Missile Plant Startup Manager

CoAspire; United States; On-site; USD 175,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision benefits

401(k) with company match

PTO and Federal holidays

Job summary

CoAspire in Northern Virginia is seeking a Plant and Production Manager to lead the remodel and commissioning of a new missile production facility and to run daily operations across precision assembly, additive manufacturing, and test. You will own safety, quality, cost, and schedule on a multi-disciplinary site with DoD standards.

The role requires citizenship and the potential for a secret clearance, 10+ years in manufacturing leadership, and a track record standing up complex facilities.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship. Secret clearance current or obtainable.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Facilities, or related field — or equivalent plant-leadership experience on complex hardware.
• 10+ years in manufacturing operations, including 5+ years leading people on a production floor.
• Proven stand-up, remodel, or commissioning of a factory, production hall, or major line — including contractor oversight and mechanical, electrical plumbing (MEP) /utility coordination from construction or retrofit to live production.
• Hands‑on operations in at least two of: precision electro‑mechanical assembly, aerospace/defense hardware, additive manufacturing, or factory test,
• Working knowledge of a certified production quality system (AS9100, ISO 9001, or equivalent) and Enterprise Resource Planning work‑order execution.
• Documented ownership of Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost.

Responsibilities

• Lead facility remodel from plan through beneficial occupancy: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, process utilities, power distribution, fire/life safety, compressed air, and production-floor infrastructure.
• Translate production requirements (additive cells, assembly lines, test cells, energetics/battery handling as applicable, special processes, receiving and shipping) into layouts, utility loads, environmental controls, and construction packages.
• Manage contractors, Architectural and Engineering partners, inspectors, utilities, and city/county permitting. Hold schedule, budget, change orders, and punch lists.
• Commission equipment and utilities with manufacturing engineering, environment, health, safety, quality, and Information Technology / Operational Technology so the factory is production-ready — not just construction-complete.
• Build the plant operating system: access control, hazardous-material storage, emergency action, lockout/tagout, and maintenance.
• Stand up and run daily operations across additive manufacturing, missile structure and subsystem assembly, integration, and factory/acceptance test.
• Deliver Safety, Quality, Rate, Cost, and On-time Delivery. Set the visual management and tier-meeting cadence the floor actually uses.
• Convert engineering intent into executable standard work: work orders, staffing, shift patterns, material presentation, and recovery when the line stops.
• Partner with manufacturing engineering on process capability, tooling, work instructions, first-pass yield, and the path from LRIP toward rate.
• Align production planning with program milestones, customer deliveries, and test windows.
• Assist with vertical integration decision-making with the focus on lead time, cost, quality, and program risk.
• Establish and qualify internal cells to AS9100D and customer requirements.
• Build receiving, inspection, inventory, and internal logistics for a factory that is taking work back from the supply base.
• Ensure vertical integration shortens the critical path instead of becoming one.
• Hire, train, and lead supervisors, team leads, technicians, and support staff. Build a bench that can run more than one shift as volume grows.
• Set a non-negotiable safety culture on a weapons manufacturing floor.
• Run the plant inside AS9100D, ITAR, DFARS, OSHA, NFPA, local codes, and customer security requirements.
• Be the manufacturing voice to leadership and customers on plant readiness, rate, cost, and risk.

Skills

10+ years manufacturing operations

5+ years leading people on a prod. flo

Factory stand-up / remodel

Secret clearance

Lean / process improvement

Certified quality systems knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Operations/Facilities

Tools

MEP coordination

AS9100D awareness

Job description

CoAspire in Northern Virginia is seeking a Plant and Production Manager to lead the remodel and commissioning of a new missile production facility and to run daily operations across precision assembly, additive manufacturing, and test. You will own safety, quality, cost, and schedule on a multi-disciplinary site with DoD standards.

The role requires citizenship and the potential for a secret clearance, 10+ years in manufacturing leadership, and a track record standing up complex facilities.