Chief Engineer, Production
AeroVironment · Petaluma, CA
- Level
- Engineer
- Team
- Production
- Base pay
- $170k–$272k
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 50+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
An engineer-level production role at AeroVironment (aerospace & defense) in Petaluma, CA.
- They ask for
- 50+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Lean, Six Sigma, Root cause, ISO 9001, AS9100, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ)
- Base pay
- $170k–$272k
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 $170k–$272k.
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 50% above similar roles
- Experience asked
- More than usual (50+ vs 5+)
Typical $120k–$174k, from 30 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 ISO 9001, AS9100, 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?
- 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 Petaluma
2 other open roles at this site · 3 people we found in production roles at AeroVironment.
- Manufacturing Engineering Manager · Manufacturing · Manager
- Manufacturing Engineer, Sr. · Manufacturing
Full description from AeroVironmentAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Responsibilities
- ◆Serve as the senior technical authority for assigned MUAS production and sustainment programs.
- ◆Maintain technical ownership of the product baseline, including system architecture, requirements, interfaces, configuration, and performance.
- ◆Lead engineering support for products in production and deployed in the field.
- ◆Drive resolution of complex technical issues involving design, integration, manufacturing, testing, reliability, quality, suppliers, and field performance.
- ◆Lead multidisciplinary root-cause investigations and ensure effective corrective and preventive actions.
- ◆Provide technical direction for engineering changes, deviations, waivers, nonconformances, and configuration-management activities.
- ◆Evaluate and approve proposed product, process, material, and supplier changes.
- ◆Partner with manufacturing and operations teams to improve producibility, yield, throughput, cost, and product quality.
- ◆Support production readiness, rate increases, first-article activities, qualification efforts, acceptance testing, and recurring production reviews.
- ◆Lead technical assessments of product reliability, maintainability, supportability, and lifecycle risk.
- ◆Establish priorities for sustaining-engineering activities based on mission impact, customer needs, safety, reliability, cost, and schedule.
- ◆Coordinate with design engineering to incorporate field and production feedback into product enhancements and future configurations.
- ◆Support product upgrades, modifications, obsolescence mitigation, technology insertions, and end-of-life planning.
- ◆Partner with quality, supplier management, operations, and program management to resolve recurring production and supplier issues.
- ◆Provide technical input to program plans, estimates, schedules, risk registers, proposals, make-or-buy decisions, and investment strategies.
- ◆Lead or participate in design reviews, production reviews, failure-review boards, material-review boards, customer reviews, and executive-level program reviews.
- ◆Ensure that technical data, work instructions, test procedures, drawings, specifications, and other production documentation are accurate and properly controlled.
- ◆Monitor and communicate technical, production, reliability, supply-chain, and field-performance risks.
- ◆Support customer and field-service organizations with technical guidance and timely resolution of product issues.
- ◆Mentor engineers and promote a culture of technical rigor, ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- ◆Perform other duties as assigned.
Basic
(Required Skills & Experience)
- ✓Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited institution.
- ✓Typically, 15 or more years of progressive engineering experience in aerospace, defense, unmanned systems, or a related technical industry.
- ✓Demonstrated experience supporting complex products through production and sustainment.
- ✓Experience serving as a technical lead, chief engineer, systems engineer, or equivalent engineering authority.
- ✓Experience with engineering change management, configuration management,
requirements
management, and product-baseline control.
- ✓Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional technical teams and resolving complex production or field-performance issues.
- ✓Experience with root-cause analysis, corrective action, reliability improvement, and failure investigation.
- ✓Working knowledge of systems engineering, integration, verification, validation, and test processes.
- ✓Ability to make sound technical decisions while balancing performance, cost, schedule, quality, and risk.
- ✓Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- ✓Ability to communicate effectively with engineers, manufacturing personnel, program managers, executives, suppliers, customers, and government representatives.
- ✓Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance, if required.
Other
Preferred Qualifications
- ✓Master’s degree in engineering, systems engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- ✓Experience with unmanned aircraft systems, autonomous systems, mission systems, avionics, payloads, ground-control systems, or other complex electromechanical products.
- ✓Experience with production ramp-up, rate production, product transition, and manufacturing-process improvement.
- ✓Experience with flight testing, environmental qualification, acceptance testing, and fielded-system support.
- ✓Experience with aircraft systems, airworthiness, safety, reliability, maintainability, and supportability analysis.
- ✓Experience with supplier technical management and supplier corrective-action processes.
- ✓Knowledge of AS9100, ISO 9001, or comparable aerospace quality systems.
- ✓Experience applying Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous-improvement methods.
- ✓Experience with obsolescence management, parts management, and lifecycle planning.
- ✓Active U.S. government security clearance.
- ✓Professional Engineer license
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
Worker Type
Regular
Job Description
Summary
AeroVironment is seeking a Chief Engineer – Production to provide senior technical leadership for the production, sustainment, and lifecycle support of products within the MUAS business unit. The Chief Engineer will serve as the primary technical authority for assigned production programs and fielded products, ensuring that systems remain safe, reliable, manufacturable, supportable, and compliant with customer and business requirements.
This position will lead the resolution of complex technical issues, guide engineering changes and product improvements, and coordinate cross-functional execution across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, program management, and customer-support organizations. The ideal candidate will have significant experience supporting aerospace, defense, unmanned, or other complex electromechanical products throughout production and sustainment.
Position