Production Lead

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent is required plus a minimum of 10 years relevant experience; or Master's degree plus a minimum of 8 years relevant experience to meet managerial expectations.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Department of Defense Secret security clearance is preferred at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

General Dynamics Mission Systems has an immediate opening for a Production Lead for the GHOST SWATH Small Unmanned Surface Vessel (sUSV) project. This senior leadership role will be responsible for overseeing the entire production process of the GHOST prototype and subsequent production units, ensuring alignment with technical, logistical, quality, and cost objectives. The Production Lead will define the internal and external resources necessary for successful program execution, including material procurement, subcontractor management, and integration of advanced systems. The role requires collaboration with cross-functional teams and external partners to ensure GHOST meets customer and DoD specifications for operational readiness. General Dynamics Mission Systems employees work closely with esteemed customers to develop solutions that allow them to carry out high-stakes national security missions.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES AND TASKS:

· Production Strategy Development: Define and implement comprehensive production strategies, including internal resource allocation, subcontractor engagement, material procurement, and integration of advanced systems to meet program objectives.

· Program Planning and Execution: Develop and execute detailed project plans, schedules, budgets, and deliverables, ensuring alignment with business objectives related to revenue, margin, quality, and time-to-market.

· Risk and Opportunity Management: Identify and manage risks and opportunities, developing executable strategies to meet technical requirements and budgets, and implementing corrective actions as necessary.

· Cross-Functional Team Leadership: Lead and manage cross-functional teams, including engineering, manufacturing, procurement, and quality assurance, to achieve schedule, cost, and technical performance objectives.

· Customer and Stakeholder Engagement: Interface with customers on technical matters regarding the program, developing customer relationships and identifying new business opportunities within the market.

· Compliance and Quality Assurance: Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, standards, and policies, and oversee quality assurance processes to meet customer requirements.

· Financial Management: Manage program financials, including revenue, cost, and profit, and develop and execute proposal plans and strategies.

· Personnel Development: Develop personnel to ensure efficient operation, delegating assignments and providing guidance for developing solutions.

· Proposal and Negotiation Leadership: Lead proposal preparation, negotiation, budgeting, performance measurement, and profit generation activities, and effectively engage in complex negotiations involving various aspects of the business area.

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

· Extensive knowledge of products and technologies including current and potential applications

· Extensive knowledge of target customer markets

· Ability to generate cohesive program plans and establish adherence to budgets, schedules, work plans, and performance requirements.

· Ability to identify partnership candidates best suited to fill product gaps

· Demonstrated leadership of a major program with significant delivery or technical risk

· Skilled in the development and implementation of product/program strategy and tactics

· Extensive understanding of business and supply chain strategy

· Ability to develop and implement a product-oriented WBS and WBS Dictionary

· Ability to track work accomplished to baseline plans and identify issues, track progress, and follow through on effective corrective actions based on data analysis and trends

· Skilled in communicating issues, impacts, and corrective actions on programs to internal and external representatives.

· Ability to lead teams in matrix organizations, applying advanced negotiation skills to solve internal, external, and customer issues.

· Ability to lead others in team building, conflict resolution, motivation, leadership and advanced risk management

· Ability to apply advanced negotiation skills to solve internal, external and customer issues

· Will interact frequently with internal personnel and outside representatives at various levels

· Skilled in communicating issues, impacts, and corrective actions on programs to internal and external representatives

· Needs ability to execute company policies that affect immediate operations

· Extensive ability to understand and analyze program financial data

· Outstanding relationship management and marketing skills

· Expert risk and opportunity management skills and ability to apply them to programs

· Ability to evaluate quality of work product to ensure satisfaction of customer requirements

· Extensive understanding of business and supply chain strategy, and government contracting practices and regulations regarding acquisition.

· Ability to develop and execute proposal plans and strategies

· Erroneous decisions or failure to achieve results may jeopardize the business execution plan at the Division/Line of Business level or within an organization of a functional area

· Extensive knowledge of MS Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and AI

· Travel is required

· May be responsible for hire/fire decisions

PREFERRED DEGREE TYPES AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s Degree (Required):

· Naval Architecture or Marine Engineering: Strongly recommended due to the emphasis on vessel design, propulsion systems, and maritime applications.

· Mechanical Engineering: Provides a solid foundation for managing production processes, systems integration, and technical performance.

· Electrical Engineering: Particularly valuable given the hybrid propulsion system, AI/ML components, and autonomous technologies in GHOST.

· Aerospace Engineering: Offers relevant expertise in high-tech production processes, systems management, and large-scale production environments.

· Industrial Engineering: Helps in understanding optimization of production lines, resource management, and improving efficiency.

Master’s Degree (Preferred but not required):

· Master’s in Engineering Management (MEM), MBA (Master of Business Administration), and/or Master’s in Naval Architecture or Marine Systems

Minimum Experience (15+ years preferred):

· Naval Architecture: Extensive experience in naval architecture, particularly in small craft or specialty vessel design. Knowledge of SWATH hulls, hybrid propulsion systems, AI/ML integration, and the integration of modular payloads is essential.

· Shipbuilding/Maritime: Deep knowledge of modular shipbuilding processes, including designing for ease of assembly and optimizing workflows for small, high-performance vessels. Experience in production scaling from prototype to full production, including managing subcontractors (subKs) and ensuring compliance with military standards.

· Hybrid Propulsion Systems and Advanced Technologies: Expertise in managing hybrid propulsion systems, autonomous capabilities, and other complex technologies that are integral to the GHOST design.

· Program or Production Management: Significant experience managing production for complex defense systems, especially unmanned or optionally manned surface vessels (USVs). This includes leading production teams, managing budgets, and ensuring quality and compliance with defense standards.

· Experience in managing hybrid propulsion systems, modular payloads, AI/ML integration, or other advanced technologies relevant to the GHOST system.

· Experience with DoD contracts: Particularly in Other Transaction Authorities (OTA), Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP), and Full-Rate Production (FRP), as well as compliance with ITAR regulations.

Specific Experience

Aerospace and Defense: Leadership in high-tech production environments, especially those involving unmanned systems or advanced technologies.

Shipbuilding/Maritime: Extensive background in managing production for commercial or military vessels, especially small craft or specialty ships. This is critical for understanding hull forms, propulsion systems, and integration of defense technologies.

Certifications and Skills:

· Naval Architecture or Marine Engineering Certification: Preferred certifications or recognition in naval architecture, particularly for SWATH hull designs.

· Project Management Professional (PMP): Demonstrates expertise in managing complex projects with a focus on risk management, scheduling, and cost control.

· Lean Manufacturing/Six Sigma Certification: Experience in applying these methodologies to improve production efficiency, quality, and cost reduction.

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans