CMA Operations Manager

Applications will be accepted through November 26, 2026. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply early, as application review may begin before the closing date. To ensure full consideration, please submit a complete application by the posted deadline.

This position requires eligibility to access controlled unclassified information (CUI) and export controlled data. Candidates must meet applicable federal requirements, including U.S. person status where required. This role is onsite in Danville, VA.The Pay, Perks, & Benefits* Annual salary: $125,000 - $135,000.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and determined based on market benchmarks and internal equity.

• Virginia Retirement System (VRS) retirement benefits with employer match.
• Vacation, paid sick leave, and paid family leave after one year.
• Paid holidays, including a two-week paid winter break.
• Anthem PPO and HSA medical plans with excellent dental options.

What You Will Do

The Operations Manager leads day-to-day operations within the Center for Manufacturing Advancement (CMA), an ISO 9001:2015-certified precision machining facility specializing in first-article development, prototype manufacturing, and complex low-volume production.

As part of the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AMCOE), the CMA supports advanced subtractive manufacturing and metrology analysis for critical defense and industrial applications.

Working in partnership with internal customers, suppliers, and cross-functional stakeholders, the Operations Manager is responsible for planning, scheduling, and executing the manufacture of precision components while ensuring safe operations, meeting customer quality requirements, and delivering products on schedule.

The Operations Manager leads a team of highly skilled machinists and a planner/scheduler, coordinating production across multi-axis CNC machining centers while partnering closely with Application Engineers responsible for programming and process development and Quality Specialists responsible for metrology analysis.

This position drives continuous improvement initiatives, preventive maintenance programs, and tooling management strategies that support operational efficiency, quality, and schedule performance.

Responsibilities will include:* Lead and execute workforce development plans that build technical proficiency and operational excellence through training in safe work practices, equipment operation, Siemens NX, metrology cross-training, and the organizational, communication, and leadership skills necessary to support a high-performing manufacturing team.

• Translating in-house customer priorities and program management requirements into individual jobs, ensuring work is planned, prioritized, and scheduled within JobBOSS to meet customer commitments and operational objectives.
• Managing the partnership with Application Engineering, communicating production priorities and ensuring CNC programs, fixture designs, and tooling selections are effectively translated into shop-floor execution that delivers quality parts on schedule and in accordance with customer commitments.
• Lead daily manufacturing operations by continuously balancing customer priorities, production schedules, workforce availability, machine capacity, material readiness, and emerging shop-floor challenges, adjusting plans and resources as needed to safely deliver quality parts on time while meeting productivity and cost objectives.
• Monitor production performance, key performance indicators, bottlenecks, and resource constraints, and implement timely corrective actions.
• Coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance to support machine and equipment readiness.
• Create a Lean culture and lead initiatives that improve throughput, quality, and reliability.
• Ensure production activities comply with applicable ITAR, safety, quality, CUI, export-control, and organizational requirements.
• Partner with Engineering and Quality to ensure production readiness and resolve manufacturing issues.
• Partner with the Precision Metrology Lab on dimensional verification, inspection planning, and correlation of shop-floor measurements to final inspection.
• Assist with operating budgets, procurement, spending controls, and capital equipment requests.
• Support customer visits, audits, demonstrations, emergency preparedness, and business continuity activities.

How You Will Help the Team

CMA’s work depends on highly skilled people. You will build and lead a team of experienced machinists, CNC programmers, and technicians who solve complex manufacturing problems, and you will pair technology with workforce capability so improvements carry through to the floor.

Key Responsibilities:* Provide direct supervision, coaching, training, scheduling, and performance management for assigned operations personnel.

• Establish clear expectations for safety, accountability, quality, productivity, and teamwork.
• Support hiring, onboarding, cross-training, skills development, and workforce planning.
• Use production data to improve capacity, resource utilization, equipment uptime, and on-time delivery.
• Collaborate across CMA and IALR to align machining, engineering, quality, facilities, and customer priorities.
• Prepare concise production, staffing, KPI, and operational status reports for leadership.

Your Knowledge and Expertise

You bring practical manufacturing operations experience, sound judgment, and the ability to lead people and production in a precise, customer-focused environment.

Required Qualifications* Associate degree or technical diploma in Precision Machining Technology, Integrated Machining Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Operations Management, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• At least five years of progressive experience in precision machining, advanced manufacturing, production, or manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated experience supervising and developing employees in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of multi-axis CNC machining, CNC programming, fixture design, production planning, scheduling, capacity management, and ERP/MRP systems.
• Experience using operational KPIs and structured problem-solving methods to improve performance.
• Strong communication, organization, judgment, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

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• Demonstrated experience leading a precision machine shop or job shop that produces custom, complex, high-precision parts for customers.
• Experience in an ITAR-controlled or other regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience with ISO quality systems.
• Lean or Six Sigma training.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, naval, or similarly regulated manufacturing programs.

What Makes Working Here Different

You will lead a machine shop built for real manufacturing decisions, not demos. CMA’s CNC Machining Innovation Lab features advanced multi-axis equipment such as the HERMLE C 62 U MT, DMG NLX 2500, and Haas UMC-1250SS, along with wire EDM, additive support, and a production-minded Precision Metrology Lab. Your work will directly support customer commitments and the Navy Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence.

You will help CMA deploy proven technology, strengthen processes, and build workforce capability in ways that deliver results on the floor, while developing a highly skilled team and positioning CMA for sustainable growth.Equal Opportunity Employer. We are an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status.