Manufacturing Manager – Hypersonics Machining

At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customers’ success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainably. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business.

Are you ready for your next career challenge?

Leidos’ Defense Manufacturing Team is seeking a Hypersonics Machining Manager to lead the establishment of a new machining facility in Huntsville, Alabama.  The Machining Manager is responsible for activating, establishing, and leading a high-performing machining operation supporting future production requirements. This role combines strong technical expertise in CNC machining and programming with demonstrated experience in non-metallic machining, facility activation, production ramp-up, and manufacturing operations leadership.

The Machining Manager will lead the transition from facility and equipment readiness through stable production, establishing the people, equipment, and tooling required to achieve sustained performance.

The position has direct accountability for Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery (SQCD) for the team and is expected to drive operational excellence, continuous improvement, and production scalability.

Essential Functions

Facility Activation & Production Readiness

• Lead facility activation and machining operation start-up, including equipment installation, commissioning, qualification, and production release.
• Develop and execute integrated readiness plans covering equipment, tooling, fixturing, CNC programming, processes, staffing, training, material flow, inspection, and production controls.
• Establish machining cells, work centers, material flow, standard work, and visual management.
• Identify and resolve facility, equipment, tooling, workforce, and process constraints impacting production readiness and ramp-up.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Facilities, EHS, and Program Management to achieve manufacturing milestones.

Machining & Technical Leadership

• Provide operational and technical leadership for CNC machining, programming, tooling, work holding, and process optimization.
• Apply demonstrated expertise in non-metallic machining to enable an aggressive equipment activation and qualification timeline.
• Partner with CNC programming and Manufacturing Engineering to review and optimize CNC programs and machining processes to improve cycle time, tool life, quality, and equipment utilization.
• Troubleshoot complex machining and process issues and coordinate solutions with machinists and the technical support team. 
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Quality to establish machining standards, work instructions, setup procedures, and process documentation.

Safety, Quality, Cost & Delivery

• Own and continuously improve SQCD performance for the machining organization.
• Establish a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with EHS requirements and machine safety standards.
• Drive first-time-right manufacturing and reduction of scrap, rework, defects, and process variation.
• Manage labor, tooling, consumables, scrap, equipment utilization, and other manufacturing costs.
• Establish and monitor metrics including OEE, utilization, cycle time, labor efficiency, scrap, rework, and schedule performance.
• Own production execution and ensure machining capacity and output support program schedules and customer commitments.
• Lead structured problem solving and continuous-improvement initiatives.

People & Organization Leadership

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of machinists, CNC programmers, leads, supervisors, and manufacturing personnel.
• Establish workforce plans, training requirements, and qualification processes to support facility activation and production ramp.
• Recruit, develop, and retain machining talent.
• Promote a culture of accountability, technical excellence, safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
• Maintain a visible, hands-on leadership presence on the manufacturing floor.

Key Performance Expectations

The successful candidate will establish a safe, capable, scalable, and production-ready machining operation, with measurable improvement in:

• Facility and equipment readiness
• Production capacity and utilization
• CNC process stability and capability
• Schedule and delivery performance
• First-pass yield and quality
• Scrap and rework
• Labor and manufacturing cost
• OEE and equipment effectiveness
• Workforce capability and staffing readiness
• Overall SQCD performance

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field with 8+ years of prior relevant work experience or a Master’s degree with 6+years of prior relevant work experience in a manufacturing, machining, or operations environment.
• 8+ years of progressive machining/manufacturing experience, including leadership responsibility in a production environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing CNC machining operations.
• Strong technical knowledge of CNC programming, machining processes, tooling, workholding, feeds and speeds, and process optimization.
• Demonstrated experience with non-metallic machining
• Demonstrated experience activating, launching, relocating, or standing up a manufacturing facility or production operation.
• Experience with equipment installation, commissioning, qualification, process validation, and production ramp-up.
• Demonstrated accountability for Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery (SQCD).
• Experience leading technical and production personnel in a machining environment.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and continuous-improvement principles.

• Strong problem-solving, communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

• Candidate must be a resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville - North Alabama, AL area.

• Candidate must be a US Citizen and possess a Secret Clearance in order to be considered for the role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience establishing a machining operation from greenfield or near-greenfield conditions.
• Aerospace, defense, space, automotive, or other highly regulated manufacturing experience.
• Advanced experience with composite or non-metallic materials and associated machining processes.
• Experience with multi-axis CNC machining and complex geometries.
• Experience with CNC programming platforms such as Mastercam, NX CAM, GibbsCAM, Fusion, or equivalent.
• Experience with ERP/MRP and/or Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
• Experience managing multiple shifts and production ramp-up.
• Familiarity with AS9100, ISO 9001, or comparable quality-management systems.
• Experience implementing OEE, visual management, daily management, and other manufacturing operating systems.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.