
Production Transition Program Engineering Manager II
BAE Systems · Maple Grove, MN
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Production
- Base pay
- $150k–$254k
- Degree
- Required (or equivalent experience)
- Experience asked
- 10+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 9 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management production role at BAE Systems (aerospace & defense) in Maple Grove, MN. Lead/facilitate investigations, using structured root cause analysis, to identify true causes of issues and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
- They ask for
- 10+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Root cause, APQP, ISO 9001, AS9100
- Base pay
- $150k–$254k
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Production Engineer roles in Minnesota: typical posted base $120k–$195k. This one lists $150k–$254k.
Median of the low and high ends of 20 live postings that list pay, out of 29 production engineer openings in Minnesota, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Minnesota plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 28 other live production postings in Minnesota.
- Base pay
- About 60% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (10+ vs 7+)
Typical $102k–$150k, from 12 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 7+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Team leadership 55%
- ✓ Lean 52%
- ✓ Six Sigma 31%
- EHS / safety 28%
- ✓ Root cause 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for APQP, ISO 9001, AS9100, Supplier quality, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at BAE Systems
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: BAE Systems in Maple Grove
4 other open roles at this site.
- Manufacturing Process Engineer · Process
- Principal Quality Engineer - Program Quality · Quality · Senior
- Principal Quality Engineer – Design & Operations Quality · Quality · Senior
- Engineer Quality II – Procurement Quality Support Engineering / Calibration · Quality
Full description from BAE SystemsAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
and support the overall production test strategy.
- ✓Partner with manufacturing teams to optimize processes, reduce risk, and maintain compliance with customer and government requirements.
- ✓Support development of repeatable manufacturing and inspection processes without compromising approved
requirements
or quality standards.
- ✓Ensure engineering changes are appropriately evaluated for technical, manufacturing, quality, cost, schedule, and supply-chain impacts.
- ✓Partner with Quality and Manufacturing organizations to maintain compliance with applicable contractual, regulatory, safety, export-control, and quality requirements.
- ✓Drive a culture of "Right-First-Time" development by leveraging APQP Core Tools, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), and Lean methodologies.
- ✓Lead/facilitate investigations, using structured root cause analysis, to identify true causes of issues and implement effective corrective and preventive actions.
Required Education, Experience, & Skills
- ✓Bachelor's Degree and 10+ years of work experience or equivalent experience.
- ✓Experience in the transition of new products into production (highly desired).
- ✓Experience leading diverse, multi-disciplinary teams in the solution of complex technical problems
- ✓Excellent written, verbal, organizational, and cross-functional communication skills.
Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills
- ✓Experience leading the maturation of defense or aerospace microelectronics and electronic systems from low Technology/Manufacturing Readiness Levels (TRL/MRL) to higher TRL/MRL.
- ✓Experience establishing collaboration on projects across organizational boundaries and geographical areas.
- ✓Demonstrated leadership skills (soft skills, strategic thinking, business acumen, team building, and customer relationship management).
- ✓Understanding and practical experience executing Quality Management Systems (QMS) based on AS9100, ISO 9001, or TS-16949.
- ✓Proficiency in APQP core tools, Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), Lean, and structured root cause analysis.
- ✓Experience managing suppliers of complex electronic assemblies.
- ✓Experience with reliability, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and statistical process improvement.
Pay Information
Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.
Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.
About BAE Systems, Inc. BAE Systems, Inc. is a defense, aerospace, and security company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 40,000 employees worldwide. We serve, supply, and protect those who protect us. As one of the most geographically diverse international defense companies, we deliver a full range of products and services spanning air, land, maritime, space, and cyber, including advanced electronics, intelligence solutions, and dedicated customer support.
Our culture is performance-driven and values-led, built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Purpose isn't a tagline here. It's what drives us. We're developing breakthrough technologies that defend national security and
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Job Description BAE Systems is looking for a Program Engineering Manager (PEM) to provide technical oversight and serve as the primary technical leader for transitioning a Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) product to production. The PEM will lead the engineering organization through the transition of a prototype defense product with complex electronics from development into stable, repeatable production. This role serves as the primary engineering interface across program management, systems engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, test, configuration management, and customer. The PEM will establish and execute the technical transition-to-production strategy, drive manufacturing and engineering readiness, resolve cross-functional issues, and ensure that production processes are capable of consistently meeting approved requirements. The position requires strong program leadership, disciplined configuration and change management, and experience integrating complex electronic and electromechanical assemblies in a controlled production environment. This hybrid position (>50% on-site) provides technical leadership and direction to multi-disciplinary staff at the BAE Systems Maple Grove, Minnesota site and may include up to 10% travel.
In this job, you will
- •Lead engineering activities associated with transition from development to production.
- •Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technical specialists.
- •Lead development and implementation of a production test strategy that ensures product meets customer performance requirements, reliability requirements, and product cost targets.
- •Work with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Supplier Quality to develop supplier specifications that ensure delivered components meet performance, reliability, and quality
