Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Engineering Director

Mohr Talent; Columbus (MS); On-site; USD 140,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

MOHR Talent is seeking a Director/Manager of Engineering to lead manufacturing, test, and configuration management in Columbus, Mississippi. This on-site role focuses on translating customer requirements into executable manufacturing plans while ensuring quality, cost, and schedule adherence.

The ideal candidate will balance hands-on leadership with strong engineering discipline in a regulated aerospace or defense environment, guiding multidisciplinary teams and coordinating with Program

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Aerospace or related field.
• 12+ years of progressive engineering experience in aerospace or defense manufacturing.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong knowledge of AS9100, First Article Inspection (FAI), configuration management, engineering change control, and production engineering.
• Demonstrated success leading New Product Introduction, manufacturing readiness, tooling development, and process improvement initiatives.
• Strong understanding of aerospace manufacturing operations and production environments.
• Experience working cross-functionally with Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain.
• Familiarity with ERP and MES systems within a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication, decision-making, organizational, and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day activities across Manufacturing Engineering, Test Engineering, Engineering Technicians, and Configuration Management.
• Translate program requirements into executable manufacturing and production plans.
• Align engineering resources with production priorities, program schedules, and manufacturing ramp-ups.
• Establish clear performance expectations, accountability, metrics, and priorities across the engineering organization.
• Develop and mentor engineering leaders and technical personnel.
• Serve as the primary engineering interface with Program Management.
• Support proposal activities, production planning, program execution, and manufacturing readiness.
• Partner with Quality to ensure strong process controls, FAI readiness, AS9100 compliance, and adherence to customer requirements.
• Lead engineering execution for New Product Introduction (NPI) programs from development through production.
• Establish and lead formal NPI gate and phase reviews.
• Ensure technical, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain readiness before production launch.
• Lead manufacturability reviews, risk assessments, and production readiness reviews.
• Ensure tooling, fixtures, test equipment, work instructions, and manufacturing documentation are developed and validated prior to production authorization.
• Identify and mitigate technical, manufacturing, and schedule risks early in the NPI process.
• Lead the development and deployment of production tooling, fixtures, and test equipment.
• Identify and implement automation opportunities that improve safety, quality, throughput, and cost.
• Drive error-proofing and poka-yoke strategies across manufacturing and test operations.
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support the adoption of robotics and advanced manufacturing technologies where appropriate.
• Maintain disciplined configuration management, engineering change control, and documentation practices.
• Oversee engineering change implementation while minimizing disruption to production.
• Ensure compliance with AS9100, customer specifications, and internal engineering standards.
• Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Maintain strong engineering documentation and traceability within a regulated manufacturing environment.

Skills

Aerospace leadership

Manufacturing engineering

NPI leadership

AS9100 knowledge

Configuration management

Cross-functional collaboration

Lean Six Sigma

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Manufacturing/Aerospace

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

ERP systems

MES systems

Job description

MOHR Talent is seeking a Director/Manager of Engineering to lead manufacturing, test, and configuration management in Columbus, Mississippi. This on-site role focuses on translating customer requirements into executable manufacturing plans while ensuring quality, cost, and schedule adherence.

The ideal candidate will balance hands-on leadership with strong engineering discipline in a regulated aerospace or defense environment, guiding multidisciplinary teams and coordinating with Program