Vice President, Operations - Autonomous Systems
AeroVironment · Simi Valley, CA
- Level
- Director+
- Team
- Production
- Base pay
- $246k–$393k
- Travel
- 40%
- Experience asked
- 15+ years
- Certification
- Black Belt preferred
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A director-level production role at AeroVironment (aerospace & defense) in Simi Valley, CA. Industrialization & New Product Introduction.
- They ask for
- 15+ years · Black Belt preferred
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Value stream mapping, Root cause, AS9100, Internal audits
- Base pay
- $246k–$393k
- Day to day
- about 40% travel
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Production Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $122k–$177k. This one lists $246k–$393k.
Median of the low and high ends of 37 live postings that list pay, out of 111 production engineer openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 110 other live production postings in California.
- Base pay
- About 117% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (15+ vs 5+)
Typical $120k–$174k, from 31 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ New product launch 37%
- ✓ Lean 30%
- ✓ Root cause 27%
- ✓ Automation 24%
- Python 22%
- Team leadership 22%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
Stands out: this posting asks for Value stream mapping, AS9100, Internal audits, 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 AeroVironment
We found 3 people at this company and state: 2 in this kind of role, 1 leaders. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See 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.
Write to Alex → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- The posting says about 40% travel. Between which sites?
- The posting mentions a Black Belt. Does the company sponsor certification?
- 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: AeroVironment in Simi Valley
13 other open roles at this site · 3 people we found in production roles at AeroVironment.
- Production Technician II · Production · Technician
- Director, Planning and Production Control · Controls · Director+
- Production Technician III · Production · Technician
- Operational Excellence Manager · Lean / CI · Manager
- Material Control Specialist III · Controls · Senior
- Quality Technician II · Quality · Technician
Full description from AeroVironmentAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Key Responsibilities
- ◆End-to-End Fulfillment & Delivery
- ◆Own the full operations workflow from demand planning and ERP loading through production, shipment, fielding, support, repair, and replenishment.
- ◆Drive an integrated operating cadence connecting BD, Programs, Finance, Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, and Sustainment to one executable plan.
- ◆Ensure accurate, timely orders, BOMs, routings, schedules, and inventory signals; lead recovery for material, capacity, quality, labor, and program disruptions.
- ◆Segment Operations Strategy & Execution
- ◆Develop and execute a multi-year AxS operations strategy aligned with growth, margin, cash, capital, and customer commitments.
- ◆Translate annual and long-range plans into clear site, business-unit, and value-stream targets with measurable leading indicators.
- ◆Balance near-term delivery with long-term capability (capacity, workforce, capital, footprint, surge) through disciplined operating rhythms.
- ◆Manufacturing, Production Control & Material Readiness
- ◆Lead safe, compliant, efficient assembly, integration, test, and delivery across AxS sites.
- ◆Ensure realistic, material-backed, capacity-feasible production schedules and disciplined floor control.
- ◆Drive material readiness (MRP execution, supplier commits, shortage triage, kitting, inventory/logistics) and improve throughput, cycle time, schedule attainment, labor utilization, and yield.
- ◆SIOP, Planning & ERP Discipline
- ◆Lead the AxS SIOP process, integrating demand, supply, capacity, inventory, financial outlook, and risk into a single plan.
- ◆Champion accurate master data, disciplined transactions, and strong system adoption across ERP, MES, PLM, and digital platforms.
- ◆Build scenario plans for growth, IDIQ variability, multi-year buys, surge, engineering changes, and constrained supply.
- ◆Quality, Mission Assurance & Compliance
- ◆Ensure product conformance and mission success through robust quality engineering, inspection, traceability, and corrective action.
- ◆Reduce rework, scrap, escapes, customer returns, and cost of poor quality; maintain compliance with AS9100, ISO, ITAR, EAR, DFARS and other aerospace/defense requirements.
- ◆Support customer, government, registrar, and internal audits and production readiness reviews.
- ◆Industrialization & New Product Introduction
- ◆Own operations readiness for NPI and transition to production, aligning technical and manufacturing readiness, producibility, test strategy, and supply readiness.
- ◆Ensure manufacturing engineering delivers routings, work instructions, tooling, qualified processes, production test capability, standard work, and trained labor before rate commitments.
- ◆Sponsor facility moves, line launches, capital projects, automation, and digital manufacturing initiatives with clear governance and benefit realization.
- ◆Operational Excellence & Technology
- ◆Deploy lean, Six Sigma, standard work, flow/pull, root-cause problem solving
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Worker Type
Regular
Job Description
Role Overview
The Vice President, Operations — AxS is the senior executive accountable for end-to-end tactical operational execution across AeroVironment’s Autonomous Systems Segment. The role ensures that customer and program demand is translated through the enterprise resource planning system into an executable supply response, stable factory performance, on-time product delivery, and effective customer sustainment. This leader owns daily flow, quality, schedule, cost, cash, and operational readiness across a complex, multi-business-unit portfolio of autonomous air, ground, maritime, loitering-munition, and related mission systems.
Reporting to the President, AxS, the VP, Operations leads and integrates segment operations across planning, production control, purchasing execution, manufacturing, materials, logistics, quality, sales, inventory and operations planning (SIOP), inventory, repair and overhaul (R&O), and manufacturing engineering. The VP works in close partnership with Business Unit leaders, Program Management, Engineering, Finance, Business Development, and the Global Operations organization to deliver current customer commitments while scaling capacity, industrializing new products, and strengthening the segment’s operating system.
Role Charter: Run the AxS operating system: deliver to customers today, ensure daily flow and quality, and execute to plan. Partner with Global Operations to standardize and improve the enterprise systems, capabilities, and controls that enable sustained performance.
Operating Scope and Organizational Accountability
The VP owns the smooth, connected execution of the full operations fulfillment workflow and is accountable for resolving breakdowns at the interfaces between demand, planning, supply, production, delivery, and sustainment. Direct and matrixed accountability includes the following AxS operating functions:
- •Planning and SIOP: Demand translation, capacity and constraint planning, executive alignment, scenario management, and commitment setting.
- •Production Control: Work-order release, schedule control, priority management, shortage escalation, and factory cadence.
- •Purchasing Execution: MRP execution, purchase-order placement and follow-up, supplier commitments, line-down prevention, and tactical recovery.
- •Materials, Inventory, and Logistics: Material readiness, inventory accuracy and turns, warehousing, kitting, material movement, packaging, and shipment.
- •Manufacturing: Assembly, integration, test, visual management, labor performance, throughput, safety, and daily execution.
- •Quality: Quality engineering, inspection and control, product conformance, corrective action, and prevention of escapes.
- •Manufacturing Engineering: Routings, work instructions, tooling, process readiness, producibility, and transition to production.
- •Repair and Overhaul: Field-return evaluation, repair, overhaul, replenishment, turnaround time, and sustainment execution.