Manufacturing Engineer Manager

Antenna Research Associates, Inc.; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Antenna Research Associates, Inc. is seeking a Manufacturing Engineer Manager to lead the manufacturing engineering function across programs and production areas. This role combines strategic direction with hands-on leadership to develop and optimize processes, improve yield and throughput, and drive cost reductions.

The ideal candidate will have deep manufacturing engineering expertise, strong leadership, and a track record of delivering measurable improvements. U.S.

Qualifications

• BS in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, or related Engineering.
• MS in Engineering, MBA, or leadership certification preferred.
• 8+ years of manufacturing engineering experience, including 2–3 years in a leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of advanced manufacturing methods, process validation, and continuous improvement.
• Experience in high-mix, low-to-medium volume environments, preferably RF/electronics.
• U.S. Citizenship is required to access program information.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing team of manufacturing engineers and staff.
• Provide strategic direction for manufacturing process development and improvements.
• Drive NPI, DFM, and production readiness initiatives.
• Oversee development, validation, and continuous improvement of processes, tooling, and documentation.
• Drive improvements in yield, throughput, cycle time, OTD, and cost via data-driven methods.
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen to reduce waste and improve quality.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Identify bottlenecks, optimize line balance, and increase capacity and efficiency.
• Manage capital equipment justifications and ROI-based acquisitions.
• Support audits, compliance activities, and ISO-aligned standardization.
• Ensure engineering deliverables meet deadlines and production objectives.

Skills

Manufacturing engineering leadership

Lean Six Sigma

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

NPI & DFM

RF/electromechanical systems

Education

BS in Manufacturing/Mechanical/Industrial Engineering

MS in Engineering / MBA / leadership cert

Tools

Automation equipment

Data analytics tools

Job description

Company Overview

ARA is a leading C5ISR company that designs, manufactures, tests and installs innovative technologies that provide the national security community with unparalleled situational awareness, threat detection, and communications capabilities.

Brief Description

Company Overview

ARA is a leading C5ISR company that designs, manufactures, tests and installs innovative technologies that provide the national security community with unparalleled situational awareness, threat detection, and communications capabilities.

Our disruptive, integrated solutions, assemblies and subsystems rise to the challenging demands of discerning, mission-critical customers.

We leverage our capabilities to meet and exceed the requirements of our customers and empower them to remain ahead of evolving threats and complexities in a dynamic security landscape.

Job Summary

The Manufacturing Engineer Manager is a leadership role responsible for overseeing the manufacturing engineering function across multiple programs and production areas. This position provides both strategic direction and deep, hands-on technical leadership to ensure the successful development, implementation, and optimization of manufacturing processes. The manager will guide a team of engineers and technicians while maintaining a high technical standard, fostering innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. The ideal candidate brings strong technical depth in manufacturing engineering and can connect engineering decision and process improvements to measurable business outcomes, including yield, throughput, cycle time, scrap/rework, on-time delivery (OTD), labor efficiency, capacity and cost reduction. This role collaborates closely with cross-functional partners in Design Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Operations to align manufacturing capabilities with business goals. U.S. Citizenship is required, as only U.S. Citizens are authorized to access information under this program/ contract.

Essential Functions

• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of manufacturing engineers and support staff while maintaining a high technical bar and culture of engineering rigor.
• Provide strategic direction and hands-on technical leadership for manufacturing process development, automation, and factory improvements.
• Drive execution of New Product Introductions (NPI), Design for Manufacturability (DFM), and production readiness initiatives, ensuring manufacturing processes are capable, scalable, and cost-effective.
• Oversee the development, validation, and continuous improvement of manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, and documentation.
• Drive measurable improvements in yield, throughput, cycle time, scrap/rework, on-time delivery (OTD), labor efficiency, capacity utilization, and cost through data-driven engineering and continuous improvement.
• Champion Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen principles to improve throughput, reduce waste, and enhance product quality and eliminate sources of process variation and manufacturing constraints.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to resolve complex production challenges, establish root cause, and implement robust corrective and preventive actions.
• Lead efforts to identify and eliminate manufacturing bottlenecks, improve line balance and capacity, optimize labor content, and increase overall equipment and process effectiveness.
• Manage capital equipment justifications and acquisition strategies based on ROI, capacity requirements, technical performance, and business impact.
• Support audits, compliance activities, and process standardization aligned with ISO and industry standards.
• Ensure engineering deliverables are completed on time, within scope, and meet technical requirements and production objectives.
• Establish and monitor meaningful manufacturing metrics and use performance data to prioritize engineering activities and demonstrate the impact of improvements.
• Serve as an escalation point for high-impact technical or operational issues and represent the manufacturing engineering team in leadership forums.

Position Qualifications

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Competency Statements

• Adaptability - Adapts to change, open to new ideas and responsibilities
• Communication - Ability to communicate thoughts clearly, both oral and written in an honest, open and timely manner
• Job Knowledge - Understands facets of job, aware of duties and responsibilities, keeps job knowledge current
• Technical Skill - Possesses the knowledge and skills needed to perform a job or role effectively
• Dependability - Meets deadlines, works independently or in a team environment, is accountable, maintains focus, good attendance record
• Quality - Strives to eliminate errors, accurate work is a priority, seeks opportunities to improve products
• Ethics - Honest, accountable, maintains confidentiality
• Initiative / Take Ownership - Takes action, seeks new opportunities, strives to see projects to completion, meaning own your job and see it through
• Customer Focus - Understands and can meet the needs in a customer-centric (Internal and External) environment and build strong relationships. Promotes a positive image of the company and strives to solve issues raised by customers
• Employee Management & Development - Manage day-to-day performance, guides, motives, coaches and develops employees to reach their potential, provides and requests employee feedback
• Leadership - Provides strong leadership, sets a good example, skilled decision maker, motivator and encourager

Experience And Skills

• 8+ years of manufacturing engineering experience, including at least 2–3 years in a leadership or managerial role.
• Demonstrated technical depth in manufacturing engineering, with the ability to personally engage in complex process, equipment, automation, tooling, and production problems.
• Proven track record of leading technical teams and delivering quantifiable improvements in manufacturing performance, such as yield, throughput, cycle time, scrap/rework, OTD, labor efficiency, capacity, and/or cost.
• Strong knowledge of advanced manufacturing methods, process validation, process capability, continuous improvement methodologies, and industrial automation.
• Demonstrated ability to use data and engineering analysis to identify constraints, determine root cause, develop solutions, and validate sustained improvements.
• Experience in a high-mix, low-to-medium volume environment, preferably within RF, electronics, or complex electromechanical systems.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing economics, including labor content, capacity, throughput, equipment utilization, scrap/rework, and cost.

Education

• BS in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, or related Engineering field required.
• MS in Engineering, MBA, or leadership certification preferred.

Antenna Research Associates, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to a policy of non-discrimination and affirmative action. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.