Senior Production Manager SME

Overview

Nakupuna Companies is seeking a highly experienced Senior Production Manager Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Submarines (DRPM) in advancing strategic initiatives designed to accelerate submarine production and delivery across the U.S. submarine industrial base. This effort focuses on identifying, developing, and implementing actionable improvements to increase submarine production capacity, efficiency, and throughput at General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries - Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), with particular emphasis on achieving increased production rates and accelerated deliveries beginning in 2030.The Senior Production Manager SME will leverage extensive shipyard production management experience, technical expertise, and operational knowledge to assess existing production practices, identify systemic constraints, and recommend practical, executable solutions to improve industrial performance. The position requires a comprehensive understanding of submarine construction, shipyard production processes, workforce utilization, material availability, engineering integration, production scheduling, and complex industrial operations.Located at the Washington Navy Yard (WNY), the individual will serve as a senior technical advisor and key liaison between government leadership, shipbuilding stakeholders, and prime contractor representatives. The SME will facilitate coordination, align priorities, identify and resolve production challenges, and support the execution of initiatives that drive measurable improvements in submarine construction performance, schedule reliability, and delivery outcomes. The successful candidate must possess the credibility, leadership, and operational experience necessary to engage senior government and industry officials while maintaining a strong focus on practical, deck-plate-level improvements and sustained execution.

Responsibilities

The following reflects management's definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned. Management may assign additional duties and responsibilities to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.

• Serve as a senior subject matter expert in submarine shipbuilding and large-scale shipyard production management, providing authoritative technical and operational guidance on industrial production practices, organizational structures, shipyard culture, workforce management, and production execution.
• Assess submarine construction processes, production sequencing, integrated master schedules, and cross-functional dependencies to identify constraints, inefficiencies, and opportunities to accelerate production throughput and improve delivery performance.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to work sequencing, production planning, scheduling, and integration of complex construction and maintenance activities within constrained production timelines and resource environments.
• Identify, analyze, and support resolution of interrelated production challenges across multiple shipyard trades, technical disciplines, engineering organizations, and support functions to improve schedule integrity, work continuity, and production efficiency.
• Apply extensive knowledge of shipyard production processes, work control systems, integrated project teams, and industrial management practices to evaluate current performance and recommend actionable operational improvements.
• Identify critical production bottlenecks, systemic inefficiencies, and recurring causes of schedule disruption; develop and recommend targeted corrective actions that enable rapid, measurable improvements in production execution.
• Support government leadership in evaluating industry production strategies, organizational practices, and operational approaches to identify opportunities for transformational improvements in submarine construction capacity and delivery performance.
• Apply program management principles, Lean methodologies, continuous process improvement techniques, and data-driven analysis to assess production performance and recommend sustainable improvements to shipyard operations.
• Recommend process improvement, business process reengineering, and production modernization initiatives that enhance operational efficiency, reduce non-value-added activities, and strengthen accountability for production outcomes.
• Evaluate existing production management practices, identify applicable industry best practices, and recommend performance metrics, management processes, and operational controls that improve visibility into production execution.
• Assess and recommend production tracking, scheduling, and performance management tools that provide leadership with actionable visibility into work accomplishment, production backlog, schedule adherence, resource utilization, and job burndown.
• Evaluate waterfront and deck-plate production performance to identify major drivers of lost productivity, including work stoppages, material shortages, engineering delays, trade interference, rework, workforce constraints, and inefficient work execution. Develop practical improvement initiatives to address identified challenges.
• Support improvements to production planning, schedule development and execution, resource allocation, workforce coordination, and maintenance of integrated production schedules to improve predictability and execution discipline.
• Assess material management organizations, processes, and performance, including material planning, procurement coordination, availability, staging, and delivery to the point of use. Recommend improvements that reduce production delays attributable to material constraints.
• Evaluate engineering organizations, processes, and interfaces with production operations to identify opportunities to reduce engineering-related delays, improve technical responsiveness, minimize rework, and increase production reliability.
• Assess existing project management structures, execution priorities, decision-making processes, and accountability mechanisms; recommend improvements that strengthen production management effectiveness and accelerate issue resolution.
• Coordinate with government program offices, shipyard leadership, prime contractors, and other stakeholders to align improvement initiatives, communicate priorities, resolve cross-organizational challenges, and support implementation of approved corrective actions.
• Develop and recommend measurable performance indicators, implementation milestones, and assessment methods to evaluate the effectiveness of production improvement initiatives and support leadership decision-making.
• Conduct operational assessments, facilitate working groups, participate in senior-level meetings, and provide technical recommendations that translate strategic production objectives into practical, executable actions.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level briefings, technical assessments, decision-support materials, reports, and correspondence that clearly communicate production challenges, root causes, recommended solutions, implementation considerations, and anticipated operational impacts.
• Maintain a strong execution-oriented approach, emphasizing timely issue identification, practical problem resolution, stakeholder accountability, and sustained improvements in submarine production performance.

Qualifications

ills/Qualifications:

• Extensive senior-level experience in submarine construction, shipyard production management, or major naval shipbuilding operations, preferably with General Dynamics Electric Boat (EB) and Huntington Ingalls Industries - Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), or a comparable large-scale naval industrial organization. Senior government or military experience directly supporting submarine production and industrial operations may also be considered.
• Demonstrated expertise in managing or overseeing complex shipyard production activities, including construction sequencing, integrated scheduling, production control, trade coordination, workforce utilization, material management, and engineering support.
• Comprehensive understanding of the organizational structures, operating environments, production cultures, and management practices associated with public and private naval shipyards.
• Proven ability to evaluate complex industrial operations, identify systemic production constraints, conduct root-cause analyses, and develop practical recommendations that improve productivity, schedule performance, and operational efficiency.
• Strong knowledge of production management principles, industrial process improvement methodologies, performance measurement, and continuous improvement practices. Experience applying Lean principles and related methodologies is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and advise senior government, military, and industry leaders on complex production challenges, operational risks, and strategic improvement opportunities.
• Ability to operate independently with substantial autonomy, exercise sound professional judgment, manage competing priorities, and deliver accurate, timely, and actionable work products.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including the ability to collect, evaluate, interpret, and synthesize complex production data, operational metrics, schedules, and performance information to support evidence-based recommendations.
• Excellent organizational, planning, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to translate complex technical and operational issues into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-level briefings, technical reports, and decision-support materials for senior government and industry stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build productive professional relationships, facilitate collaboration across organizational boundaries, influence stakeholders, and support consensus on production improvement initiatives.
• Proactive, results-oriented approach to identifying challenges, developing solutions, and supporting implementation of initiatives that deliver measurable operational improvements.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service, professional accountability, responsiveness, and the delivery of high-quality outcomes aligned with government mission objectives.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, with the ability to develop professional presentations, analytical reports, and performance-tracking materials.
• Ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams while maintaining professional credibility, discretion, and independence required to serve as a trusted senior technical advisor.
• High standards of integrity, professionalism, and ethical conduct in interactions with government officials, industry representatives, colleagues, and other stakeholders.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering, Industrial Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a closely related technical or business discipline from an accredited institution is desired. Equivalent combinations of relevant education, military experience, and extensive shipyard production management experience may be considered.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in shipyard production, shipbuilding operations, or large-scale naval industrial production management.
• Significant experience in submarine construction or complex naval shipbuilding programs is strongly preferred, including direct involvement in production planning, scheduling, execution, operational management, or industrial performance improvement.
• Demonstrated experience working with senior shipyard leadership, government program offices, military organizations, or major defense contractors to address complex production challenges and improve operational performance is highly desirable.

Military Installation Access: This position resides on a military installation or within a government facility. Candidate must be able to qualify for and maintain a Common Access Card (CAC) and comply with applicable installation access and security requirements.

Clearance Requirements: This position requires an active SECRET security clearance. Must be a U.S. citizen.

Work Location: Washington Navy Yard (WNY), Washington D.C.

Physical Requirements: The ideal candidate must at a minimum be able to meet the following physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation:

• Ability to perform repetitive motions with the hands, wrists, and fingers.
• Ability to engage in and follow audible communications in emergency situations.
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk and working on a computer.

The Nakupuna Companies use a market-based compensation strategy to ensure that our employees are compensated within applicable market rates commensurate with multiple factors, including but not limited to the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements, and position location. The projected compensation rate for this position is $200.00- $300.00 per hour. The hourly rate displayed represents the typical rate for this position and is just one component of Nakupuna Companies total compensation package for employees.