Vice President of Operations

Soaring; Orange (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental insurance

Stock/equity participation

Paid time off and paid holidays

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Soaring Aerospace Inc. in Orange, CA, seeks a Vice President of Operations to lead day-to-day manufacturing, supply chain, quality, people, and business execution on-site.

Partner with leadership to translate strategy into execution and scale teams, systems, and processes for complex UAV systems. The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s in Engineering/Operations (MBA preferred) and 10+ years in aerospace/high-reliability leadership, with demonstrated success in scaling startups, managing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• MBA or equivalent advanced business degree.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in aerospace, defense, robotics, or high-reliability hardware environments.
• Experience scaling early-stage or high-growth hardware startups to sustained operations.
• Experience leading complex supply chains, contract manufacturers, and vendor networks.
• Strong track record of improving operational efficiency, cost controls, and margins.
• Defense-adjacent or regulated environment experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operations across manufacturing, supply chain, quality, people, and business execution.
• Own operational strategy and execution to support growth, scalability, and long-term performance.
• Lead manufacturing operations, production planning, and delivery of complex UAV systems in high-reliability environments.
• Oversee supply chain strategy, supplier relationships, contract manufacturers, and vendor performance, ensuring quality, resilience, and on-time delivery.
• Drive operational efficiency, cost optimization, and margin improvement through disciplined execution and cost accounting controls.
• Establish and scale operational processes, systems, and infrastructure to support increased production volume and revenue growth.
• Ensure readiness for production scale through capacity planning, tooling strategy, workforce planning, and process standardization.
• Oversee quality systems, inspections, corrective actions, and compliance with customer, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead recruiting, workforce planning, and organizational development across operations, including compensation and equity frameworks, benefits benchmarking, payroll oversight, and policy development.
• Establish KPIs, operating cadences, and performance metrics to drive accountability, visibility, and continuous improvement.
• Identify operational risks and constraints, and lead cross-functional resolution.
• Communicate operational status, priorities, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to executive leadership, the Board, and key stakeholders.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or related field

MBA or equivalent advanced business degree

Job description

Soaring Aerospace Inc. (SAI) is a startup which designs and manufactures autonomous UAV systems for commercial applications and mission-critical defense logistics. SAI works with government agencies, defense organizations, and strategic customers to develop and deploy advanced aircraft for demanding, high-reliability environments.

The Vice President of Operation will serve as a senior executive responsible for day-to-day operations across manufacturing, supply chain, people, and business execution, partnering closely with leadership to translate strategy into execution, oversee operational functions across the organization, scale teams and systems, reduce cost and operational friction, and ensure consistent delivery of complex UAV systems.

The entrepreneurial position requires hands-on, on-site leadership with frequent engagement across research and development, production, suppliers, and cross-functional teams and is based in Orange.

Responsibilities

• Partner closely with leadership to oversee day-to-day operations across manufacturing, supply chain, quality, people, and business execution
• Own operational strategy and execution to support company growth, scalability, and long-term performance
• Lead manufacturing operations, production planning, and delivery of complex UAV systems in high-reliability environments
• Oversee supply chain strategy, supplier relationships, contract manufacturers, and vendor performance, ensuring quality, resilience, and on-time delivery
• Drive operational efficiency, cost optimization, and margin improvement through disciplined execution and cost accounting controls
• Establish and scale operational processes, systems, and infrastructure to support increased production volume and revenue growth
• Ensure readiness for production scale through capacity planning, tooling strategy, workforce planning, and process standardization
• Oversee quality systems, inspections, corrective actions, and compliance with customer, contractual, and regulatory requirements
• Lead recruiting, workforce planning, and organizational development across operations, including compensation and equity frameworks, benefits benchmarking, payroll oversight, and policy development
• Establish KPIs, operating rhythms, and performance metrics to drive accountability, visibility, and continuous improvement
• Identify operational risks and constraints, and lead cross-functional resolution
• Communicate operational status, priorities, risks, and tradeoffs clearly to executive leadership, the Board, and key stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related field; MBA or equivalent advanced business degree required
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience across product development, operations, manufacturing, and supply chain within aerospace, defense, robotics, or other high-reliability hardware environments
• Proven track record of helping scale an early-stage or high-growth hardware startup from prototype or low-rate production into sustained commercial operations
• Experience leading complex supply chains, contract manufacturers, and vendor networks in aerospace, UAV, or comparable industries
• Strong track record of improving operational efficiency, cost controls, and margins
• Deep understanding of manufacturing operations, quality systems, supplier management, and cost control
• Experience establishing KPIs, operating cadences, and performance management systems
• Defense-adjacent, government-contracting, or regulated environment experience preferred

Compensation

• $220,000-$240,000
• Significant company stock/equity participation
• Health and dental insurance
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• 401(k) retirement plan