General Manager

Eleven Recruiting is searching for a Site Manager to lead day-to-day operations at a growing space and defense manufacturer's Seattle-area site, supporting approximately 500 employees. This is a highly visible role with substantial customer interface: the Site Manager will carry P&L-style accountability for the site as an independent cost center and partner closely with Engineering and Program Management to drive execution and growth.

This is not a pure production environment - the site is primarily focused on design, analysis, and test work, so the ideal candidate brings both operational rigor and genuine comfort leading engineering-driven, development-stage work.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the on-site day-to-day leader, with P&L-style ownership of the site as an independent cost center.
• Oversee a design, analysis, and test-heavy operation - bring engineering-ops experience, development-program leadership, and rapid prototyping chops, not just steady-state manufacturing management.
• Partner with Engineering and Program Management under a functional matrix structure - understand development and new product integration well enough to lead it, not just run production.
• Carry a heavy customer-facing load, with significant time in design and program reviews (PDRs, CDRs) and proposal activity - expect this to run 25%+ of the week under normal conditions.
• Review and sign off on a high volume of proposals weekly (program capture itself is handled elsewhere).
• Grow into broader multi-site oversight over time as the right fit develops - not a day-one expectation, but a real path for the right leader.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science required; Master's degree a plus.
• 15+ years of experience in an aerospace and defense engineering and manufacturing environment.
• Proven experience leading program execution and operations within a Space, Missile, Defense, or Hypersonics environment.
• Experience managing a P&L or an independent cost-center-level budget.
• Comfort operating across engineering, program, and production disciplines - composites, metallics, and electromechanical systems.
• Demonstrated success leading in a highly matrixed organization.
• Experience with Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen, or equivalent operational excellence frameworks.
• Solid ERP experience, including integration and implementation.
• Strong track record driving and sustaining operational growth.
• Heavy compliance and AS9100 quality systems experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-temperature composites, propulsion, or ablatives.
• Prior exposure to energetics or missile/munitions manufacturing environments.
• Active or recent Secret security clearance.

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