Operations Program Manager (Onsite)

Date Posted:

2026-08-04

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-IA-CEDAR RAPIDS-166 ~ 855 35Th St NE ~ BLDG 166

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required.​ U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type:

DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required after day 1

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

The Operations Program Manager (OPM) for the CBEC portfolio will serve as a key operational partner supporting early-stage product development, prototype hardware, and emerging technology programs. Unlike traditional OPM roles heavily focused on factory transition and end-of-life activities, this position is uniquely centered on shaping products during their earliest phases—where the opportunity for improvement, producibility enhancement, and cross-functional alignment is greatest.

We are seeking an OPM who is well versed in multiple Operations disciplines—ideally engineering- industrial, mechanical, test, or manufacturing engineering—who can embed technical rigor into design decisions, prototype builds, and early producibility strategy. Responsible for setting product development strategies that ensure the long-term viability of product producibility.  The OPM’s primary focus is to deliver new product designs to Manufacturing that result in the lowest material, assembly, and test cost possible while meeting the cost, schedule, and scope commitments of the design & development (NRE) program.

What You Will Do

• Lead operational execution for early development and prototype hardware within the CBEC portfolio, focusing on design influence, manufacturability, and readiness for future scale-up.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Test, and Manufacturing to identify producibility opportunities early and drive improvements before products mature.
• Support prototype build planning, hardware readiness reviews, early test strategies, and hands-on issue resolution.
• Drive identification and mitigation of operational risks related to design decisions, manufacturability constraints, test methodologies, and prototype build flows.
• Champion early producibility improvements, ensuring lessons learned are captured, communicated, and integrated back into engineering and process development.
• Translate engineering concepts into practical manufacturing approaches using industrial and mechanical engineering principles.
• Collaborate with Test Engineering to shape early test strategies that balance maturity, throughput, and cost.
• Support creation and refinement of early build documentation, including prototype BOMs, preliminary routings, tooling concepts, and test processes.
• Lead cross-functional engagement without direct authority, ensuring teams remain aligned through rapid design changes and prototype iterations.
• Provide capital project management support for operations-related upgrades and capability investments, including scoping, planning, coordinating installation activities, and ensuring alignment with long-term producibility and factory strategy.
• Communicate program status, readiness indicators, risks, and improvements to leadership with clarity and technical depth.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Typically requires a University Degree and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 5 years of experience
• An existing or the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret Clearance
• Experience in aerospace, defense,