groups to identify root causes and develop corrective actions that include robust engineering controls and error-proofing mechanisms.
- Ensure that metrology and buyoff methods used by operations are sufficient to meet in-process and final product requirements.
- Assist the product management team in the process of responding to opportunities and RFPs.
- Support proposal activities by evaluating technical requirements, making sound and strategic technical bid / no-bid decisions that ensure viability of the business.
- Collaborate with Product Management and Operations to define, refine and negotiate specifications to ensure the company’s ability to meet customer commitments and achieve financial objectives. Help to prepare cost estimates when needed.
- Responsible for aligning the engineering team’s goals to the strategic objectives of the business.
- Create and adhere to workable timelines and budgets for all engineering activities.
- Drive innovation in precision optical component fabrication and material processing to maintain industry leadership.
- Work with production engineers to increase effectiveness of current manufacturing processes and to develop new capabilities based on current and future customer needs.
- Working with the site leadership team, aid in developing multi-year strategic plans and budgets
- Implement digital tools for data collection; analyze trends and drive continual improvements based on data.
Education & Experience
- Minimum of 12+ years of experience or equivalent combination of education and work experience. 7+ years of managerial/leadership experience.
- Educational background in Science or Engineering related degrees with industrial experience in optics, optical systems, or related fields.
- Familiarity and breadth within materials science, especially as it relates to a wide range of optical materials, is highly desirable.
- Experienced with problem solving and implementing engineered solutions in a low-to-medium volume, high-value build-to-print manufacturing environment.
- Experienced in design for manufacturability.
Skills
- Demonstrated track record in an engineering leadership, with the ability to build an effective team and promote a positive workplace environment.
- Abilities to both learn quickly and solve challenging technical problems.
- Working experience with a variety of optical fabrication technologies.
- Familiarity with optical metrology and materials science of common infrared optical materials.
- Experienced self-starter that possesses organizational skills to motivate a diverse set of technical individuals to act as a well-aligned team in the pursuit of new business.
- Prior exposure to crystal growth processes is desirable.
- Experience in facilities optimization & sustainment of fabrication equipment is also desirable.
- Effective communication skills, with the ability to make compelling presentations for both internal and external stakeholders.