Project Engineer III

AeroVironment, Inc.; Strathearn (CA); On-site; USD 101,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

401(k) with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Employee benefits information online

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in California seeks a Project Engineer III to drive successful technical deliverables from design through production launch.

You will collaborate with chief engineers, subsystem leads, and project managers to guide engineering activities across prototyping, integration, and verification. The role emphasizes cross-disciplinary coordination, subsystem specification development, and risk management to ensure on-time, within-budget results while introducing advanced tools for

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent experience.
• 5–8 years of related technical product development experience.
• Experience with full product development life cycle from concept to production.
• Experience with cross-functional engineering teams and design reviews.

Responsibilities

• Improve development processes using modeling, design reviews and Six Sigma practices.
• Coordinate cross-discipline teams to deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Develop subsystem specifications and performance evaluations aligned to system requirements.
• Participate in prototype builds and interactions with suppliers/consultants.
• Manage day-to-day technical aspects including risk, scheduling, and issue resolution.
• Introduce tools to improve project engineering excellence.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Facilitation

Negotiation skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in related Engineering field

Job description

Worker Type Regular Job Description Summary The Project Engineer III is responsible for the success of project technical deliverables in collaboration with chief engineers, subsystem technical leads, engineering functional managers, and project managers. One works with engineering teams through design, analysis, prototype, integration, troubleshooting and verification and assist in new product launch to production.

Position Responsibilities

• Improve product development processes by employing lessons learned and best practices such as modeling and simulation, design reviews, DFMEA, Six Sigma/ lean product development, DFX, and customer feedbacks
• Coordinate cross-discipline teams through meetings and progress measurement activity which bring distinct, specific projects to completion both on time and within budget
• Work on development of subsystem specifications, characterization & performance evaluations in support of system requirements
• Participate in Prototype builds, key suppliers, contractors and 3rd party design service providers/consultants
• Drive development of subsystem specifications, characterization, and performance evaluations in support of system requirements
• Manage day-to-day technical aspects for the project, including facilitating cross-discipline decision making, design reviews, defect tracking, engineering tasks/schedule/status management, issue resolution and risk management activities
• Introduce tools to improve project engineering excellence
• Resolves a wide range of issues in creative ways
• Works on problems of diverse scope where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors
• Normally receives little instruction on day-to-day work, general instructions on new assignments
• Other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor's degree in related Engineering field is required or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• Minimum of 5 - 8 years of related technical experience in product development
• Proven and demonstrated experience with full product development life cycle from concept to production with proven track‑record of launching new products to production
• Proven and demonstrated execution of product development methods and best practices
• Experience working with integrated product teams
• Broad-based technical knowledge and experience in order to understand and evaluate design and development activity across the engineering disciplines
• Strong organization, facilitation and negotiation skills
• Ability to analyze the assigned project, break down work into functional disciplines and/or subsystems and create design/develop plans

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Advanced technical degree preferred
• Familiarity with aerospace military/defense contracting environment highly desirable
• Demonstrates good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions
• Demonstrated ownership, accountability, and success to deliver products that meet requirements on time and on budget
• Able to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, where small teams share a broad variety of duties
• Displays strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives
• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products
• Is committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of oneself, others, and the company
• Has effective problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills
• Focuses on teamwork, collaboration and puts the success of the team above one's own interests

Physical Demands

Ability to work in an office and manufacturing environment (Constant) Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent) Clearance Level No Clearance

The salary range for this role is: $100,500 - $153,250

In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A "U.S. person" according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

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. For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits. We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

About AV: AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next. If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

About AV: AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next. If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. 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.