Because of the need for consistent, in-person collaboration and/or the requirement to perform all work onsite due to the nature of this particular role, it will be performed full-time on site. This means work will be conducted on location at a BAE Systems facility 100% of the time.
This role drives integrated strategies that elevate safety, quality, cost, and delivery while cultivating a culture of disciplined problem-solving and operational rigor. The director oversees the development of data-driven systems and processes that strengthen decision-making, transparency, and compliance across a 1,000-person defense manufacturing facility. They collaborate closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to align improvement initiatives with long-term strategic objectives and customer commitments. Through strong leadership and effective change-management, the director enables sustainable operational excellence and advances the factory's mission.
- Lead Lean Six Sigma and CI initiatives: Kaizen events, 5S, VSM, FMEA, root cause analysis, and other best practices.
- Coach and mentor at all organization levels to instill a culture of continuous improvement tools and methodologies.
- Establish KPI tracking, dashboards, and ROI metrics to highlight impact, decision-making and operational performance
- Shape and execute an industrial engineering strategy that optimizes facility layout, throughput, takt time, labor standards, capacity planning, and simulation modeling.
- Elevate standardized work, visual management, and digital factory tools to ensure consistency and efficiency.
- Design and implement training programs on Lean, Six Sigma, CI tools, industrial engineering, and compliance for all levels of the workforce.
- Establish Lean champions, CI practitioners, and cross-functional improvement teams.
- Oversee continual upskilling to maintain high standards in process discipline and data-driven thinking.
Required Skills and Education- Education: Bachelor's degree required (Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, or related); Master's or MBA preferred.
- Experience:
- 12+ years in industrial/operations leadership in regulated or defense manufacturing environments.
- Proven execution of CI initiatives with measurable outcomes in cost, quality, and productivity.
- Demonstrated IE expertise: layout optimization, simulation, takt time, DFMA, and capacity modeling.
- Strong background in compliance with standards like ITAR, AS9100, DFARS, and internal/external audits.
- Experience building BI tools, cross-functional dashboards, and applying data insights in operations.
- Skills & Certifications:
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt (preferred); PMP or similar a plus.
- Advanced proficiency with data analysis and BI tools.
- Outstanding leadership, communication, facilitation, and change management skills.
- Security Requirements:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or Permanent Resident with ability to obtain Secret clearance (or higher).
