About the Role
This role drives integrated strategies that elevate safety, quality, cost, and delivery while cultivating a culture of disciplined problem-solving and operational rigor. The director oversees the development of data-driven systems and processes that strengthen decision-making, transparency, and compliance across a 1,000-person defense manufacturing facility. They collaborate closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to align improvement initiatives with long-term strategic objectives and customer commitments. Through strong leadership and effective change-management, the director enables sustainable operational excellence and advances the factory’s mission.
Responsibilities
- Lead Lean Six Sigma and CI initiatives: Kaizen events, 5S, VSM, FMEA, root cause analysis, and other best practices.
- Coach and mentor at all organization levels to instill a culture of continuous improvement tools and methodologies.
- Establish KPI tracking, dashboards, and ROI metrics to highlight impact, decision-making and operational performance.
- Shape and execute an industrial engineering strategy that optimizes facility layout, throughput, takt time, labor standards, capacity planning, and simulation modeling.
- Elevate standardized work, visual management, and digital factory tools to ensure consistency and efficiency.
- Design and implement training programs on Lean, Six Sigma, CI tools, industrial engineering, and compliance for all levels of the workforce.
- Establish Lean champions, CI practitioners, and cross-functional improvement teams.
- Oversee continual upskilling to maintain high standards in process discipline and data-driven thinking.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required (Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, or related); Master’s or MBA preferred.
- 12+ years in industrial/operations leadership in regulated or defense manufacturing environments.
- Proven execution of CI initiatives with measurable outcomes in cost, quality, and productivity.
- Demonstrated IE expertise: layout optimization, simulation, takt time, DFMA, and capacity modeling.
- Strong background in compliance with standards like ITAR, AS9100, DFARS, and internal/external audits.
- Experience building BI tools, cross-functional dashboards, and applying data insights in operations.
- Ability to obtain Secret clearance (or higher).
Skills
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt (preferred)
- PMP or similar a plus
- Advanced proficiency with data analysis and BI tools
- Outstanding leadership, communication, facilitation, and change management skills
Location
- Austin, TX
Work Type
- Full-time
- Onsite
Experience Level
- 12+ years
Education Level
- Bachelor's degree
- Master's degree
- MBA
Salary/Compensations
- $153,377 - $260,743
Benefits
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Health savings accounts
- 401(k) savings plan
- Disability coverage
- Life and accident insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Legal plan
- Discounts on home, auto, and pet insurance
- Paid time off
- Paid holidays
- Paid parental leave
- Military leave
- Bereavement leave
- Applicable federal and state sick leave
- Company recognition program
About the Company
- Our employees work on the world’s most advanced electronics.
- At Electronic Systems, you’ll be among the brightest minds, working on the aerospace and defense industry’s most difficult problems.
- Drawing strength from our differences, we’re innovating for the future.
- We put our customers first – exemplified by our missions: “We Protect Those Who Protect Us®” and “We Innovate For Those Who Move The World™.”
- BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services.
- Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it’s what we do at BAE Systems.
- Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts – defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions.
- As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team—making a big impact on a global scale.
- At BAE Systems, you’ll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference.
- Electronic Systems (ES) is the global innovator behind BAE Systems’ game-changing defense and commercial electronics.
- Exploiting every electron, we push the limits of what is possible, giving our customers the edge and our employees opportunities to change the world.
- Our products and capabilities can be found everywhere – from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of space.
- At our core are more than 14,000 highly talented Electronic Systems employees with the brightest minds in the industry, we make an impact – for our customers and the communities we serve.
