Vice President & Product Line GM

AV; Petaluma (CA); On-site; USD 246,000 - 393,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Holiday shutdown

Job summary

AV is seeking a VP & Product Line General Manager to lead the MUAS Product Line with accountability for bookings, P&L, pricing, and roadmaps. This leader will supervise a core team and align resources from AV functions to drive growth and customer satisfaction.

The role requires 10+ years in UAS/military markets, proven product-line leadership, budgeting experience, and strong executive communication. Domestic and international travel up to 25% is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years in UAS/military markets or equivalent, with product leadership.
• Experience leading product lines, roadmaps, and budgets.
• Proven ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 25%.
• Strong executive presentation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Own Orders, Pricing, Investment allocation, customer satisfaction and Profit & Loss for the product line.
• Lead development of annual operating plan and 5-year plan for MUAS product line.
• Report financial drivers and market dynamics in business reviews.
• Create buy‑in for product/technology vision with internal teams and key customers.
• Lead budgeting for R&D and sustaining activities; approve bid/no‑bid decisions.
• Assess risks, track performance metrics, and drive mitigation actions.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

P&L management

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Office productivity tools

Job description

Job Description

The VP & Product Line General Manager leads the business for the Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS) Product Line (PL) Organization and is chartered with its stewardship and growth. The PLGM has overall accountability for PL’s bookings, P&L, customer satisfaction, product pricing, investment allocations, and product road-maps. The PLGM supervises a core team of direct reports with the balance of resources assigned from AV’s functions.

Worker Type

Regular

Summary

The VP & Product Line General Manager leads the business for the Medium Unmanned Aircraft Systems (MUAS) Product Line (PL) Organization and is chartered with its stewardship and growth. The PLGM has overall accountability for PL’s bookings, P&L, customer satisfaction, product pricing, investment allocations, and product road-maps. The PLGM supervises a core team of direct reports with the balance of resources assigned from AV’s functions.

Duties

• Own Orders, Pricing, Investment allocation, customer satisfaction and Profit & Loss for the product line.
• Report financial drivers, customer and market dynamics in business reviews.
• Lead development of the annual operating plan (AOP) and 5 years plan for the Product Line and collaborate with other leaders on synergies and strategy.
• Support the development of strategy at the company level.
• Model AV’s values and leadership competencies.
• Manage prioritization and trade-offs among projects to effectively manage our technology portfolio, achieve a balance of capabilities products, and address resource needs
• Create buy-in for the product/technology vision both internally and with key customers
• Lead budgeting for product line R&D, sustaining activities and other investments core to or in support of the product line.
• Own pricing decisions and evaluate opportunities to support current and future business. Approve bid / no bid and pricing gate reviews for all new business opportunities.
• Assess product and project risks and provide feedback risk mitigation and contingency plans developed by PMO and Engineering.
• Establish, track and analyze product line performance metrics and take action to address issues and/or opportunities
• Lead with rapid agility to deal with shifting priorities, demands, and timelines
• Identify and manage organizational and/or customer conflicts
• Comprehend and improve relevant development processes, and ensure adherence
• Other duties as assigned

Experience

• 10+ years relevant experience including extensive first-hand knowledge of UAS military market
• Understanding of emerging commercial verticals with particular emphasis on the emerging enterprise (B2B) segments include infrastructure inspection, security, agriculture and related.
• Working knowledge of UAS airworthiness certification process with FAA and other worldwide bodies for both military and civil applications
• Experience in product road mapping, R&D, and product sustainment activities
• Experience with business development and sales with Defense products and customers
• Experience managing a department or project budget
• Display a proven track record of taking ownership and driving results - self-start and self-directed
• Ability to travel both domestically and internationally up to 25% of the time
• Working knowledge of AeroVironment’s systems and products and a track record of managing multiple projects simultaneously

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering discipline or related/relevant field or combination of education and experience.

Additional Requirements

• Advance Degree is desired
• Demonstrates strong computer skills and proficiency with office software, productivity tools and other software tools on one’s area of expertise
• Experienced and comfortable with presenting to executive leadership
• Display strong critical thinking skills, demonstrated ability to analyze and break down problems into components
• Ability to work on problems of complex scope where analysis of situations or data requires a review of a variety of factors. Exercise judgment, strategic thinking, and best practices to determine appropriate action, yet also creatively thinks outside the box to find solutions to never-solved problems
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Uses vision to think beyond the immediate situation, explore multiple potential paths and adapt decision-making style based on the situational circumstances
• Inspires, motivates and empowers people to deliver organizational goals, while also delivering value back to employees
• 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
• Has effective problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills. Consistently demonstrates teamwork, collaboration and puts the success of the team above one's own interests

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office environment (Constant)
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Constant)

Special Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship required with the ability to obtain government security clearance

Clearance Level

Secret

The Salary Range For This Role Is

$245,500 - $393,000

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

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.

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.

Equal 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.