Vice President, Operations - Autonomous Systems

Worker Type

• Regular
• Job Description

• Role Overview
• The Vice President, Operations — AxS is the senior executive accountable for end-to-end tactical operational execution across AeroVironment’s Autonomous Systems Segment. The role ensures that customer and program demand is translated through the enterprise resource planning system into an executable supply response, stable factory performance, on-time product delivery, and effective customer sustainment. This leader owns daily flow, quality, schedule, cost, cash, and operational readiness across a complex, multi-business-unit portfolio of autonomous air, ground, maritime, loitering-munition, and related mission systems.

Reporting to the President, AxS, the VP, Operations leads and integrates segment operations across planning, production control, purchasing execution, manufacturing, materials, logistics, quality, sales, inventory and operations planning (SIOP), inventory, repair and overhaul (R&O), and manufacturing engineering. The VP works in close partnership with Business Unit leaders, Program Management, Engineering, Finance, Business Development, and the Global Operations organization to deliver current customer commitments while scaling capacity, industrializing new products, and strengthening the segment’s operating system.

Role Charter: Run the AxS operating system: deliver to customers today, ensure daily flow and quality, and execute to plan. Partner with Global Operations to standardize and improve the enterprise systems, capabilities, and controls that enable sustained performance.

Operating Scope and Organizational Accountability

The VP owns the smooth, connected execution of the full operations fulfillment workflow and is accountable for resolving breakdowns at the interfaces between demand, planning, supply, production, delivery, and sustainment. Direct and matrixed accountability includes the following AxS operating functions:

Planning and SIOP: Demand translation, capacity and constraint planning, executive alignment, scenario management, and commitment setting.

Production Control: Work-order release, schedule control, priority management, shortage escalation, and factory cadence.

Purchasing Execution: MRP execution, purchase-order placement and follow-up, supplier commitments, line-down prevention, and tactical recovery.

Materials, Inventory, and Logistics: Material readiness, inventory accuracy and turns, warehousing, kitting, material movement, packaging, and shipment.

Manufacturing: Assembly, integration, test, visual management, labor performance, throughput, safety, and daily execution.

Quality: Quality engineering, inspection and control, product conformance, corrective action, and prevention of escapes.

Manufacturing Engineering: Routings, work instructions, tooling, process readiness, producibility, and transition to production.

Repair and Overhaul: Field-return evaluation, repair, overhaul, replenishment, turnaround time, and sustainment execution.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Fulfillment & Delivery

Own the full operations workflow from demand planning and ERP loading through production, shipment, fielding, support, repair, and replenishment.

Drive an integrated operating cadence connecting BD, Programs, Finance, Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, and Sustainment to one executable plan.

Ensure accurate, timely orders, BOMs, routings, schedules, and inventory signals; lead recovery for material, capacity, quality, labor, and program disruptions.

Segment Operations Strategy & Execution

Develop and execute a multi-year AxS operations strategy aligned with growth, margin, cash, capital, and customer commitments.

Translate annual and long-range plans into clear site, business-unit, and value-stream targets with measurable leading indicators.

Balance near-term delivery with long-term capability (capacity, workforce, capital, footprint, surge) through disciplined operating rhythms.

Manufacturing, Production Control & Material Readiness

Lead safe, compliant, efficient assembly, integration, test, and delivery across AxS sites.

Ensure realistic, material-backed, capacity-feasible production schedules and disciplined floor control.

Drive material readiness (MRP execution, supplier commits, shortage triage, kitting, inventory/logistics) and improve throughput, cycle time, schedule attainment, labor utilization, and yield.

SIOP, Planning & ERP Discipline

Lead the AxS SIOP process, integrating demand, supply, capacity, inventory, financial outlook, and risk into a single plan.

Champion accurate master data, disciplined transactions, and strong system adoption across ERP, MES, PLM, and digital platforms.

Build scenario plans for growth, IDIQ variability, multi-year buys, surge, engineering changes, and constrained supply.

Quality, Mission Assurance & Compliance

Ensure product conformance and mission success through robust quality engineering, inspection, traceability, and corrective action.

Reduce rework, scrap, escapes, customer returns, and cost of poor quality; maintain compliance with AS9100, ISO, ITAR, EAR, DFARS and other aerospace/defense requirements.

Support customer, government, registrar, and internal audits and production readiness reviews.

Industrialization & New Product Introduction

Own operations readiness for NPI and transition to production, aligning technical and manufacturing readiness, producibility, test strategy, and supply readiness.

Ensure manufacturing engineering delivers routings, work instructions, tooling, qualified processes, production test capability, standard work, and trained labor before rate commitments.

Sponsor facility moves, line launches, capital projects, automation, and digital manufacturing initiatives with clear governance and benefit realization.

Operational Excellence & Technology

Deploy lean, Six Sigma, standard work, flow/pull, root-cause problem solving, and continuous improvement across AxS operations.

Partner with Global Operational Excellence, Advanced Manufacturing, Operations Data & Digital Transformation, and Global Manufacturing to adopt common systems and proven technologies.

Evaluate and implement modern manufacturing technology and automation with disciplined ROI, risk, cybersecurity, and workforce-readiness criteria.

Customer, Program & Cross-Functional Leadership

Serve as the AxS executive authority for operational commitments, production readiness, recovery plans, customer visits, and critical delivery milestones.

Provide credible operations input to bids and proposals (labor, material, capital, capacity, schedule, risk, industrial base, ramp).

Build trusted relationships with customers, government stakeholders, and strategic suppliers; communicate performance, constraints, and recovery actions with transparency and urgency.

Financial & Talent Leadership

Own AxS operations budgets, capital plans, productivity, inventory, working capital, cost reduction, and cost-of-poor-quality performance.

Build and develop a high-performance, multi-site organization with clear accountability, succession plans, and bench strength.

Foster a safety-first, mission-focused culture of urgency, integrity, inclusion, disciplined execution, and continuous learning; maintain strong presence on the factory floor.

Partnership with Global Operations

Lead tactical AxS performance while partnering with Global Operations on enterprise systems, standards, and scalable capabilities.

Collaborate with Global Quality, EHS, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Operational Excellence, Advanced Manufacturing, CTO/technology functions, Programs Office, and Operations Data & Digital Transformation.

Jointly support the warfighter and mission, solving systemic problems and continuously improving the operating system.

Key Metrics of Success

Safety; on-time delivery and schedule attainment; quality and yield