Vehicle Production Manager

Leidos; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 82,550 - 149,225; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Health and wellness programs

Paid leave

Retirement plans

Job summary

Leidos is seeking a Vehicle Production Manager in San Diego, CA, to lead a top-notch R&D engineering group focused on underwater vehicle systems and sensors. This leadership role will involve managing the production and acceptance testing of unmanned maritime vehicles for vital defense projects.

The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership and problem-solving abilities, with requirements including a Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of experience, along with the ability to obtain a TOP SECRET security clearance. Comprehensive benefits include competitive pay and wellness programs.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience required.
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain TOP SECRET security clearance required.
• Experience in system production desirable.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate testing and manage production schedules.
• Oversee vehicle acceptance, testing, and certification.
• Engage with industry partners on vehicle issues.

Skills

Leadership skills

Attention to detail

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Microsoft Office

Visio

Open Project

Job description

Description

Leidos’ Undersea Systems Division is seeking a Vehicle Production Manager in San Diego, CA to join a fast‑paced R&D engineering group. This role is a unique opportunity to drive innovation in underwater vehicle systems, maritime sensors, subsea telemetry, and ISR solutions that support critical defense and national security missions at Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific (NIWC PAC). The selected candidate will be part of an elite, top‑notch group and will be responsible for overseeing and managing the acceptance, testing, and certification of unmanned maritime vehicles for a rapid‑paced, high‑priority project. This is a high‑impact leadership role that bridges the gap between the vehicle R&D team and the onsite production team. The Vehicle Production Lead manages the laboratory/shop environment, directs a team of technicians, and ensures that each unmanned platform meets the government’s rigorous testing requirements and system specifications.

This position requires a Top Secret clearance and a 9/80B schedule (80 hours of work into nine days over a two‑week period, allowing every other Friday off) to align with the NIWC government team.

Primary Responsibilities

• Coordinate with NIWC Vehicle SMEs to review vehicle system data and address unforeseen technical issues.
• Support the Test Director with planning and executing at‑sea Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs), performance testing, and certification checks.
• Manage and maintain the Master Production Schedule (MPS) along with system software and hardware baseline milestones.
• Engage with industry partners on schedules, issues, and resources that impact NIWC’s ability to deliver fully tested and operational vehicles on schedule.
• Keep NIWC project leadership (PM, DPM, LSE, and Vehicle Lab Lead) informed of risks, issues, and challenges.
• Oversee the configuration of vehicles to support sponsor requirements.
• Generate vehicle readiness reports and track the status of each vehicle’s issues/failures.
• Manage vehicle inventory, materials, parts, and procurement of lab supplies.
• Align the flow of materials to meet production requirements.
• Prepare procurement requests for the production or purchase of components or parts based on the Master Production Schedule, shop load, and inventory requirements.
• Manage vehicle production lab space and test equipment.
• Manage local test procedures, tools, and equipment for conducting vehicle preparation, checkout, and post data offload for each system and at‑sea event.
• Coordinate with industry partners to develop in‑lab test procedures, plans, tools, and equipment to ensure proper Factory and Government Acceptance Testing.
• Liaison between Engineering/R&D and Production teams.
• Implement, manage, and oversee quality assurance and configuration management programs for the vehicle production effort.
• Maintain current knowledge of the quality control field, relying on current literature pertaining to materials use, technological advances, or statistical studies.
• Analyze data to inform operational decisions or activities.
• Affect significant improvements in projects, processes, and solutions to enhance results.

Basic Qualifications

• U.S. Citizen with ability to obtain TOP SECRET security clearance; active SECRET clearance required.
• Bachelor’s (or higher) degree from an accredited institution and 5+ years of relevant experience.
• Process‑oriented and attention to detail.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Experience working with and managing small groups.
• Must be flexible and responsive to customer needs.
• Requires frequent movement around piers, docks, and facility spaces.
• Required to transport or lift objects weighing up to 50 pounds across the facility.
• Requires constant use of hands/fingers to operate machinery, tools, or computer equipment.
• Requires ability to move about the warehouse, stoop, kneel, or reach for extended periods.
• Ability to climb ladders up to 20 feet.
• Able and willing to work aboard marine vessels of various sizes, sometimes overnight.
• Requires work in various temperatures and inclement weather.
• Required to work in/or in loud production environments.
• Supervise 1+ personnel in their daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly activities and provide mentoring, guidance, and career discussions for direct report employee(s).
• Be responsible for hiring, firing, raises, promotions, and all HR associated actions for direct report employee(s).

Preferred Qualifications, Skills, and Experience

• System production experience.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and teamwork abilities.
• Highly organized and able to prioritize tasks for team members.
• Ability to read, understand, and interpret complex technical documents.
• Strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
• UUV testing experience (or general at‑sea test experience).
• Project management experience.
• Experience with Microsoft Office and Visio.
• Experience with Open Project is a plus.
• Ability to operate crane/davit.
• Capable of supporting at‑sea testing is a plus.
• Small boat certified (or willingness to get certified) is a plus.

Benefits

Pay Range: $82,550.00 - $149,225.00. Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, health and wellness programs, income protection, paid leave, and retirement. For more details, visit www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.