Executive Search Success Story: Building the Production Leadership Team to Industrialize Propulsion and Spacecraft Hardware at a Growth-Stage Space Manufacturer

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a venture- and defense-backed space hardware manufacturer with the manufacturing, advanced manufacturing engineering, quality, supply chain, and test operations leadership required to move from engineering-led builds to rate production of propulsion systems and spacecraft structures for commercial constellations and national security customers.

The Challenge

A space hardware manufacturer had won multi-year contracts to supply propulsion systems and structures for a commercial constellation and a national security program, requiring it to move from building dozens of units a year with engineers on the floor to hundreds of units a year with repeatable processes. Its culture was engineering-led, manufacturing processes were undocumented, additive manufacturing was used without production controls, quality systems did not meet national security program requirements, space-grade suppliers were sole-sourced with long lead times, and test operations were a bottleneck on every delivery. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the contracts:

• A transition from dozens to hundreds of units a year with an engineering-led, undocumented build culture
• Additive and advanced manufacturing processes without production controls or qualification
• Quality systems below AS9100 and national security program requirements
• Sole-sourced space-grade suppliers with long lead times and no capacity commitments
• Test and acceptance operations bottlenecking every delivery
• Contract delivery schedules and national security milestones with no tolerance for slips

Recognizing that rate production required leadership from scaled aerospace and defense manufacturing, the CEO and board engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Vice President of Manufacturing, Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing Engineering & Additive, Vice President of Quality & Mission Assurance, Vice President of Supply Chain, and Vice President of Test & Acceptance Operations. The company required an executive search partner with deep aerospace and defense manufacturing expertise and access to leaders who had industrialized complex hardware.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Focus

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice serving aerospace, defense, and space manufacturers, with a clear understanding of the transition from development to rate production, advanced manufacturing qualification, mission assurance, and the leadership profiles that industrialize complex hardware.

Industrialization Experience

Our firm has extensive experience recruiting executives who have moved aerospace and defense products from low-rate to rate production, with a clear understanding of process documentation, qualification, and supply chain readiness.

Multi-Role Execution

Our team specializes in running coordinated manufacturing, engineering, quality, supply chain, and test searches in parallel, ensuring leaders are selected as a complementary unit aligned to a single industrialization plan.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Industrialization Plan Alignment

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, chief technology officer, and board to review contract requirements, build processes, additive usage, quality gaps, supplier status, and test capacity, defining five executive profiles aligned with the rate production plan.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting manufacturing, advanced manufacturing engineering, quality, supply chain, and test executives at space and launch companies, aerospace and defense manufacturers, and advanced manufacturing operations who had led documented industrialization programs. Over 410 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of transitioning complex aerospace hardware to rate production, qualifying additive manufacturing for flight, building AS9100 and national security compliant quality systems, developing space-grade supply chains with dual sources and capacity commitments, and scaling test operations. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented industrialization plans to the CEO and board, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified rate, quality, supply, and delivery outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 410+ space, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized leadership tier spanning manufacturing, advanced manufacturing engineering, quality, supply chain, and test within seven months.
• Qualified additive manufacturing for flight production and cut lead time by 60%.
• Achieved AS9100 certification and passed national security quality audits with no findings.
• Tripled test throughput through capacity expansion and automation.
• Grew output from 40 to 320 units per year with 100% on-time delivery.