Aerospace Mechanical Design Lead — Prototyping & Production

Ensign-Bickford Industries; Simsbury (CT); On-site; USD 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement benefits

Paid time off and holidays

Life and disability insurance

Employee assistance and wellness

Incentive compensation eligibility

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineering Manager to lead the mechanical design organization across sites, spanning product, enclosure, tooling, and rapid prototyping. You will build capability, set standards, and advance production-ready designs in aerospace and defense programs.

You will balance manufacturability, cost, safety, and reliability while promoting structured problem solving and kaizen through EBOS, with significant cross-functional

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related technical field.
• At least 10 years in mechanical engineering and product development for complex aerospace/defense products.
• Proven people leadership with clear expectations and accountability.
• Strong lifecycle design experience from concept to production, with DfX application.
• Solid technical judgment to guide decisions and assess feasibility and risk.
• Experience establishing or improving design standards, reviews, and release-readiness practices.
• Strong influencing and communication skills across functions.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead the Mechanical Design Organization across sites, including product, enclosure, tooling, packaging, and rapid prototyping.
• Integrate Simsbury and Moorpark teams under a common operating model.
• Identify skill gaps, support recruiting, and build business cases for headcount and capital investments.
• Establish and improve design standards, reviews, and release-readiness cadences.
• Prioritize Mechanical Design resources across programs to align with needs.
• Strengthen DfX practices early in development to balance manufacturability, cost, and reliability.
• Deliver production-ready designs with reduced rework via disciplined tolerancing and early validation.
• Provide technical credibility in problem-solving discussions and guide decisions.
• Leverage EBOS to reinforce cadence, visual management, and kaizen within Mechanical Design.
• Partner with Program Management, Operations, and customers to align decisions with performance and cost goals.
• Enable rapid prototyping and early validation to influence product decisions from concept through production.
• Translate complex design considerations into risks and business implications for leaders and cross-functional teams.

Skills

Leadership

Mechanical design

Product development

DfX

Problem solving

Communication

Recruiting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

PLM systems

Job description

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is seeking a Mechanical Design Engineering Manager to lead the mechanical design organization across sites, spanning product, enclosure, tooling, and rapid prototyping. You will build capability, set standards, and advance production-ready designs in aerospace and defense programs.

You will balance manufacturability, cost, safety, and reliability while promoting structured problem solving and kaizen through EBOS, with significant cross-functional