Director of Manufacturing

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing; Dickinson (ND); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing seeks a Director of Manufacturing to lead operations at its Dickinson, North Dakota site (and Kerrville, Texas). Reporting to the COO, you will own capacity planning, production scheduling, labor optimization, and plant-wide performance, ensuring safety, compliance, and on-time delivery.

You will lead a multi-level team of manufacturing leaders up to 250 employees, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision making.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading manufacturing at aerospace/advanced manufacturing sites.
• Proven ability to improve throughput and reduce waste with Lean methods.
• Strong knowledge of QMS and regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multi-level organization of manufacturing leaders (up to 250 employees).
• Own capacity planning, production scheduling, and labor optimization.
• Drive continuous improvement, Lean initiatives, and data-driven decision making across functions (PM, Eng, Quality, Supply).
• Ensure safety, compliance, and on-time delivery of all products.

Skills

Lean

Leadership

Data-driven

QMS

Aerospace

Cross-functional

Capacity planning

Production scheduling

Waste reduction

First-pass yield

Job description

Step into a pivotal executive role as Director of Manufacturing and take full command of operations at one of KMM's high-performance production sites in Dickinson, North Dakota or Kerrville, Texas. Reporting to the COO, you will be the driving force behind safe, compliant, and highly efficient manufacturing-owning everything from capacity planning and production scheduling to labor optimization and factory-wide performance. This is more than an operations role-it's a chance to lead a mission-critical environment where precision, accountability, and responsiveness define success. You'll ensure every product meets rigorous quality and regulatory standards while delivering on customer commitments with consistency and confidence.

You will lead, develop, and inspire a multi-layered organization of manufacturing leaders and up to 250 employees, building a culture where accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement thrive. With a strong focus on Lean principles and data-driven decision making, you'll tackle complex operational challenges-improving throughput, reducing waste, and strengthening first-pass yield. Working cross-functionally with Program Management, Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain, you'll ensure seamless execution and resilient production performance. Ideal candidates bring deep experience in aerospace or advanced manufacturing, strong QMS expertise, and the leadership presence to align teams, optimize systems, and deliver sustained operational excellence.

Pre-employment drug screen required.