Principal Specialist, Operating System

Collins Aerospace; Foley (AL); On-site; USD 87,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Three weeks vacation

401(k) with match

Tuition reimbursement

Student Loan Repayment

Life insurance

Disability coverage

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Collins Aerospace is seeking a Principal Specialist, Operating System, to lead CORE deployment onsite at the Foley, AL facility. You will drive continuous improvement, governance, and enterprise initiatives across programs such as Boeing and Airbus.

You will mentor leadership on operational excellence and sustainment of CI methodologies. You will work in production areas, lead Kaizen events, and manage KPI improvements while ensuring safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a university degree and minimum 5 years of experience or an advanced degree with 3+ years.
• U.S. Person – job requires access to ITAR or EAR information or hardware.
• Lean, CORE, Six Sigma, and CI methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction, long-term planning, and governance of CORE deployment across the assigned program.
• Align CI priorities with business strategy, cost reduction goals, productivity improvements, quality enhancements, and customer commitments.
• Serve as advisor to program leadership on operational excellence and CORE maturity development.
• Oversee complex, cross-functional improvement initiatives impacting productivity and cost structure.
• Lead Kaizen events, Lean transformations, and structured problem-solving for sustainable changes.
• Define and track enterprise-level KPI improvements driven by CORE initiatives.
• Ensure governance with maturity assessments, action plans, and progress reporting to CORE manager.
• Use data-driven insights to identify systemic issues and long-term improvements.
• Partner with CORE leaders to standardize CI practices across the site.
• Share lessons learned and scalable solutions with RTX CI community.

Skills

Lean

Six Sigma

CI

CORE

Education

University degree

Advanced degree

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-11-05

Country: United States of America

Location: US-AL-FOLEY-1300 ~ 1300 W Fern Ave ~ OEM BLDG

Position Role Type: Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: This job requires a U.S. Person. A U.S. Person is a lawful permanent resident as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20) or who is a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, U.S. permanent residents, or individuals granted refugee or asylee status in the U.S. are considered U.S. persons. For a complete definition of "U.S. Person" go here. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/chapter-I/subchapter-M/part-120/subpart-C/section-120.62

Security Clearance Type: None/Not Required

Security Clearance Status: Not Required

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world's most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

We are looking for a Principal Specialist, Operating System, to work onsite at our Foley, AL OEM facility. You will serve as the tactical leader for Continuous Improvement, responsible for advancing and sustaining the CORE (Customer Oriented Results & Excellence) operating system across the assigned program, such as Boeing, Business Jet, Airbus and Site Mall functions. In this role you will provide leadership, governance, and execution oversight of enterprise improvement initiatives that enhance operational performance, operational maturity, waste elimination, and cultural adoption of CI methodologies.

What You Will Do:

• Lead the strategic direction, long-term planning, and governance of CORE deployment across the assigned program.
• Align CI priorities with business strategy, cost reduction goals, productivity improvements, quality enhancements, and customer commitments.
• Serve as advisor to program leadership teams on operational excellence, transformation planning, and CORE maturity development.
• Oversee complex, cross-functional improvement initiatives that impact productivity, operational headcount, cost structure, delivery performance, scrap/rework/repair reduction, equipment reliability, hours reduction and safety.
• Leads Kaizen events, Lean transformations, and structured problem‑solving activities; ensure outcomes translate into sustainable process changes.
• Define and track enterprise-level KPI improvements driven by CORE initiatives.
• Ensure effective project governance, including maturity assessments, rigorous action plan management, and reporting progress to site CORE manager.
• Use data‑driven insights to identify systemic issues, risk areas, and long‑term performance improvement opportunities.
• Partner with other CORE program leaders and functional leaders across the business to standardize best practices, CI methodologies, and site operating system maturity.
• Influence the broader RTX CI community by sharing lessons learned, scalable solutions, and enterprise improvement strategies.
• Ensure CORE initiatives meet all applicable safety, quality, regulatory, and compliance requirements.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and operational excellence across all assigned areas.
• Work will involve being present in production areas with noise, machinery, and industrial environmental conditions.
• Travel up to 25%.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a university degree and minimum 5 years of prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 3 years of experience.
• U.S. Person - Job requires access to ITAR or 600/500-series EAR information or hardware (directly or indirectly) and the company will not seek an export authorization for this role.
• Lean, CORE, Six Sigma, and CI methodologies.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Lean/Six Sigma certification (Black Belt or equivalent CORE Certification).
• University degree in Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, or related field.
• Experience in the manufacturing/automotive industry

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance,critical illnessinsurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Carrot Health for hormonal health, fertility, and family building
• Adoption Assistance
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• And more!

May be eligible for relocation.

Our Advanced Structures team leverages advanced materials and additive manufacturing to develop complex interior and exterior solutions. These solutions ensure structural integrity of the aircraft, help aircraft take off and land, stay trim in the air, move forward, carry cargo and conduct rescues. We delight our customers with superior products and best-in-class service. Our global team is committed to continuous improvement - we work hard to make our solutions lighter-weight, stronger and more technically advanced, so that plane travel can be safer, more affordable and more sustainable in the years to come. We are looking for the best and brightest to fly and land with us!

Please ensure the role type (defined below) is appropriate for your needs before applying to this role.

Onsite

Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form - with our customers and with each other - propel us all higher, again and again.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in‑person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 86,800 USD - 165,200 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability