Executive Search Success Story: Building the Production Leadership Team to Transition Radar and Electronic Warfare Programs From Development to Full-Rate Production

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a defense electronics manufacturer with the operations, program management, supply chain, quality, and manufacturing engineering leadership required to move three radar and electronic warfare programs from low-rate initial production to full-rate production, resolve cost and schedule variances flagged by the customer, and protect multi-billion-dollar program positions.

The Challenge

A defense electronics manufacturer had won development contracts for three radar and electronic warfare systems and was approaching full-rate production decisions on each, but its engineering-led organization had struggled in low-rate initial production: unit costs exceeded production targets, first-pass yields on complex assemblies were below 70%, specialty microelectronics and RF components were sole-sourced with long lead times, earned value reporting showed growing variances, and the government program offices had issued corrective action requests. Full-rate production decisions, and billions in future revenue, depended on demonstrating production readiness. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the programs:

• Unit costs above production targets and yields below 70% in low-rate initial production
• Government corrective action requests and growing earned value variances
• Sole-sourced microelectronics and RF components with long lead times and obsolescence risk
• Designs not optimized for producibility, with engineering changes disrupting production
• Quality systems meeting development needs but not full-rate government requirements
• Full-rate production decisions and multi-billion-dollar program positions at risk

Recognizing that production readiness required leadership experienced in defense electronics rate transitions, the president of the business and the corporate operations leadership engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Vice President of Operations for Production Programs, Vice President of Program Management, Vice President of Supply Chain & Microelectronics Sourcing, Vice President of Quality & Government Compliance, and Vice President of Manufacturing Engineering & Producibility. The company required an executive search partner with deep defense manufacturing expertise and access to cleared leaders from primes and defense electronics manufacturers.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Focus

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice serving aerospace and defense manufacturers, including defense electronics and sensor producers, with deep recruiting expertise across production operations, program management, supply chain, quality, and manufacturing engineering. This focus ensured an immediate understanding of rate transitions, earned value, government quality requirements, and the leadership profiles that deliver full-rate production.

Rate Transition Experience

Our firm has extensive experience recruiting executives who have taken defense electronics programs from development through full-rate production, with a clear understanding of producibility, yield improvement, and customer confidence.

Cleared Talent Access

Our team maintains relationships with cleared executives at primes and defense electronics manufacturers, allowing confidential engagement of leaders already operating on classified and controlled programs.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Production Readiness Alignment

Our consultants partnered directly with the business president, corporate operations leadership, and program directors to review cost and yield data, corrective action requests, supply chain exposure, and full-rate production criteria, defining five executive profiles aligned with the readiness plan.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting operations, program management, supply chain, quality, and manufacturing engineering executives at defense primes, defense electronics manufacturers, and high-reliability electronics operations who had led documented rate transitions. Over 430 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Confidential Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of transitioning programs to full-rate production, improving complex assembly yields, recovering earned value variances and closing government corrective actions, dual-sourcing microelectronics and managing obsolescence, and driving design for producibility. Outreach was conducted under strict confidentiality. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented production readiness plans to the business president and corporate leadership, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified cost, yield, schedule, and program outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 430+ defense electronics and high-reliability manufacturing executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized leadership tier spanning operations, program management, supply chain, quality, and manufacturing engineering within seven months.
• Raised first-pass yield from below 70% to 94% and cut unit cost 22%.
• Closed every government corrective action request within nine months.
• Passed all production readiness reviews with no findings.
• Secured full-rate production approval and $4.2B in production awards.