Senior Director, High-Consequence Manufacturing

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense; Graham (KY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive relocation

Sign-on incentives

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD) seeks a Director of Operations to lead a high-hazard energetics site in Graham, KY. You will own safety, quality, delivery, and cost while scaling operations to meet growing defense and space programs.

The role requires 15+ years in operations leadership, with experience in energetics or explosives, DoD contracts, and strong regulatory knowledge. Expect a safety-first culture and strategic capability development across teams.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of operations leadership in high-hazard manufacturing environments.
• Direct experience in energetics or explosives manufacturing (e.g., propellants, detonators, high explosives such as RDX).
• Background in aerospace & defense or similarly regulated industries.
• Experience supporting DoD programs and contracts.
• Ability to obtain DoD Security Clearance.
• Technical & Regulatory Depth.
• Working knowledge of energetic materials (RDX, HMX, propellants, detonators).
• Strong understanding of explosive safety, hazard analysis, and risk mitigation.
• Experience with ITAR, ATF, and DoD regulatory environments.
• Leadership.
• Proven ability to lead teams in high-consequence environments where safety is critical.
• Track record of driving continuous improvement without compromising safety or quality.
• Experience building teams, developing leaders, and scaling operations through growth.

Responsibilities

• Full-site leadership in a high-mix, low-volume, high-consequence manufacturing environment.
• Ownership of site performance across safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Ensure strict adherence to explosive safety, process controls, and regulatory standards.
• Operate within a PSM-regulated environment with full compliance to federal, DoD, and explosive safety requirements.
• Build and develop teams with a safety-first, accountability-driven culture.
• Drive performance through EBAD’s operating system (EBOS) and lean execution discipline.
• Lead production ramp, capacity expansion, and operational readiness aligned to customer demand.

Skills

Ops leadership

DoD programs

Energetics manufacturing

Regulatory compliance

Explosive safety

ITAR compliance

Leadership

Hazard analysis

Security clearance

Job description

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD) seeks a Director of Operations to lead a high-hazard energetics site in Graham, KY. You will own safety, quality, delivery, and cost while scaling operations to meet growing defense and space programs.

The role requires 15+ years in operations leadership, with experience in energetics or explosives, DoD contracts, and strong regulatory knowledge. Expect a safety-first culture and strategic capability development across teams.