Chief Production Engineer – Aerospace & UAS

AV; Petaluma (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 272,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental & Vision

401K with match

9/80 schedule

Paid holidays

Job summary

AeroVironment seeks a Chief Engineer – Production to provide senior technical leadership for the production, sustainment, and lifecycle support of MUAS products. You will lead cross‑functional teams and serve as the primary technical authority for production programs and fielded assets.

The role requires substantial experience in aerospace/defense unmanned systems, strong config and change management skills, and the ability to work with manufacturing, quality, and program management to ensure

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited institution.
• 15+ years in aerospace/defense/unmanned systems or related field.
• Experience as a technical lead, chief engineer, or equivalent authority.
• Knowledge of engineering change management, configuration management, requirements management, and product-baseline control.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance, if required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for MUAS production and sustainment programs.
• Maintain technical ownership of the product baseline, including system architecture and interfaces.
• Lead engineering support for products in production and deployed in the field.
• Drive resolution of complex technical issues across design, manufacturing, testing, reliability, and suppliers.
• Lead root-cause investigations and implement corrective actions.
• Provide technical direction for engineering changes, deviations, waivers, and configuration-management activities.
• Evaluate and approve proposed product, process, material, and supplier changes.

Skills

Technical leadership

Systems engineering

Root-cause analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Production & sustainment

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Job description

AeroVironment seeks a Chief Engineer – Production to provide senior technical leadership for the production, sustainment, and lifecycle support of MUAS products. You will lead cross‑functional teams and serve as the primary technical authority for production programs and fielded assets.

The role requires substantial experience in aerospace/defense unmanned systems, strong config and change management skills, and the ability to work with manufacturing, quality, and program management to ensure