Vice President of Manufacturing

Summary

Provide executive leadership for Manufacturing across all sites, guiding General Managers to align strategy, optimize manufacturing operations, and ensure world-class quality and delivery performance. Includes boosting equipment and labor utilization, minimizing non-value-added activities, increasing first-pass yield, driving efficiency initiatives, and improving profitability. Implement advanced technologies, innovative software tools, and design-for-manufacturability practices. Assist with crafting and deploying digital transformation campaigns.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Responsible for manufacturing, quality and supply chain excellence across Karman

Strategic Leadership

• Collaborate with General Managers to devise strategies that drive operational improvements at individual sites and foster a culture of unified, cross-functional excellence.
• Support sales and business development in identifying new opportunities - both for POR and for startup aerospace and defense companies.
• Go up the value chain by leveraging current capabilities and integrating new production technologies.
• Cultivate synergy, immense urgency, accountability, and a data-driven approach for all locations.
  
  

Operational Excellence

• Enhance overall labor and asset utilization by eliminating inefficiencies and optimizing resource allocation.
• Track and improve First Part Yield, Scrap and delivered quality across Karman
• Drive Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and capital asset performance by implementing solutions that reduce downtime and defects while increasing throughput.
  
  

Cost And Profitability

• Execute “should cost” analyses to minimize waste and enhance margins on ongoing and future programs.
• Incorporate advanced manufacturing solutions, to improve “buy to fly” ratios and lower labor requirements.
• Evaluate design for manufacturability with customer base to expedite lead times and decrease COGS.
  
  

Team Development

• Enable General Managers to scale and optimize their sites while cultivating high-performance teams.
• Build and deploy robust Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering groups dedicated to value engineering.
• Drive collaboration with Design Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain to implement innovative solutions.
• When required, lead site operations on an interim basis during focused implementation of manufacturing optimization efforts
  
  

MISSION

• Establish and accomplish targeted increases of equipment and labor utilization at each location.
• Achieve improvements in first-pass yield, total yield, and defect reduction while driving production efficiency.
• Realize cost savings and margin improvements through effective use of existing assets and personnel.
• Recruit and retain top talent by leveraging professional network and informed sourcing strategies.
• Evaluate the return on investment for new technologies and integrate capabilities to bolster competitiveness.
• Foster a team of professionals practicing extreme ownership, “better every day” mentality, and urgency.
• Maximize business profitability and growth through strategic leadership, tactical execution, and networking.
  
  

Education And Experience

• Required Education: B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
• Preferred Education: M.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering
• Preferred Experience: 10+ years in aerospace and defense industry
• Must be a U.S. Citizen