Submarine Construction Performance Improvement Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Job Description:

The mission of this position is to support the Shipbuilder in delivering new construction submarines per the requirements, on schedule with the requisite quality and safety.  This position will drive prompt improvements in SSBN and SSN performance as measured by Earned Value Management System metrics (Budgeted/Targeted Quantity of Work Performed, Actual Quantity of Work Performed, etc.) and by adherence to the Shipbuilder’s schedule. Near term objectives are delivery of SSBN 826 and SSN 803 in 2026 and achieving “1 Columbia Class +2 Virginia Class Submarines by 2030”. 

This effort will be accomplished through networking with Shipbuilder engineering, material management, procurement, planning, management, and operations personnel along with daily deck-plate observations and follow-up with the Shipbuilder and other stakeholders. Follow up to include working with the Shipbuilder, and other stakeholders on the root causes for performance challenges and on working to overcome those challenges. The job requires more than 25% time on deck plate, in shops, and in material storage, handling, and transportation sites understanding opportunities and challenges. This position reports to and works for the Transformation Management Office (TMO) within Direct Reporting Portfolio Management (DRPM).

In this role, you will:
Identify, Investigate and concisely communicate the scope, status, and impact of any construction related schedule delay or quality issues to both Shipbuilder Leadership, Transformation Management Office and Navy Team Leadership.

Conduct and document work effectiveness observation studies to identify process barriers and gaps that impact shipbuilder effectiveness. This includes daily deck plate observations of work in progress, attendance daily at supervisor-to-team morning start up meetings, and turnover meetings across shifts.

Develop understanding of root causes for any construction delays or quality issues associated with module construction and outfitting. Areas to address in each root cause analysis include but is not limited to:
·        Adequacy of information management process
·        Adequacy of material management processes
·        Adequacy of Quality Management System processes and adherence by the Shipbuilder and suppliers relied on to support the Shipbuilder

Rapidly assess the scope of a construction-impacting technical, supply chain or resource related issues. Liaison with the appropriate cognizant shipbuilder SMEs, government engineering team members, and program office support representatives to lead and drive these issues to resolution.

Identify and document barriers including ones with NAVSEA and the Program Office that slow down or do not support module delivery pace and quality in support of submarine construction goal of 2+1 submarine deliveries per year.

Work closely with Shipbuilder engineering, production, quality assurance, program office and other relevant departments to resolve technical issues in an expedient manner.

Develop, in collaboration with the Shipbuilder, TMO, Navy teammates, and other stakeholders, process improvement recommendations and strategies when documenting 

Opportunities for Improvement (OFI) identified during observation studies

Enhance communication between the Shipbuilder and government on technical issues to shorten timelines necessary to resolve construction-impacting liabilities.

Streamline communication channels for routine reporting between stakeholders to reduce delays, improve coordination and maximize shipbuilder labor effectiveness.

Proactively develop in collaboration with the Shipbuilder and other stakeholders process improvement plans that result in more timely and efficient resolution of technical, supply chain or resource constraint issues

The task of this role requires direct personal engagement with the Shipbuilder and leading a 20+ person team to provide:
1.    Daily deck plate presence on SSBN and SSN modules and hulls under construction and test, assessing and influencing resource allocation, progress to targets, and barriers/constraints to required schedule, cost, and other performance objectives.
2.    Rapid intervention and engagement with the Shipbuilder to overcome real-time barriers to meet daily objectives.
3.    Leadership, management and collaboration of the contribution of the 20+ person team to the Transformation Management Office (TMO). The TMO and 20+ team will consist of analysts and personnel from the Navy, including personnel from the Supervisor of Shipbuilding.  
4.    Collaborate with the Shipbuilder defining systemic improvements with engineering, planning, operations/production, ship/project management, and supply as issues are manifested on waterfront.
5.    Identify, Assess, and support opportunities to improve Shipbuilder management and supervision of deck plate work and supporting organizations and activities. This effort is anticipated to span the typical Range of improvement opportunities, e.g., "just do it" to formal causal analysis with follow-on long-term and short-term corrective actions.
6.    Identify, assess, and support opportunities for improving Shipbuilder performance through improving Navy/government support to the build program.

Required Skills and Experiences:
To be successful in this role you will have:
•    An active or current DoD Secret clearance.
•    Great teamwork skills. Must be able to work across multiple organizations and build trusted relationships/partnerships
•    20+ years of management experience in ship maintenance and/or ship construction management in a Nuclear Shipyard.
•    Ability to communicate with discretion
•    Manufacturing, Production, and/or Operations experience.
•    Project/Program management experience or similar/related experience desired.
•    Excellent written and oral communications skills
•    Strong quantitative, analytical and conceptual thinking skills.
•    Ability to facilitate and coordinate efforts with the Shipbuilder, government and non-government stakeholders.
•    Ability to work with minimal supervision.
•    Ability to work well within a time sensitive environment.
•    Ability to learn and grow individually, while mentoring junior team members effectively when opportunities are present, building team cohesion and capacity.
•    Highly motivated and well organized with strong project management skills and working independently and in a team environment.
•    Ability to use Microsoft Office packages to complete daily tasking; proficient MS Office skillset to include Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Teams, and Excel. 
•    Demonstrate the ability to brief complex technical issues and process barriers with teammates and team leadership.
•    Ability to be a team player, work well with others and contribute positively to work/team environment while continually seeking ways to enhance contribution to the team.
•    Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment accepting emergent tasking with little to no supervision and/or direction.  
•    Discretion in performing specified work requirements. 
•    Outstanding written and oral communication skills to communicate effectively and build strong working relationships with a vast team of diverse professionals. 
•    Attention to detail and the ability to meet tight deadlines, as well as work independently and with sufficient knowledge to present projects to senior management. 
•    Ability to travel up to 100% of time to the Groton and Quonset Point locations.

Additional strongly desired experience and skills:
•    Submarine related experience
•    An active NNPI account and CAC 
•    Experience with Navy acquisition and Submarine Programs.
•    Experience leading a project and interfacing with an end use customer.
•    Knowledge of Program Management, including the acquisition process, the budgeting process and Navy program execution.
•    Active-Duty experience serving on a U.S. Navy submarine preferred.
•    Experience working in the DoD or DoN environments
•    An advanced MS Office skillset to include Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, Teams, and Excel. 
•    Experience leading and engaging in weekly meetings with the ship builder and supplier regarding actions and statuses desirable.
•    Knowledge of current DoD policies, NAVSEASYSCOM/Team Submarine policies and procedures.

Degree Requirements:

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, or Operations Management, or Business Administration are preferred.
or
An Associate's Degree and 2 years of additional experience will be considered in lieu of Bachelor's Degree or a High School Diploma/GED and 4 years of additional experience will be considered in lieu of Bachelor's Degree.

Must be a U.S. citizen.

  Company Description

ORBIS is an ISO 9001 certified, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) with over 20 years of major Navy Program experience leading, delivering, and managing professional support services for NAVSEA, the Warfare centers and the Navy industrial enterprise. From our beginnings in the submarine program, we have grown to also support other DOD and Federal Government branches and a number of commercial customers. ORBIS provides capabilities encompassing the full DOD lifecycle of acquisition, program management, delivery, modernization, quality, audits and certification. Our CEO, Guy Mossman, has a long history with the submarine program and before starting ORBIS was the Executive Director for PEO SUBs. Unique for a small business and always part of the company vision, we operate a research and development laboratory in Charleston, SC, focused on Automated Test Equipment and related technologies. We leverage our extensive portfolio of engineering and technical support tasks to provide innovative, cost-effective, and on-time solutions that exceed the requirements of Government and Commercial customers.

Company Description

ORBIS is an ISO 9001 certified, Veteran Owned Small Business (VOSB) with over 20 years of major Navy Program experience leading, delivering, and managing professional support services for NAVSEA, the Warfare centers and the Navy industrial enterprise. From our beginnings in the submarine program, we have grown to also support other DOD and Federal Government branches and a number of commercial customers. ORBIS provides capabilities encompassing the full DOD lifecycle of acquisition, program management, delivery, modernization, quality, audits and certification. Our CEO, Guy Mossman, has a long history with the submarine program and before starting ORBIS was the Executive Director for PEO SUBs. Unique for a small business and always part of the company vision, we operate a research and development laboratory in Charleston, SC, focused on Automated Test Equipment and related technologies. We leverage our extensive portfolio of engineering and technical support tasks to provide innovative, cost-effective, and on-time solutions that exceed the requirements of Government and Commercial customers.