Vice President, Operations - Autonomous Systems

Worker Type Regular

Role Overview

The Vice President, Operations — AxS is the senior executive accountable for end-to-end tactical operational execution across Aero Vironment’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.

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.

• 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…