Manufacturing Engineering Lead (Supervisor)

Ensign-Bickford Industries; Simsbury (CT); On-site; USD 95,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company in Connecticut seeks an experienced Manufacturing Engineering Lead to guide a team of Manufacturing Engineers, own product-line technical performance, and partner with Operations, Quality, Programs, and Engineering to solve problems and drive growth.

You will champion design for manufacturability, support risk assessments and design reviews, and lead continuous improvement using Lean, SPC, and SMED in a DoD environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering; Master's degree is a plus.
• 5+ years of relevant manufacturing, product, or project engineering experience.
• Experience with structured problem solving, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action, and failure investigation.
• Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, or similar methodologies.
• Strong ability to lead cross-functional technical teams through complex engineering challenges.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Manufacturing Engineers, providing coaching, technical guidance, prioritization.
• Own the technical performance of assigned product lines across the lifecycle.
• Partner with Production and cross-functional teams to prioritize engineering support.
• Drive structured problem solving and lead root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Champion Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and incorporate manufacturing considerations into product decisions.
• Support risk assessments, TDP reviews, design reviews, bids, and investigations.
• Drive continuous improvement across product lines via Lean, SPC, SMED, and cell design.
• Identify opportunities to improve quality, manufacturability, cost, delivery, and performance.
• Collaborate with customers and stakeholders to resolve technical challenges.

Skills

Team Leadership

Manufacturing Engineering

Root Cause Analysis

Lean Six Sigma

Cross-functional Collaboration

Project Management

Technical Writing

DFM

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master's degree

Job description

This opportunity is located within our Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company business, a global leader of mission-critical hardware and systems solutions including precision energetics systems and innovative explosive solutions.

Job Description

The Manufacturing Engineering Lead is an exciting opportunity for an experienced engineer ready to expand their leadership impact while remaining closely connected to the technical work. In this role, you will lead and develop a talented team of Manufacturing Engineers, own the technical performance of assigned product lines, and partner across Operations, Quality, Programs, and Engineering to solve complex problems and support continued business growth.

Supporting our Linear Transfer Systems (LTS) Value Stream, you will play a key role in strengthening our products, manufacturing processes, and engineering capabilities while building a high-performing team prepared to meet both current and future business needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Manufacturing Engineers, providing coaching, technical guidance, prioritization, and ongoing development to strengthen individual and team capabilities.
• Own the technical performance of assigned product lines, serving as a key engineering resource throughout the product lifecycle.
• Partner closely with Production and cross-functional teams to prioritize engineering support based on business, customer, quality, and operational needs.
• Drive structured problem solving and lead technical teams through root cause analysis, failure investigations, corrective actions, and risk mitigation.
• Champion Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and ensure manufacturing considerations are incorporated into new product development and design decisions.
• Support key technical and business activities, including risk assessments, Technical Data Package (TDP) reviews, design reviews, bids and proposals, and technical investigations.
• Drive continuous improvement across assigned product lines through Lean manufacturing, process optimization, SPC, SMED, cell design, and other improvement methodologies.
• Identify opportunities to improve product quality, manufacturability, cost, delivery, and overall operational performance.
• Partner with customers and internal stakeholders to resolve technical challenges and provide effective, timely engineering support.
• Build the technical depth and capability of the Product Engineering organization to support current priorities and future business growth.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and continuous-improvement-focused team environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required; Mechanical, Manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline preferred. Master's degree is a plus.
• 5+ years of relevant manufacturing, product, or project engineering experience.
• Demonstrated experience with structured problem solving, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action, and failure investigation.
• Ability to lead cross-functional technical teams through complex engineering and manufacturing challenges.
• Experience with project management, technical writing, and cost estimating.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, or similar operational excellence methodologies.
• Strong technical judgment with the ability to balance engineering rigor with production, customer, schedule, and business requirements.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across Engineering, Operations, Quality, Programs, and other functions.
• Experience developing or improving manufacturing processes is strongly preferred.
• Experience with energetic systems, ordnance devices, missile systems, launch vehicles, or other aerospace and defense products is beneficial.
• Must have or be able to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) security clearance and be eligible to work on U.S. DoD and ITAR-restricted programs.

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, or veteran status.