Director of Manufacturing Engineering (McHenry, MS)

Permanent

Mchenry, Mississippi

06 Apr 2026

    Akkodis is recruiting for a Director of Manufacturing Engineering for a defense manufacturer in the McHenry, MS area. This is an onsite direct hire position with a pay range of $190K annually to $210K annually, depending on education, experience and location. Relocation available.
    Ideal candidates should come from highly regulated industries such as automotive, aerospace & defense, medical devices, or high-tech manufacturing.

    • Focused on building prototype rockets and rocket motors

    • Leads ~30–35 employees (mix of production techs + engineers).

      • 20 technicians

    • Oversees manufacturing engineering + production operations.

    • Manages 8–10 high-risk projects simultaneously.

    • Acts as both:

      • Engineering leader

      • Portfolio/program manager

    • Manage new facility + equipment commissioning.

    • Drive process development, automation, and scaling.

    • Guide site in it’s transition from low-rate to full-rate production

    Required Skills:

    • Masters degree or higher in an Engineering Discipline

    • Capable of achieving security clearance

    • Current Director/VP-level leader (not a first-time director).

    • Previous experience transitioning site from low-rate to full-rate production

    • Background in:

      • Highly regulated industries (aerospace, automotive, medical device, pharma)

      • Automation/robotics

      • Process scaling (prototype ? mass production)

    • Strong in:

      • Safety & compliance

      • Equipment/process commissioning

      • Leading large engineering portfolios

    Preferred Skills:

    • Scaling manufacturing

      1. Managing large engineering portfolios

      2. Automation/process engineering

      3. Production process build (safety, producibility, efficiency, and repeatability)

      4. •Tooling

      5. •Automation

      6. •Spare part strategy

      7. •Preventative maintenance schedules

      8. •Optimize uptime

      9. Four primary pillars to role

        • Leadership (low team morale, forming the team, etc)

        • Commissioning - this role needs to be primary leader for commissioning activity and success

        • Uptime optimization

        • Expansion (new commissioning) 

    If interested, forward resume to tina.johnsonkelley@akkodisgroup.com or click apply now.


     



    Pay Details: $190,000.00 to $210,000.00 per year

    Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled

    Military connected talent encouraged to apply

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    The Company will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and/or security clearance requirements, including, as applicable:
    • The California Fair Chance Act
    • Los Angeles City Fair Chance Ordinance
    • Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers
    • San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance


    Massachusetts Candidates Only: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.