Own the business unit P&L, including revenue, gross margin, operating income, bookings, backlog, and cash flow.
Develop and deliver the annual operating plan and multi-year strategic plan, and report performance to executive leadership.
Set cost structure and investment priorities, including internal R&D (IR&D) and capital spending, and establish business unit metrics, operating rhythm, and governance consistent with company standards.
Design the business unit's organizational structure, roles, and staffing plan in line with the FY27 organization design.
Recruit, hire, and develop a leadership team across engineering, quality, safety, program management, and operations.
Create and sustain common product architectures and reuse across customers and platforms.
Own Intellectual property and data-rights strategy, supported by legal/contracts.
Identify and create clear boundaries between customer-funded development, internal product investment, and bespoke engineering.
Responsible for Product portfolio profitability, pricing, and lifecycle investment decisions.
Build a culture of accountability, engineering discipline, and customer focus, and define processes for product development, program execution, and quality that scale as the unit grows.
Define the product and platform roadmap based on customer requirements, Navy and DoW priorities, and competitive position.
Lead products through the full lifecycle (concept, design, prototyping, test, qualification, production, and sustainment), ensuring they meet applicable military standards, cybersecurity requirements, and shipboard integration requirements.
Build and maintain executive relationships with shipbuilders and shipyards (e.g., HII, General Dynamics Electric Boat, Bath Iron Works, NASSCO, Austal USA, Fincantieri Marinette Marine) and their supplier networks.
Engage government customers, including NAVSEA, relevant Program Executive Offices, and other DoD organizations, to align products with program needs and position the business unit for new-construction, modernization, and sustainment programs.
Represent company at industry events, customer reviews, and with industry associations.
Collaborate with growth and finance to build a qualified pipeline, lead capture and proposal strategy for major pursuits, and shape bid decisions, pricing, and proposal content.
Identify adjacent markets and platforms where the unit's products can be extended.
Ensure programs are delivered on schedule, within budget, and to quality and technical requirements, and manage technical, schedule, supply chain, and financial risks across the portfolio.
Maintain compliance with FAR/DFARS, ITAR/EAR, CMMC, and company policies, and support earned value management across multiple sites and product lines.
Qualifications:
Must have a Bachelor's degree in engineering, naval architecture, or a related technical field and at least 15 years of experience in the defense or maritime industry, including 7+ years in senior leadership roles.
Must have demonstrated P&L ownership for a business unit, product line, or division of $45M or more.
Must have direct experience working with U.S. shipbuilders, including shipboard systems integration, supplier management, or program delivery.
Must have a proven track record of taking products from concept to delivery and fielding in the defense ecosystem.
Must have experience building or scaling an organization, including hiring senior leaders.
Must have working knowledge of DoD acquisition, contracting, and Navy program structure.
Must have strong strategic thinking and business acumen, with the ability to turn market and customer insight into a clear product and growth strategy and manage the financial levers of a P&L.
Must have the ability to earn trust with shipbuilders, primes, and government customers, hold teams accountable to clear goals, and operate with the ethics and compliance standards expected in the defense industry.
Desired Qualifications:
Experience in a start-up, new business unit, or turnaround inside a larger defense company, preferred.
Background with NAVSEA, a Navy PEO, or a prime contractor's shipbuilding program office, preferred.
Experience with M&A integration, teaming agreements, or strategic partnerships, preferred.
Familiarity with digital engineering, model-based systems engineering (MBSE), or open architecture platforms, preferred.
Security RequirementsMust have an active Secret or Top Secret clearance, or the ability to obtain and maintain one. U.S. citizenship is required.
Travel Requirements:
Travel up to [30–40]% to shipyards, customer sites, test sites, and industry events.
If position requires travel by domestic flight or access to secure federal facilities/military bases, candidate must be able to obtain (by start of position) and maintain appropriate identification credentials, such as REAL ID.
