Lead Manufacturing Engineer

AV; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 122,500 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AV in the United States seeks a Lead Manufacturing Engineer to define, launch, and improve manufacturing processes for electrical and mechanical products with a strong CM focus.

You will drive technical transfer to contract manufacturers, ensure production readiness, and lead continuous improvement using Lean and Six Sigma—partnering with design, supply chain, quality, and CM teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 5–10+ years of experience in Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, or Test Engineering in aerospace, defense, automotive, or similar high‑reliability industries.
• Experience supporting or managing contract manufacturers or external suppliers for electrical and/or mechanical assemblies.
• Working knowledge of electro‑mechanical manufacturing, including interpretation of drawings, specifications, and Bills of Materials.
• Familiarity with PCB‑based products, sheet metal, machined parts, and basic integration/assembly processes.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles and tools for process development and control.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook; Visio/Project a plus).
• Familiarity with statistical analysis tools (e.g., Minitab), MRP/ERP systems (Oracle preferred), PLM/Change systems (e.g., Agile), and CAD programs (SolidWorks preferred).
• Experience working with ECO/ECN processes.
• Ability and willingness to travel to CM/supplier sites (up to ~25%, as needed).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary day‑to‑day technical contact for contract manufacturers producing electrical and mechanical assemblies.
• Support NPI and production transfers to CMs by defining build strategy, documenting processes, and resolving technical issues during initial builds and ramp.
• Review and provide feedback on CM work instructions, assembly procedures, inspection plans, and test procedures to ensure they meet product and quality requirements.
• Monitor CM performance (yield, rework, scrap, cycle time) and support improvement actions in partnership with Supply Chain and Quality.
• Participate in CM audits, build readiness reviews, and on‑site troubleshooting as required.
• Develop, maintain, and improve manufacturing processes for electrical and mechanical assemblies including PCB‑based products, harnesses, machined and sheet metal parts, and system‑level integrations.
• Establish and maintain standard times and sequences of operations for current and future production processes, both internal and at CMs.
• Generate and update work instructions, assembly procedures, visual aids, and other documentation to control and standardize manufacturing processes.
• Participate in the design and development of manufacturing workflows and equipment layout for efficient, safe, and ergonomic operations.
• Support Design for Manufacturability/Assembly (DFM/DFA) activities with design engineering and CMs to improve build robustness, yield, and cost.
• Analyze production metrics (yield, capacity, cost, process capability) from internal builds and CMs to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Help implement Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma tools to drive reductions in cost, lead time, and variability.
• Participate in PFMEA and support DFMEA to identify and mitigate manufacturing risks and ensure adequate process controls.
• Support development of manufacturing strategies and capacity models for new and existing products, including inputs for capital and tooling needs.
• Support cost estimating and requirements definition for new tooling, fixtures, and test equipment needed to support manufacturing at CMs and internal facilities.
• Contribute to Make/Buy analysis and trade studies in collaboration with cross‑functional teams for key assemblies and processes.
• Provide guidance on process capabilities and equipment utilization to best align design intent and manufacturing methods.
• Provide hands‑on support to internal production and CM builds, including troubleshooting integration and assembly issues.
• Participate in root cause analysis and corrective action activities for issues related to materials, design, tooling, process, or operator error.

Skills

Lean Manufacturing

Six Sigma

Root cause analysis

Project management

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Tools

SolidWorks

Minitab

Oracle ERP

PLM/Agile

CAD

MS Office

Job description

Job Description

The Lead Manufacturing Engineer is responsible for defining, launching, and improving manufacturing processes for Titan C-UAS electrical and mechanical products, with a strong focus on contract manufacturing (CM). This role supports the technical transfer of products to CMs, ensures robust production readiness, and drives ongoing process improvements using data and structured problem‑solving. The Lead Manufacturing Engineer collaborates closely with design engineering, supply chain, quality, and CM partners to achieve reliable, cost‑effective, and scalable production.

Key Responsibilities

Contract Manufacturing Technical Support

• Serve as a primary day‑to‑day technical contact for contract manufacturers producing electrical and mechanical assemblies.
• Support NPI and production transfers to CMs by defining build strategy, documenting processes, and resolving technical issues during initial builds and ramp.
• Review and provide feedback on CM work instructions, assembly procedures, inspection plans, and test procedures to ensure they meet product and quality requirements.
• Monitor CM performance (yield, rework, scrap, cycle time) and support improvement actions in partnership with Supply Chain and Quality.
• Participate in CM audits, build readiness reviews, and on‑site troubleshooting as required.

Process Development & Setup (Electrical & Mechanical)

• Develop, maintain, and improve manufacturing processes for electrical and mechanical assemblies including PCB‑based products, harnesses, machined and sheet metal parts, and system‑level integrations.
• Establish and maintain standard times and sequences of operations for current and future production processes, both internal and at CMs.
• Generate and update work instructions, assembly procedures, visual aids, and other documentation to control and standardize manufacturing processes.
• Participate in the design and development of manufacturing workflows and equipment layout for efficient, safe, and ergonomic operations.
• Support Design for Manufacturability/Assembly (DFM/DFA) activities with design engineering and CMs to improve build robustness, yield, and cost.

Data‑Driven Continuous Improvement

• Analyze production metrics (yield, capacity, cost, process capability) from internal builds and CMs to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Help implement Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma tools to drive reductions in cost, lead time, and variability.
• Participate in PFMEA and support DFMEA to identify and mitigate manufacturing risks and ensure adequate process controls.
• Support development of manufacturing strategies and capacity models for new and existing products, including inputs for capital and tooling needs.

Tooling, Fixtures, and Make/Buy Support

• Support cost estimating and requirements definition for new tooling, fixtures, and test equipment needed to support manufacturing at CMs and internal facilities.
• Contribute to Make/Buy analysis and trade studies in collaboration with cross‑functional teams for key assemblies and processes.
• Provide guidance on process capabilities and equipment utilization to best align design intent and manufacturing methods.

Production Floor & Hands‑On Support

• Provide hands‑on support to internal production and CM builds, including troubleshooting integration and assembly issues.
• Participate in root cause analysis and corrective action activities for issues related to materials, design, tooling, process, or operator error.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Electrical Engineering, or related field; or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• 5–10+ years of experience in Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, or Test Engineering in aerospace, defense, automotive, or similar high‑reliability industries.
• Experience supporting or managing contract manufacturers or external suppliers for electrical and/or mechanical assemblies.
• Working knowledge of electro‑mechanical manufacturing, including interpretation of drawings, specifications, and Bills of Material.
• Familiarity with PCB‑based products, sheet metal, machined parts, and basic integration/assembly processes.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma principles and tools for process development and control.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook; Visio/Project a plus).
• Familiarity with statistical analysis tools (e.g., Minitab), MRP/ERP systems (Oracle preferred), PLM/Change systems (e.g., Agile), and CAD programs (SolidWorks preferred).
• Experience working with ECO/ECN processes.
• Ability and willingness to travel to CM/supplier sites (up to ~25%, as needed).

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Certification in Lean / Six Sigma (Green Belt or higher) preferred.
• Demonstrated problem‑solving and analytical skills, including root cause analysis techniques (5 Why, fishbone, 8D participation).
• Strong organization, planning, and time management skills; able to handle multiple priorities across internal and CM activities.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills; able to collaborate with engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, and CM personnel.
• Ability to work within defined requirements and deadlines and to perform independently with moderate oversight.
• Comfortable in a fast paced, deadline‑driven environment where small teams share a broad variety of duties.
• Demonstrated initiative, ownership, and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Experience working within ISO based or similar quality systems.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment (constant).
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (frequent).
• Ability to work in lab and production environments, including CM facilities, as needed (occasional).

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Occasional domestic and international travel may be required.

Clearance Level

No Clearance

Salary Range

$122,500 - $187,000

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.

Equal Employment Opportunity

AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). Applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and/or the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction.

ITAR Designation

• 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.