UAS Configuration & Material Control Technician, Sr.

AeroVironment, Inc.; Petaluma (CA); Hybrid; USD 43,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in Petaluma, CA is seeking a Senior Group 3 UAS Configuration & Material Control Technician for a hybrid role focused on aircraft maintenance and inventory accountability.

You will work with mechanics and engineering staff to ensure operational, safe, and regulation-compliant aircraft, while tracking parts, spares, batteries, tools, and GSE. Responsibilities include inspections, repairs, preventative maintenance, and real-time inventory control, with deployment readiness and

Qualifications

• 2-4 years of Group 3 UAS experience preferred.
• Senior supply, logistics, or aerospace experience is valued.
• Ability to read and interpret maintenance procedures and manuals.

Responsibilities

• Monitor stock levels and coordinate with purchasing to prevent stock-outs of flight-critical items.
• Perform maintenance, inspections, and repairs on Group 3 UAS airframes, propulsion, avionics, flight controls, payloads, batteries/power systems, and GSE.
• Diagnose problems, run tests, repair or replace faulty components, and return aircraft to service.
• Develop and implement preventative maintenance procedures; plan and schedule repairs.
• Conduct inventories; maintain real-time accuracy for spare parts, consumables, batteries, tools, and GSE.
• Perform receiving, inspection, stocking, issuing, and cycle counting; track serialized and lot-controlled items.
• Ensure proper storage and handling of batteries, composites, adhesives, and other sensitive materials.
• Support RMA processes, vendor repairs, and deployments or shipping/receiving of components and equipment.
• Document maintenance actions and post-maintenance data; contribute to after-action reports.

Skills

Inventory management

Mechanical troubleshooting

Electrical troubleshooting

Aircraft maintenance

Read manuals

Safety compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree / certifications

High school diploma or GED

Tools

CMMS/ERP systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Worker Type Regular Job Description Summary

The Group 3 UAS Configuration & Material Control Technician, Sr. position is a critical hybrid role, tasked with delivering exceptional maintenance and repair services while owning supply and inventory accountability for Group 3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems. As an experienced professional, you will utilize your extensive knowledge and technical expertise to ensure that all aircraft subjected to your care are operational, safe, and in compliance with industry regulations, while maintaining accurate tracking of parts, spares, consumables, batteries, tools, and ground support equipment. In this position, you will be expected to work collaboratively with other skilled mechanics and engineering staff to understand complex parts and implement effective and strategic supply integration solutions. Your day-to-day activities will include performing inspections, conducting repairs, managing inventory, and making necessary modifications to associated systems in R&D, training, demo, or deployed systems. Understanding the intricacies of aerospace systems and maintaining an emphasis on safety and quality assurance are paramount while sustaining a growing hardware and depot supply.

Position Responsibilities

• Monitor stock levels, generate reorder recommendations, and coordinate with purchasing to prevent stock-outs of flight-critical items.
• Perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, inspections, troubleshooting, and repairs on Group 3 UAS airframes, propulsion systems, avionics, flight controls, payloads, batteries/power systems, and associated ground support equipment.
• Diagnose problems, run tests, repair or replace faulty components, and return aircraft to service.
• Develop and implement preventative maintenance procedures; plan and schedule repairs.
• Conduct all necessary equipment and material inventories; maintain real-time accuracy for spare parts, consumables, batteries, tools, and ground support equipment.
• Perform receiving, inspection, stocking, issuing, and cycle counting; track serialized and lot-controlled items.
• Ensure proper storage, handling, and shelf-life management of batteries, composites, adhesives, and other sensitive materials.
• Support RMA processes, vendor repairs, and logistics for deployments or shipping/receiving of aircraft components and support equipment.
• Ensure all flight and ground operations follow established procedures and are conducted safely; continually re-evaluate risk assessments and take appropriate actions to mitigate any elevated risk levels.
• Complete all documentation required for maintenance actions, equipment operational status, inventories, data collection, and post-maintenance procedures.
• Capture critical information for input into after-action reports and lessons learned databases.
• Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• High school diploma or GED equivalent is required.
• Bachelor's degree, certification(s) or some related college courses highly preferred.
• Senior Supply, Logistics, Support with Military G8 experience.
• 2-4 years of working experience required (Group 3 UAS experience strongly preferred).
• Demonstrated experience with inventory control, parts tracking, or logistics in an aviation, aerospace, or technical environment.
• Ability to read and interpret technical manuals, wiring diagrams, and maintenance procedures.
• Strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills.
• Must have or be able to obtain and maintain a US Passport.
• Because of various out-of-area training/maintenance requirements, must be available on both short and long-term deployments away from home, both CONUS and OCONUS.
• Employment is contingent upon meeting all medical requirements for overseas assignments.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, time management and organizational skills.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency with office software and productivity tools.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Military supply, logistics, or inventory management experience (e.g., supply specialist or equivalent MOS/AFSC/rating) is strongly preferred.
• Manned aviation technical supply experience (managing parts, spares, and technical supply for manned aircraft) is preferred.
• Automotive parts technical supply and inventory experience is also welcome and will be considered.
• Experience with battery systems, composite repair, avionics, or sensor payloads.
• Familiarity with CMMS/ERP systems and serialized asset tracking.
• Prior military or government contractor UAS maintenance experience.
• Prior military Special Operations experience highly desirable.
• Prefer Special Forces, SEAL, Special Tactics, Ranger, Force Recon / MARSOC, Scout, Forward Observer, TACP, or Aviation Support backgrounds.
• Demonstrates strong analytical skills with which to solve various degrees of complex problems.
• Works well with little or no supervision and exercise independent judgment on a regular basis.

Physical Demands

• Ability to sit, stand, stoop, reach, lift (up to 50 lbs.), bend, etc.
• Hand and wrist dexterity to utilize the computer and tools.
• Lift and/or move between 11-20 lbs. of cases or components of varying size (Frequent).
• Lift up to 50 pounds as well as objects of varying sizes for shipment to & set up at various customer training sites (Occasional).
• Able to work outdoors in extreme weather conditions and traverse across uneven ground and varying terrain (Constant).
• Stand and/or sit for long periods of time (Frequent).
• Balancing, handling, fine manipulation and grasping (Frequent).
• Good manual dexterity to assemble and disassemble product (Frequent).
• Crouching, reaching and keying (Frequent).
• Climbing, stooping, kneeling, feeling, overhead lifting (Occasional).

Environmental Conditions

• Critical to Performance Work is primarily in a shop or office environment, climate controlled through central air conditioning/heating.
• May have some exposure to outside environment while traveling or in field conditions.

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Must be able to travel within the Continental U.S. and internationally when required.
• Ability to obtain any required security clearances or export-control approvals if applicable.
• Clearance Level No Clearance.

Salary

The salary range for this role is: $31 - $53

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations ("ITAR") and/or the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"). 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

• medical
• dental vision
• 401K with company matching
• 9/80 work schedule
• 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.

Careers at AeroVironment

Careers at AeroVironment

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.