Sr. Field Operations Manager

AeroVironment, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 127,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holidays

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Field Operations Manager to lead training, field demonstrations, and customer visits for SUAS, TMS, and UGV systems, domestically and internationally.

You will coordinate with multiple teams to ensure airworthiness, safety, and mission readiness while managing budgets and schedules in a dynamic, global environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Engineering or Management or equivalent.
• 12+ years’ experience in UAS, TMS ops and training for commercial and military customers.
• 3+ years of formal instructor experience.
• U.S. Citizenship, U.S. Permanent Resident or asylee status required.

Responsibilities

• Track fielded assets, write proposals and manage budgets.
• Coordinate with customers on training, demonstrations and CSVs worldwide.
• Interface with Airworthiness & Safety authorities to ensure standards.
• Identify deficiencies and recommend improvements to Product Line Management.
• Manage Functional Area resource requirements.
• Protect company/customer data per ITAR and security policies.
• Communicate and execute Field Operations priorities.
• Collaborate with PMs, Engineers, BD and PLM on fielding involvement.
• Develop plans, monitor operations and brief leadership on field training and demos.
• Assist in operator manuals, checklists and training tools.
• Plan and execute dynamic schedules and respond to last-minute demands.
• Coordinate with Trade Compliance on international training/demos.

Skills

Strong communication

Critical thinking

Decision making

Leadership

Teamwork

Change management

Contract management

International experience

Security awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree in UAS, Engineering or Management

Job description

Worker Type Regular Job Description Summary The Sr. Field Operations Manager plans, coordinates and conducts Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUAS), Tactical Missile System (TMS) and Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) training, field demonstrations, and customer service visits (CSV) both domestic and internationally.

Position Responsibilities

• Tracking of fielded assets, proposal writing, and budget management
• Coordinates and works closely with multiple customers on training, demonstrations, and customer service visits, as well as various other operational requests worldwide
• Interacts with the Airworthiness & Safety authorities as required to ensure airworthiness and safety standards are implemented
• Identifies design and operational deficiencies and recommends improvements to Product Line Management
• Manage Functional Area resource requirements
• Ensure Company and customer data is protected in accordance with ITAR, security classification guides and company proprietary information procedures
• Comprehend, communicate, and execute Field Operations priorities.
• Collaborates with Program Managers, Engineers, Business Development and Product Line Management to ensure Field Operations involvement during all phases of planning, development, and fielding
• Develops plans and policies, monitors operations, reports to and advises leadership team on all matters pertaining to field training and field demonstration events
• Assists in development of operator manuals, checklists, FSR certification and currency programs as well as other internal and external training tools as required
• Able to plan and execute a dynamic schedule and solve rigorous and last-minute customer demands
• Coordinates with Trade Compliance on international training and demonstrations to ensure compliance

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience):

• Bachelor's degree in Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Engineering or Management required or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• 12+ years’ experience in Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Tactical Missile Systems operational use and training for commercial and military customers, including recent operational experience with SUAS, TMS or UGV products
• 3+ years of formal instructor experience
• U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies:

• Strong communication, active listening, judgement, decision-making, critical thinking, complex problem-solving, and presentation skills
• Uses vision to think beyond the immediate situation, explore multiple potential paths and adapt decision-making style based on the situational circumstances
• Project Management Experience; PMP Certification highly preferred
• Prior military instructor/Special Operations experience highly desirable
• Assesses the degree of risk and opportunity in plans or actions and takes appropriate action to mitigate them or makes plans to build on the opportunity
• Experience managing International (ex-US) contracts desired
• Inspires, motivates and empowers people to deliver organizational goals, while also delivering value back to employees
• Brings organizational values to life using personality, uniqueness and the creation of a shared vision; ensures that individuals and teams are working in a manner consistent with organizational values
• Champions the process of change and promotes a culture of quick adaptation, while helping others deal with the effects of change
• Demonstrates the ability to develop and maintain internal and external trusting, professional relationships
• 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
• Focuses on teamwork and puts the success of the team above one's own interests

Physical Demands

Ability to travel both domestic and international up to 50% of the time

Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Ability to work in an office or home office environment (Frequent)

Able to work outdoors in extreme weather conditions and traverse across uneven ground and varying terrain (Somewhat Frequent)

Environmental Conditions Critical to Performance: Work is in an office environment, climate controlled through central air conditioning/heating.

Special Requirements

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.

Military leadership experience preferred: Special Operations Forces, Infantry, Unmanned Aircraft Operations or maintenance background highly preferred Must be able to obtain a Secret and likely a Top-Secret clearance Clearance Level No Clearance

ITAR U.S. Citizenship is required. Secret or Top Secret clearance, or the ability obtain a clearance is desired.

The salary range for this role is: $126,500 - $192,750

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.

EEO/AA

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.

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.

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.