Missile Production Plant Start-Up Lead

Energy Jobline ZR; Virginia; On-site; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision coverage

401(k) with generous company match

PTO and Federal holidays

Job summary

CoAspire in Northern Virginia seeks a Plant and Production Manager for its first large-scale missile production facility. You will remodel and commission the plant, then run daily operations across additive manufacturing, missile assembly, and test, building internal capability to vertically integrate parts and suppliers.

You will report to the Director of Production Operations and own plant readiness, safety, quality, cost, and people on the line. Secret clearance is required or obtainable.

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 the 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

Leadership

Manufacturing operations

Lean principles

Contractor oversight

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Manufacturing/Operations

Job description

CoAspire in Northern Virginia seeks a Plant and Production Manager for its first large-scale missile production facility. You will remodel and commission the plant, then run daily operations across additive manufacturing, missile assembly, and test, building internal capability to vertically integrate parts and suppliers.

You will report to the Director of Production Operations and own plant readiness, safety, quality, cost, and people on the line. Secret clearance is required or obtainable.