Special Tooling Group Manager

About the role

You will lead, develop, and retain a multidisciplinary team of tooling engineers, designers, and technicians; establish performance expectations, individual development plans, and succession pathways. You will establish, publish, and enforce tooling group policies and standard operating procedures governing design, fabrication, inspection, maintenance, and disposition of all special tooling. You own and manage government and company property control systems in compliance with FAR 52.245 and applicable contract requirements; conduct periodic property audits and reconciliations. You will oversee configuration management (CM) of all special tooling assets, including documentation, revision control, traceability, and engineering change order (ECO) processing. You apply and enforce Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5 across tooling design, drawing review, and inspection planning activities. You interface with manufacturing engineering, design engineering, quality assurance, and program management to define and execute tooling strategies from concept through production. You direct tooling inspection planning, first-article inspection (FAI), and periodic calibration/recertification campaigns; ensure tooling meets dimensional, functional, and safety requirements.

Key facts

What you'll do

Lead, develop, and retain a multidisciplinary team of tooling engineers, designers, and technicians; establish performance expectations, individual development plans, and succession pathways.

Establish, publish, and enforce tooling group policies and standard operating procedures governing design, fabrication, inspection, maintenance, and disposition of all special tooling.

Own and manage government and company property control systems in compliance with FAR 52.245 and applicable contract requirements; conduct periodic property audits and reconciliations.

Oversee configuration management (CM) of all special tooling assets, including documentation, revision control, traceability, and engineering change order (ECO) processing.

Apply and enforce Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) per ASME Y14.5 across tooling design, drawing review, and inspection planning activities.

Interface with manufacturing engineering, design engineering, quality assurance, and program management to define and execute tooling strategies from concept through production.

Direct tooling inspection planning, first-article inspection (FAI), and periodic calibration/recertification campaigns; ensure tooling meets dimensional, functional, and safety requirements.

Own tooling capital planning, including asset acquisition, maintenance scheduling, storage, and disposition in coordination with facilities and supply chain.

Represent the tooling group at design reviews (PDR, CDR) and manufacturing readiness reviews (MRR), providing tooling readiness assessments and risk mitigation plans.

Manage tooling budget, schedule, and resource allocation in alignment with program milestones and cost account objectives.

Collaborate with supply chain and procurement for outsourced tooling fabrication and machining services; oversee supplier quality and on-time delivery.

Drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce tooling lead times, recurring costs, and nonconformance rates.

Ensure compliance with ITAR, export control regulations, and all government property requirements; support DCMA/government oversight activities and audits.

Champion safety, FOD (Foreign Object Damage/Debris) prevention, and quality standards across all tooling operations.

Requirements

You must possess a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a relevant engineering discipline from an accredited college/university.

You must have 15 or more years of progressive experience in tooling engineering or manufacturing engineering in aerospace or defense, with demonstrated support of solid rocket motor (SRM) or propulsion programs.

You must prove experience building, leading, and developing tooling or manufacturing engineering teams in a structured program environment.

You must demonstrate experience establishing or substantially revising tooling group policies and operational procedures.

You must have direct experience with government and or company property control systems, including compliance with FAR 52.245 or equivalent property management regulations.

You must apply and interpret GD&T per ASME Y14.5 in a manufacturing and inspection context with hands-on configuration management experience for tooling records including design changes, ECO processing, and traceability through the manufacturing lifecycle.

You must have broad familiarity with aerospace manufacturing and inspection processes: precision machining, composite tooling, assembly fixtures, welding, CMM, optical measurement, and functional gauging.

You must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD security clearance; active clearance is preferred and U.S. citizenship is required.

Nice to have

Experience supporting Missile Defense Agency (MDA) programs with MAP/PMAP requirements.

Lean or Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or higher) with demonstrated application to tooling operations.

Experience with ERP/MRP systems for tooling asset tracking and work order management (SAP, Oracle, or equivalent).

Familiarity with DCMA audit processes, contractor government property (CGP) systems, and compliance documentation.

Experience with SRM motor case, nozzle, or divert/attitude control system (DACS) tooling is highly desirable.

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or related discipline from an accredited college/university.

Practical notes

Must be able to travel approximately 10% of the time to support program needs, supplier visits, and customer or government reviews.

You must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD security clearance (U.S. citizenship required); active Secret clearance preferred.

The good faith base salary range for this role is $180,000 - $230,000 at the time of this posting. Where you fall within the range depends on your experience, skills, and location. This range reflects base salary only and does not include benefits or bonus/incentive. This range may be adjusted in the future.

Voyager offers a highly competitive total compensation package designed to support the well-being, growth, and success of our employees. Employees benefit from a flexible and comprehensive rewards program that supports both professional and personal well-being. You will enjoy Flexible Time Off (FTO), empowering you to take the time you need to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance. You will have comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families, with a significant portion of premiums covered by the company and many benefits paid at 100% for employees. You will have flexible, affordable gym memberships with 12,700+ options nationwide, including 24 Hour Fitness, EoS Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Blink Fitness, Chuze Fitness, and more, with no long-term contracts and FREE on-demand workout videos before you enroll. You will participate in a 401(k) retirement plan with a 50% company match on contributions up to 8%, supporting long-term financial security. You will have access to company wellness programs that support physical and mental well-being. You will have additional voluntary benefits and employee support resources. You will work alongside a highly talented team in an innovative, mission-driven environment.

Voyager is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR Parts 120-130) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR Parts 730-774), applicants for this position must be a U.S. Person: a US Citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3). Applicants must be eligible to obtain any required export authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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