Production Manager

Raptor Scientific; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mixed CNC/Conventional

AS9100/ITAR familiarity

CAPA experience

Training program design

Engineering degree or hands-on

Job summary

Raptor Scientific in Huntsville is seeking an operations leader to run the production floor and machine shop, aligning machining, assembly, and quality to meet tight delivery dates.

You will interpret drawings, resolve bottlenecks in real time, document methods, and drive continuous improvement with a team of skilled machinists and technicians.

This role requires hands-on leadership, disciplined execution, and excellent communication with senior management.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading or supervising in a precision machine shop.
• Ability to read machining drawings, GD&T, and specs.
• Strong knowledge of setups, tooling, and material behavior.
• Earn trust quickly with machinists and communicate with leadership.
• Structured approach to production tracking and root-cause analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily machine shop and production activity to deliver throughput and meet delivery dates.
• Plan production, allocate people and machines, and clear bottlenecks.
• Interpret drawings, settle tolerance questions, and troubleshoot setups at the machine.
• Evaluate manufacturing methods and tooling to raise efficiency and reduce rework.
• Document methods and cross-train to preserve critical skills.
• Ensure finished parts meet drawings and aerospace quality standards.
• Collaborate with the GM, Quality, and suppliers to flag risks early.

Skills

Shop leadership

Blueprint fluency

Machining knowledge

Credibility with machinists

Disciplined production tracking

Job description

Raptor Scientific MedTherm designs and builds thermal measurement instrumentation for aerospace, defense, and space programs. Our sensors and heat flux gauges go into test environments where the data has to be right the first time, because there is rarely a second chance to collect it.

MedTherm has been machining and building these instruments in Huntsville for five decades. That experience lives in the hands and heads of a highly skilled team of machinists and technicians. We are building a culture centered on true ownership, continuous improvement, and technical excellence, and we need an operations leader who can protect what makes this shop great while getting it ready for what comes next.

This is a seat at the table, not a desk away from the floor. You will run both production and the machine shop, sit down with senior machinists over a drawing, sort out a bottleneck in real time, and turn decades of know-how into documented methods the next generation can learn from. If you want to lead a precision operation where your decisions show up directly in the product, Raptor Scientific is where you want to be.

THE WORK

• Run the floor: Lead daily machine shop and production activity to deliver consistent throughput and hit tight customer delivery dates.
• Own the schedule: Plan production, allocate people and machines, and clear bottlenecks before they turn into late orders.
• Work the print: Partner with machinists and assembly technicians to interpret drawings, settle tolerance questions, and troubleshoot setups at the machine.
• Improve the process: Evaluate conventional and CNC methods, tooling, and cell capacity, and make the changes that raise efficiency and eliminate rework.
• Capture what we know: Turn MedTherm's specialized methods into accurate work instructions, process documentation, and cross-training matrices so critical skills are never held by one person.
• Hold the standard: Make sure every finished part matches MedTherm drawings, internal quality requirements, and aerospace traceability standards.
• Keep everyone aligned: Work closely with the General Manager, Quality, and outside material and machining suppliers to flag risks early and meet business targets.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Shop leadership: Proven experience leading or supervising work in a precision machine shop or tightly controlled manufacturing environment.
• Blueprint fluency: Strong ability to read and interpret machining drawings, GD&T, and technical specifications, including working backward from a part when the drawing falls short.
• Machining knowledge: Solid working knowledge of setups, material behavior, tooling choices, and the practical limits of what a machine can hold.
• Credibility at every level: The ability to earn trust quickly with experienced machinists and technicians, and to communicate just as clearly with senior leadership.
• Disciplined execution: An organized approach to production tracking, document control, and root cause analysis.

NICE TO HAVE

• Mixed equipment: Experience running both conventional and CNC machining in the same operation. Knowledge of conversational programming for a Mazak machine preferred.
• Regulated environment: Background in an AS9100, ITAR-regulated, aerospace, defense, or precision instrumentation facility.
• Quality systems: Working familiarity with formal quality systems, corrective and preventive action (CAPA), and material traceability.
• Training builder: A track record of building structured training programs and skills-transfer systems.
• Education: A degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent hands-on machine shop experience and professional training.

WHAT MAKES YOU A FIT HERE

Technical skills are important, but your mindset determines your success on our floor. We look for individuals who embody these core values:

• Bias for Action: When a job is falling behind or a setup is not running right, you go to the machine, work the problem with the team, and get it moving instead of waiting for a meeting.
• Intellectual Curiosity: You want to know why a senior machinist does something a certain way before you change it, and you dig until you find the real root cause of a recurring issue.
• Clear Communication: You give the GM an honest read on schedule risk early, and you explain a process change to the floor in plain terms so people understand the reason behind it.
• Likes to Win: On-time shipments, a clean first article, and a team that is better trained this year than last year are how you measure a good month.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States and eligible to receive any required U.S. Export Control authorization. Raptor Scientific is an equal opportunity employer.