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Job description
SMA is seeking an experienced Design for Manufacturing Director to lead the transition of complex products from development and prototyping into scalable, repeatable production in support of federal government contracts.
The Director will connect product design, engineering, supply chain, quality, program management, and manufacturing partners to ensure products are optimized for cost, quality, reliability, manufacturability, and delivery. This individual will own manufacturing readiness, supplier and process development, pilot builds, and successful production launch.
The ideal candidate combines strong engineering and program leadership with hands-on manufacturing experience and a demonstrated record of taking products from concept through sustained production.
Key Responsibilities
Product Industrialization and Manufacturing Readiness
Lead the transition of products from prototype and development into scalable production.
Evaluate product designs and identify opportunities to improve manufacturability, assembly efficiency, reliability, and cost.
Develop and implement Design for Manufacturing and Design for Assembly strategies.
Establish manufacturing requirements, production workflows, tooling needs, process controls, and readiness criteria.
Partner with engineering teams to resolve design issues that affect production readiness or execution.
Supplier and Contract Manufacturer Management
Partner with Supply Chain Management to identify, evaluate, select, and onboard manufacturing partners and suppliers.
Lead or support RFQ development, supplier evaluations, source selection, and manufacturing cost analysis.
Align suppliers and contract manufacturers on production schedules, technical requirements, capacity, and quality expectations.
Develop productive relationships with contract manufacturers, tooling vendors, and component suppliers.
Establish and monitor supplier quality, delivery, readiness, and performance metrics.
New Product Introduction
Develop and execute NPI plans, production-readiness milestones, schedules, and cross-functional action plans.
Support Program and Engineering Management in prototype builds, engineering validation builds, pilot production, and production ramp-up.
Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure successful product launch and resolve issues during pilot and early production phases.
Ensure lessons learned from early builds are incorporated into product design, tooling, documentation, and manufacturing processes.
Quality and Process Development
Partner with Quality to establish manufacturing quality standards, inspection requirements, test protocols, and acceptance criteria.
Ensure development and control of work instructions, assembly procedures, test documentation, quality plans, and other production records.
Lead or support root-cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions for manufacturing issues.
Drive continuous improvement in production quality, repeatability, and process capability.
Cost and Production Optimization
Develop manufacturing cost models and identify cost-reduction and value-engineering opportunities.
Optimize production processes to improve yield, throughput, efficiency, reliability, and scalability.
Support forecasting, capacity planning, resource planning, and production-scaling decisions.
Balance cost and schedule objectives without compromising product performance, quality, or contractual requirements.
Cross Functional Leadership
Serve as the primary manufacturing lead within cross-functional product and program teams.
Own manufacturing-readiness schedules, production-launch deliverables, risks, and mitigation plans.
Provide leadership with clear, evidence-based updates on readiness, constraints, decisions, and required actions.
Align Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Program Management, and manufacturing partners around a common production plan.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
10 or more years of experience in product development, manufacturing engineering, new product introduction, industrialization, or production launch roles.
Demonstrated success taking complex products from prototype through repeatable production.
Strong knowledge of DFM, DFA, manufacturing processes, and quality systems.
Experience working with suppliers, contract manufacturers, and production partners.
Knowledge of relevant manufacturing methods such as machining, injection molding, sheet-metal fabrication, electronics assembly, or comparable processes.
Experience with bill-of-material management, engineering change control, configuration discipline, and production documentation.
Strong program management, problem-solving, and cross-functional leadership skills.
Experience supporting federal government contracts or similarly regulated customer requirements.
Highly Desired Qualifications
Experience in aerospace and defense, industrial equipment, medical devices, electronics, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
Experience scaling products from pilot production to sustained or volume manufacturing.
Working knowledge of Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, APQP, PPAP, FMEA, and formal quality-management systems.
Experience developing or improving manufacturing-readiness and NPI processes.
PMP, Lean, Six Sigma, or related professional certification.
Key Attributes
Hands-on manufacturing leader who can move comfortably between design reviews, supplier discussions, pilot builds, and executive program reviews.
Able to translate engineering intent into executable production processes and measurable readiness criteria.
Proactive in identifying production risks and personally driving issues to closure.
Effective at influencing across functions and external partners without relying solely on formal authority.
Focused on durable processes, disciplined execution, and measurable business results.
Measures of Success
On-time achievement of production-readiness and launch milestones.
Successful completion of prototype, validation, and pilot builds.
Achievement of manufacturing cost, yield, quality, reliability, and delivery targets.
Supplier readiness and sustained supplier performance.
Reduced time to production and effective scaling of manufacturing capacity.
Effective closure of production risks, design issues, and corrective actions.
Documented continuous-improvement and cost-reduction results.
Preferred Candidate Profile
The strongest candidate is a practical manufacturing leader who can establish the operating discipline required for production while remaining close enough to the work to resolve design, supplier, tooling, quality, and build issues. Within the first year, this individual will be expected to establish manufacturing-readiness processes, successfully launch products, strengthen the supplier network, and put scalable systems in place to meet cost, quality, and delivery commitments.
Location:
Prefer Franklin, MA or Lorton, VA, travel available.
POP
6 Months
Pay (Range: hourly or annual salary)
$121.5/hour
Reference ID (O number from TOD)
O-
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Worksite address
franklin, MA, 02038, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.