Lean Transformation Manager – Industrial Engineering

avav; Simi Valley (CA); On-site; USD 117,500 - 179,250; 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

AeroVironment, Inc. is seeking a Manager of Industrial Engineering & Lean Transformation to design, implement, and optimize manufacturing systems while leading Lean initiatives. The role focuses on improving throughput, efficiency, cost, quality, and lead time across production lines.

The successful candidate will drive capacity planning, line balancing, and digital manufacturing adoption, mentoring teams and reporting progress to executive leadership. Domestic travel up to 50% is expected.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in high-mix, low-volume or complex production environments.
• 3+ years leading manufacturing teams in product development.
• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering or related field.
• Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt preferred.
• Proficiency in process simulation tools, time studies, and data analytics.
• Strong leadership, PM and facilitation skills.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% domestically and internationally.
• Excellent organizational and time-management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain time standards, labor models, and production layouts.
• Lead capacity planning, line balancing, and throughput optimization.
• Design and improve facility layouts, workstation ergonomics, and material flow.
• Conduct value stream mapping to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
• Lead Lean transformation initiatives using 5S, Kaizen, Kanban, SMED, Standard Work, and Visual Management.
• Deploy Lean Six Sigma methodologies to reduce waste and non-value-added activities.
• Facilitate cross-functional Kaizen events and improvement workshops across departments.
• Analyze production data to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities.
• Establish and track KPIs for productivity, efficiency, takt time, and OEE.
• Develop cost-benefit analyses for capital projects and process changes.
• Support factory modernization and digital manufacturing initiatives (MES, automation, real-time analytics).
• Partner with Product Development/NPI to drive DfM and scalability.
• Train and mentor supervisors, engineers, and frontline teams.

Skills

Lean transformation

Lean Six Sigma

Leadership

Capacity planning

Value stream mapping

Data analytics

Facilitation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering

Tools

Process simulation tools

Job description

AeroVironment, Inc. is seeking a Manager of Industrial Engineering & Lean Transformation to design, implement, and optimize manufacturing systems while leading Lean initiatives. The role focuses on improving throughput, efficiency, cost, quality, and lead time across production lines.

The successful candidate will drive capacity planning, line balancing, and digital manufacturing adoption, mentoring teams and reporting progress to executive leadership. Domestic travel up to 50% is expected.