Manufacturing Engineering Systems/Program Lead

AeroVironment•Albuquerque, NM

5d•$111,500 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

AV is seeking an experienced Manufacturing Systems Engineering/Program Lead to provide technical leadership for manufacturing engineering activities across multiple programs. This role will serve as the technical lead responsible for factory value-stream analysis, capacity modeling, Earned Value Management System (EVMS) and Control Account Manager (CAM) activities, and manufacturing capacity expansion initiatives. The ideal candidate has a strong manufacturing engineering background supporting moderate- to high-volume operations, preferably in mechanical manufacturing, printed circuit board (PCB), or circuit card assembly (CCA) environments. Working across manufacturing, engineering, program management, operations, quality, supply chain, and leadership teams, this individual will evaluate factory performance, identify constraints, develop scalable manufacturing solutions, and support program execution. The successful candidate will translate manufacturing data and program requirements into actionable plans that improve throughput, capacity, cost, quality, and schedule performance. This role requires strong technical ownership, analytical ability, communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in a dynamic, cross-functional environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
At least 8 years of experience in manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering, or a related field, preferably in moderate- to high-volume manufacturing.
Experience with mechanical manufacturing, PCB/CCA assembly, or complex electromechanical manufacturing.
Experience with capacity analysis, modeling, planning, value-stream mapping, and factory performance analysis.
Experience with EVMS, program planning, cost/schedule performance management, and CAM responsibilities, including control account planning and performance reporting.
Experience developing manufacturing metrics, dashboards, production forecasts, and capacity expansion solutions.
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other data analysis or modeling tools.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, technical leadership, and communication skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively across manufacturing, engineering, program management, operations, and leadership organizations.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Nice To Haves

Ten or more years of relevant manufacturing or industrial engineering experience.
Experience with factory-level capacity models, production forecasts, manufacturing execution systems (MES), enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, or other manufacturing data systems.
Experience with EVMS implementation and compliance in a government, aerospace, defense, or high-reliability manufacturing environment.
Experience with IMS development, resource loading, and schedule/cost integration.
Experience leading manufacturing capacity expansion, factory transformation, or production scaling initiatives.
Experience with automated manufacturing processes, production test, tooling, fixtures, and manufacturing equipment.
Experience supporting aerospace, defense, spaceflight, or other high-reliability programs.
Experience presenting capacity, performance, and investment recommendations to senior leadership.
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, factory flow, capacity planning, and production systems.
Ability to assume technical responsibility for manufacturing systems and capacity initiatives across multiple programs.

Responsibilities

Serve as the technical lead for manufacturing engineering systems, factory capacity, and related initiatives across multiple programs.
Develop and maintain value-stream and capacity models to evaluate material and process flow, throughput, cycle time, bottlenecks, capacity requirements, and factory performance.
Lead capacity expansion and factory planning efforts, including evaluation of equipment, tooling, facilities, staffing, process capability, production flow, and resource requirements.
Support EVMS, Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), budgets, performance metrics, and cost/schedule integration in partnership with Program Management and CAMs.
Serve as a CAM or provide CAM support, including control account planning, estimates, schedules, and performance assessments.
Analyze manufacturing data and develop recommendations to improve throughput, capacity utilization, cost, quality, productivity, and schedule performance.
Partner with cross-functional organizations to resolve manufacturing constraints, execution issues, and program risks.
Develop manufacturing strategies and implementation plans for program ramp-up, production scaling, and long-term capacity expansion.
Develop and maintain manufacturing metrics, dashboards, and performance indicators to support data-driven decision-making.
Lead or support Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, and other continuous improvement initiatives.
Present manufacturing performance, capacity, risks, investment recommendations, and status updates to program and functional leadership.
Perform other relevant duties as assigned.