Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Worker Type

Regular

Job Description

Summary

The Manufacturing Engineering Manager leads the manufacturing engineering function supporting AeroVironment’s Unmanned Air Vehicle production operations. This position provides strategic and hands‑on leadership for the development, implementation, qualification, and continuous improvement of manufacturing systems, processes, equipment, tooling, and documentation. The manager is accountable for manufacturing readiness, process capability, capacity planning, capital resources, team performance, and continuous improvement across production operations.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop the manufacturing engineering team; assign work, establish priorities, support career development, and manage performance.
• Establish manufacturing engineering strategies, standards, priorities, and performance objectives aligned with company and program requirements.
• Plan, design, and continuously improve manufacturing systems, production processes, and facility capabilities for Unmanned Air Vehicle production.
• Develop manufacturing strategies and capacity models for new and existing products, including capital equipment and infrastructure requirements.
• Direct the specification, development, qualification, implementation, and support of assembly and test equipment.
• Oversee equipment specifications, qualification records, support plans, work instructions, assembly procedures, and other manufacturing documentation.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives to improve productivity, quality, throughput, yield, cost, cycle time, and lead time.
• Sponsor Value Stream Mapping and other process‑improvement activities to reduce waste, variation, cycle time, and production losses.
• Lead the development and cost estimation of tooling, fixtures, automation, and other manufacturing resources.
• Direct Make/Buy analyses in collaboration with cross‑functional teams.
• Provide manufacturing engineering input to new product development, including Design for Manufacturing, cost, reliability, producibility, and process‑risk assessments.
• Partner with Design Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, and Program Management to support production readiness, product introduction, ramp‑up, process validation, and manufacturing transfer.
• Provide technical leadership for applicable electro‑mechanical processes, including mechanical assembly, printed circuit board assembly, calibration, testing, sheet metal fabrication, plastics, and composite layups.
• Identify manufacturing risks and lead root‑cause analysis and corrective‑action activities related to processes, equipment, materials, capacity, tooling, suppliers, quality, and productivity.
• Manage manufacturing engineering budgets, capital requisitions, resource plans, and project schedules.
• Coordinate with suppliers and contract manufacturers to support process readiness and ensure receipt of conforming parts and assemblies.
• Communicate manufacturing status, risks, capacity constraints, improvement results, and resource requirements to leadership.
• Promote ownership, accountability, teamwork, continuous learning, innovation, and disciplined execution.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent education, training, and experience may be considered.
• 8 or more years of progressive experience in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Test Engineering, Operations Engineering, or a related field.
• 3 or more years of demonstrated experience leading or managing manufacturing engineering teams or cross‑functional technical teams.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, automotive, commercial manufacturing, or another highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing principles and Six Sigma methodologies.
• Experience with electro‑mechanical manufacturing, engineering drawings, manufacturing procedures, bills of materials, and production documentation.
• Experience developing or implementing assembly, test, inspection, tooling, fixture, or automated manufacturing systems.
• Experience with manufacturing capacity planning, capital equipment planning, production readiness, and process improvement.
• Experience with Design for Manufacturing, cost and reliability analysis, Make/Buy evaluations, and structured root‑cause analysis.
• Experience working with suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, and Project.
• Experience with manufacturing and engineering tools such as Minitab, Oracle, Agile, and CAD systems; SolidWorks experience is preferred.
• Ability to travel to supplier or contract‑manufacturer sites, as required; travel may be up to approximately 30%.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Experience manufacturing Small Unmanned Air Vehicles or other complex aerospace products is preferred.
• Experience with automation, robotics, production‑test systems, new manufacturing technology development, or capital equipment projects is preferred.
• Experience with sheet metal fabrication, plastics, composite layups, printed circuit board assembly, mechanical assembly, calibration, and testing processes is preferred.
• Experience with production scaling, factory layout, line balancing, takt time, Value Stream Mapping, capacity expansion, or formal project management is preferred.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, delegation, team‑building, communication, organization, planning, prioritization, and time‑management skills.
• Ability to analyze data, make sound technical and business decisions, manage competing priorities, and work independently in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment.
• Demonstrated initiative, ownership, accountability, problem‑solving ability, and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across functions and prioritize team and company success.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in both office and manufacturing environments.
• Ability to