VP, Defense – Rochester, NH

Job Purpose

As Vice President of the Defense Segment, you will serve as the strategic architect and operational leader driving performance, growth, and innovation across Albany’s defense-focused engineered composites. You will be accountable for full P&L ownership, leading a multidisciplinary team to align defense segment initiatives with overarching corporate strategy. This role requires visionary leadership, deep industry insight, and strong financial and operational oversight to unlock market opportunities and drive superior customer outcomes.

Job Responsibilities

In performing their respective tasks and duties, all employees are expected to adhere to Albany’s current values: Albany Wins Together, Count on Each Other, Own Your Actions, Care About Each Other, and Share Your Enthusiasm. Safety must always come first; we never compromise on safety for the sake of achieving another objective. Employees are also responsible for the health and safety of themselves and each other.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Business Growth

• Develop and execute defense segment strategy aligned with AEC’s global objectives
• Analyze evolving market conditions to continuously refine business approaches
• Lead expansion into new defense markets and adjacent opportunities

Financial Oversight

• Own the segment’s P&L, including revenue forecasting, cost optimization, and margin improvement
• Drive strategic investment decisions in collaboration with corporate stakeholders
• Monitor financial KPIs to assess profitability and long-term viability

Customer & Market Development

• Cultivate strategic relationships with key defense customers and government agencies
• Lead business development and oversee pipeline conversion
• Collaborate on innovative product development with R&D and engineering teams
• Integrate market intelligence to inform targeting and segmentation strategies

Operational Excellence

• Oversee program execution within defense projects, ensuring on-time, on-budget delivery
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives in coordination with Operations Strategy
• Ensure regulatory compliance and risk mitigation across all defense programs

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Inspire and guide cross-functional teams toward a high-performance, customer-centric culture
• Champion succession planning and employee development initiatives

Supervisory responsibility: Yes

Supervisors are responsible for overseeing their work group including but not limited to: formal evaluations/performance management as set out by the organization, recruitment and developing

Education / Background / Qualifications / Characteristics

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Business Administration, or a related technical field
• Advanced degree preferred, such as an MBA, M.S. in Engineering Management, or similar-especially if paired with defense sector expertise
• Additional coursework or certification in program management, government contracting, or strategic leadership is a plus

Professional Background & Experience

15+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing, with at least 5-7 years in senior leadership or P&L ownership roles

Strong track record in:

• Leading high-value, complex defense programs from concept through delivery
• Working with government agencies, military customers, or OEMs
• Strategic planning and execution with measurable business outcomes
• Operational oversight, including compliance, risk management, and cross-functional execution
• Proven success in business development, customer engagement, and expanding market share within defense or adjacent sectors
• Experience leading diverse teams across engineering, operations, and customer-facing functions

Qualifications

Strategic & Industry Expertise

• Proven experience owning P&L and driving growth in a defense, aerospace, or advanced manufacturing segment
• Deep understanding of defense market dynamics, government contracting, and customer landscapes
• Track record of developing and executing business strategies that influence enterprise-level decisions

Operational & Financial Leadership

• Strong background in budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis
• Skilled in project and program management with on-time, in-scope, in-budget delivery
• Experience leading complex operations with compliance and risk oversight

Customer & Product Development

• Demonstrated success in leading customer engagement and business development strategies
• Familiarity with CRM tools, segmentation, and product development cycles
• Collaborative experience with engineering and R&D to drive innovation

Team & Talent Management

• Executive-level leadership experience in building, mentoring, and scaling diverse teams
• Experience in succession planning, employee development, and cultural transformation
• High EQ and ability to inspire, engage, and mobilize teams around a shared vision

Characteristics

Visionary & Strategic

• Future-focused thinker who can connect tactical action with strategic outcomes
• Comfortable navigating complexity and ambiguity to make confident decisions

Collaborative & Influential

• Skilled in cross-functional alignment and driving consensus across stakeholders
• Strong communicator, both internally and externally, with executive presence

Accountable & Metrics-Driven

• Relentless focus on KPIs-motivated by measurable impact
• Adept at turning insights into action and driving continuous improvement

Working Conditions

Office environment, duties performed indoors, moderate to quiet noise and comfortable temperatures. Not substantially exposed to adverse environmental condition levels. Ability to work 24/7 schedule and be available as business situations require. Some may be able to do part of their work remotely. Travel may be required

Physical requirements

Occasionally positions self to move an office item >10 lbs.

Frequently move about the production floor and office area to attend meetings or trainings

Must be able to remain in a stationary position up to 75% of the time

Frequently operates a computer, enters data into systems, verifies information, etc…

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