Engineering Program Manager Jobs in Baton Rouge, LA

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Full Time Baton Rouge, LA, US

Salary Range: $165,000.00 To $180,000.00 Annually

Mechanical Engineering Manager

Position Summary

The Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day execution of the engineering organization while establishing the processes, discipline, and operational framework required to support a rapidly growing aerospace and defense technology company. Reporting directly to the COO, this role provides leadership for a multidisciplinary team consisting of Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Test Engineering, CAD Design, and Configuration Management personnel.

The successful candidate will be a strong engineering leader capable of managing technical teams, implementing scalable processes, coordinating cross-functional execution, and driving accountability throughout the product development lifecycle. While this position is not expected to perform significant individual engineering design work, the individual must possess sufficient technical depth to evaluate engineering approaches, communicate effectively with technical teams, facilitate decision-making, and ensure sound engineering execution.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary engineering organization consisting of Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Test Engineering, CAD Design, and Configuration Management personnel.
• Provide direct leadership, coaching, performance management, and career development for a team of approximately 10-15 engineering professionals.
• Establish a culture of accountability, technical rigor, continuous improvement, and professional development.
• Drive engineering staffing plans, workforce forecasting, hiring activities, onboarding, and organizational growth initiatives.
• Manage contractor resources and engineering resource allocation across multiple programs and development efforts.
• Develop future engineering leaders and support succession planning activities.
• Partner with technical subject matter experts and Chief Engineers to ensure effective alignment between technical strategy and execution.
• Own engineering procedures and work instructions within the AS9100 Quality Management System.

Engineering Process & Governance

• Own and continuously improve the company’s engineering processes and product development framework.
• Establish scalable engineering processes that support organizational growth, new product introduction, and operational excellence.
• Define, implement, and maintain engineering procedures, work instructions, standards, and best practices.
• Ensure engineering activities comply with AS9100 requirements and applicable customer, regulatory, and contractual obligations.
• Drive process standardization and organizational consistency across engineering disciplines.
• Lead engineering continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing technical debt, increasing efficiency, and improving product development outcomes.

Configuration Management Ownership

• Own the engineering configuration management system and associated governance processes.
• Establish and maintain product baseline management processes.
• Ensure proper configuration control throughout the product lifecycle.
• Maintain governance over CAD and PDM systems, engineering documentation, and design records.
• Establish and enforce part numbering standards, release procedures, and engineering document control processes.
• Conduct configuration audits and ensure compliance with internal and external requirements.

Design Review & Technical Governance

• Serve as chairperson for formal engineering reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, PRR, and other lifecycle review activities.
• Establish review criteria, review readiness requirements, and closure expectations.
• Drive accountability for action item completion and risk mitigation activities.
• Approve engineering releases and ensure designs meet established quality, technical, manufacturing, and program requirements.
• Facilitate communication and decision-making between technical teams, program leadership, and executive management.
• Partner with Chief Engineers and technical authorities to ensure appropriate technical oversight and engineering rigor.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Program Management to ensure alignment between technical execution, schedules, resources, and program objectives.
• Collaborate with Manufacturing to improve producibility, production readiness, and product transition activities.
• Work closely with Quality to maintain compliance, resolve audit findings, implement corrective actions, and improve engineering quality systems.
• Support Supply Chain and Operations teams in resolving technical supplier issues and configuration-related concerns.
• Coordinate with Test Engineering to ensure verification and validation activities are effectively planned and executed.

Engineering Performance & Metrics

• Establish and maintain engineering performance metrics and organizational KPIs.
• Monitor and improve on-time design release performance.
• Track and manage design review closure effectiveness.
• Monitor engineering utilization and resource loading across programs.
• Manage engineering backlog and resource constraints.
• Track technical debt and support prioritization of corrective actions.
• Monitor requirements verification status and engineering execution performance.
• Provide regular reporting and recommendations to engineering leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in engineering, product development, or technical program execution within aerospace, defense, or other complex hardware development industries.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Demonstrated experience with engineering processes, product development lifecycles, design reviews, and configuration management.
• Experience operating within an AS9100, ISO 9001, or similarly regulated engineering environment.
• Strong understanding of engineering change management, product lifecycle management, and engineering governance principles.
• Proven ability to manage engineering schedules, resources, and organizational priorities.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Ability to successfully pass a background investigation.
• Experience supporting advanced technology development, complex hardware systems, or mission-critical products.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary product development organizations involving mechanical, electrical, software, systems, and test engineering disciplines.
• Aerospace or defense industry experience preferred.

Additional Information

All positions at Bascom Hunter are subject to background investigations. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history and identity verification. Bascom Hunter is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.