US Defense Programs - Producibility Manufacturing Engineering Lead

Job Title: US Defense Programs - Producibility Manufacturing Engineering Lead

Working Pattern: Fulltime - Hybrid

Working location: Indianapolis, IN

As the Producibility Lead for US Defense Production Programs, you will report to the Chief Engineer of T56/Helo/Defense Operations Design Engineering Group, you will lead component producibility and manufacturing engineering activities on behalf of all the US Defense Production Programs (T56, Helicopters, Lift Systems, and AE Engines). 

You will act as Technical Authority, assuring the initial and continuing capability of the method of production to produce product conforming to design definition, and ensuring the resolution of technical issues/problems/arisings, to meet business and customer requirements for safety, quality, cost, deliver rate and lead time (SQCD).

You will integrate all Manufacturing Engineering activities across Design engineering and internal and external supply chain teams.

Why Rolls-Royce?

Rolls-Royce is one of the most enduring and iconic brands in the world and has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century. We design, build and service systems that provide critical power to customers where safety and reliability are paramount.

We are proud to be a force for progress, powering, protecting and connecting people everywhere.

We want to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that has shaped our history continues into our future and we need people like you to come and join us on this journey.

Rolls-Royce has been recognized as the top employer in the Engineering & Manufacturing category on the prestigious Forbes Top Employers for Engineers list for 2025. This ranking highlights our commitment to innovation, employee development, and fostering a collaborative environment where engineers can thrive.

At Rolls-Royce, we are committed to creating a workplace where all employees feel respected, supported, and empowered to do their best work. We foster a welcoming and innovative work environment that invests in you, giving you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference.

Rolls-Royce is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristics.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build external relationships: Manage, develop and maintain effective relationships within internal and external supply chain, ensure the requirements are understood and maximized, coach when required to deliver a successful outcome in line with the requirements and commitment of Rolls-Royce

• Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing: Operate as an active member of the global Manufacturing Engineering leadership team, proactively supporting cross-Business collaboration, knowledge sharing, skills and process development to best utilize the available resources to deliver business needs and priorities.
• Create strategy: Lead the technical input into the facility or supply chain strategy, including ensuring that Commodity and Manufacturing Process strategy implications are included in relevant capital plans. Integrate Manufacturing Technology, Digital Manufacturing and Product Introduction activities within the business aligned to the Design Engineering team.
• Develop capability: Buy-off the production readiness of new manufacturing capabilities or methods of manufacture on behalf of Defence Design Engineering.
• Develop talent: Working with Design Engineering to ensure Design for Manufacture is implemented across component and system design teams.
• Minimum standards: Working with the Manufacturing Engineering Commodity Leaders and Manufacturing Process Owners, and where applicable with the suppliers, drive manufacturing processes towards identified consistent best practice.
• Agreed FAIR buy-off across design and manufacturing engineering.
• Support Assembly and Test to resolve operational problems, and coordinate with design engineering the long term, robust solutions.
• Product Safety: Responsible for ensuring that product safety risks are understood and mitigated to meet the required safety levels and reduce the safety risks so far as is reasonably practicable. Champion product safety and promote a product safety culture in the supply chain, ensuring learning related to product safety is embedded. Own the manufacturing leg of the Safety Assurance Framework for Defence Mature programs.
• Quality: Promote a culture of zero defects within the area of accountability. Ensure that manufacturing processes and methods of manufacture within the business and suppliers are developed and deployed to support Right First Time manufacture. Coach the community in the use of RRPS, DMAIC and Systems Engineering tools. Ensure compliance to all relevant company, legislative and technical policies and standards.
• Technical Authority: Specify Manufacturing Engineering and process requirements and make technical decisions in relation to the area of accountability.
• Responsible for ensuring that manufacturing processes and methods of manufacture deployed are in full compliance to Health, Safety & Environmental Standards and meet the expectations of the Zero Harm program. Responsible for ensuring that product safety risks are understood and mitigated, and for promoting a product safety culture. Rigorously raise, investigate and resolve safety related issues.
• Promote a culture of zero waste.  Ensure that manufacturing processes and methods of manufacture are designed to achieve the highest quality at the lowest possible cost to the business.
• Deploy mechanisms to govern the achievement of Manufacturing Engineering deliverables, report status, and ensure issues and risks are resolved to meet project timescales. Support the creation of ME load/capacity plans and budgets. Ensure application of manufacturing process controls and within their area of accountability, with authorization subject to appropriate delegation. Act as FAIR signatory, where applicable.
• Develop talent, act as professional leader for their team, ensuring required competences are in place and promoting their development and growth. Build external and internal relationships - manage, develop and maintain beneficial business relationships with technology partners, joint ventures, risk and revenue sharing partners and other designated suppliers.
• Travel Expected for this role

Who we’re looking for:

At Rolls-Royce we put safety first, do the right thing, keep it simple and make a difference. These principles form the behaviours that guide us and are an essential component of our assessment process. They are the fundamental qualities that we seek for all roles.

Basic Requirements:

• Associate’s degree in Engineering with 7 + years of experience with Manufacturing Experience or
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with 5+ years with Manufacturing Experience or
• Master's degree in Engineering with 3+ years with Manufacturing Experience or
• In lieu of degree, 9+ years of experience with Manufacturing Experience
• In order to be considered for this role you must be a US Citizen or US Permanent Resident

Preferred Qualifications:

• Project Management experience in planning, controlling budgets and driving to schedules.
• Domain knowledge commensurate with focus and size of package.
• Understanding of Product Change control including PCB (Product Change Board) and DDRAM (Design Definition Review and Audit Meeting) and Product Introduction Lifecycle Management experience
• Engineering and technical competence, sufficient to enable decision making commensurate with size of package.
• Experience applying Systems approach or equivalent (Robust Design lead, Black belt, etc.).
• Experience in leading an Engineering team.

What we offer

We offer excellent development opportunities, a competitive salary, and exceptional benefits. These include bonus, employee support assistance and employee discounts.

Your needs are as unique as you are. Hybrid working is a way in which our people can balance their time between the office, home, or another remote location.  It’s a locally managed and flexed informal discretionary arrangement. As a minimum we’re all expected to attend the workplace for collaboration and other specific reasons, on average three days per week.

Relocation is not available for this role

Level C (B&P)

Close Date: June 14, 2026

If you have any questions about this requisition, please contact Lisa Haley.

Benefits

Rolls-Royce provides a comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards package that includes base pay and a discretionary bonus plan. Eligible employees may have the opportunity to enroll in other benefits, including health, dental, vision, disability, life and accidental death & dismemberment insurance; a flexible spending account; a health savings account; a 401(k) retirement savings plan with a company match; Employee Assistance Program; Paid Time Off; certain paid holidays; paid parental and family care leave; tuition reimbursement; and a long-term incentive plan. The options available to an employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as date of hire, employment type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.