Director of Engineering - Aerospace & Defense

Starkville, MS Area | $140,000–$175,000 Base + Benefits

About the role

A growing aerospace and defense manufacturing organization is seeking an experienced Director of Engineering to lead the technical organization supporting manufacturing, new product introduction, production ramp-ups, and complex customer programs. This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership role for someone who understands how to take aerospace or defense products from development into repeatable, efficient production.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop multidisciplinary engineering teams supporting manufacturing and production
• Own New Product Introduction (NPI), production-readiness reviews, and development-to-production transitions
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, and Program Management to execute production priorities
• Drive manufacturability, tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and process-development initiatives
• Improve production quality, throughput, cost, and efficiency through engineering and continuous improvement
• Ensure disciplined AS9100, First Article Inspection (FAI), configuration, and engineering-change practices
• Support production ramp-ups, capacity planning, supplier readiness, and technical problem resolution

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering
• 12+ years of aerospace or defense manufacturing experience
• Proven leadership of engineering teams within a manufacturing environment
• Strong Manufacturing Engineering and NPI / production-transition experience
• Working knowledge of AS9100, FAI, configuration management, and production engineering
• Experience with tooling, manufacturing processes, and continuous improvement

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting defense/government programs
• Automation or robotics experience
• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma expertise