Austal USA names Chris Orlowski VP of engineering

Mobile, Ala., based shipbuilder Austal USA has appointed Chris Orlowski as its vice president of engineering. In that role, he leads a team of over 350 engineers, naval architects, designers, and other engineering support staff and directs the management of a range of engineering functions.

Orlowski has over 30 years of defense sector program and systems engineering leadership experience. Prior to joining Austal USA, he was director of engineering and manufacturing systems and infrastructure at Northrup Grumman’s CIO Office – Mission Systems, leading a team of 250 employee. Orlowski was a member of the Northrup Grumman team for over 20 years holding various leadership positions in the company’s electronic systems, shipbuilding, technology services, enterprise services, and mission systems divisions. His engineering and program leadership experience has been in support of international and U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs, include aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, and littoral combat ships.

Orlowski holds a Ph. D in systems engineering from George Washington University. He received a master’s in systems engineering and a bachelor’s in ocean engineering from Virginia Tech. He is a graduate of the Executive Program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

“I am very excited that Chris has joined Austal USA. His depth of experience over the last 30 years in the defense industry will have an immediate impact. He brings a combination of engineering and program leadership experience that provides him with a strong appreciation for all aspects of ship design,” said Austal USA acting president, Michelle Kruger. “We are fortunate to have Chris on our senior leadership team.”