Onsite Operations Program Manager (Early Development)

Collins Aerospace; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 108,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Three weeks of vacation

401(k) plan with employer matching

Tuition reimbursement

Employee Assistance Plan

Job summary

Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, IA is seeking an Operations Program Manager (OPM) for the CBEC portfolio to oversee early-stage product development, prototype hardware, and emerging technology programs. This role emphasizes producibility, design influence, and cross-functional alignment to deliver designs cost-effectively.

You will partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Test, and Manufacturing, manage prototype builds, risk, and documentation, and communicate status to leadership.

Qualifications

• University degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, or advanced degree with 5+ years.
• Ability to obtain and maintain U.S. Secret Clearance.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, or regulated industries.
• Experience supporting early development, engineering builds, or prototype hardware with producibility focus.
• Strong technical foundation in factory processes, test strategy, design-for-manufacturing, and operations engineering.
• Ability to influence and align across engineering and operations without formal authority.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a hands-on, detail-oriented approach.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational execution for early development and prototype hardware within CBEC, focusing on design influence, manufacturability, readiness for scale-up.
• Partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Test, and Manufacturing to identify producibility opportunities early.
• Support prototype build planning, hardware readiness reviews, early test strategies, and hands-on issue resolution.
• Drive mitigation of operational risks related to design decisions, manufacturability constraints, test methodologies, and build flows.
• Champion early producibility improvements and capture lessons learned for engineering and process development.
• Translate engineering concepts into manufacturing approaches using industrial and mechanical engineering principles.
• Collaborate with Test Engineering to shape early test strategies balancing maturity, throughput, and cost.
• Support creation and refinement of early build documentation, including prototype BOMs and test processes.
• Lead cross-functional engagement without direct authority and align teams through rapid iterations.

Skills

Producibility focus

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Manufacturing engineering

US citizenship

Education

University degree or advanced degree in a related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, IA is seeking an Operations Program Manager (OPM) for the CBEC portfolio to oversee early-stage product development, prototype hardware, and emerging technology programs. This role emphasizes producibility, design influence, and cross-functional alignment to deliver designs cost-effectively.

You will partner with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Test, and Manufacturing, manage prototype builds, risk, and documentation, and communicate status to leadership.