Product Line Chief Engineer - Titan

AeroVironment • San Diego, CA

4d

About The Position

The Product Line Chief Engineer is the overall technical authority for the Titan CUAS product line. The PLCE is accountable for all technical aspects of Titan products and leads a team of engineers to ideate, conceptualize, develop, launch, and sustain products throughout the total product lifecycle. The PLCE works with Senior Engineers, Customers, and Leadership to develop concepts of operations which feed into product roadmaps to meet business objectives. The PLCE chairs technical reviews and drives the technical requirements Position Responsibilities Personifies the AV pillar of “Innovation”. As the Titan Engineering Authority, oversees all technical development and product sustainment activities within the Titan product line. Drives technical responses for business proposals Leads the technical team that will efficiently and effectively fulfill program technical, schedule and cost requirements and drives process improvements Chairs technical reviews and is the final authority for product documentation and engineering change requests/orders Collaborates with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality to ensure technical specifications, as designed, are managed/controlled and flow through the entire value chain Responsible for all technical aspects of the product Supports the development of plans for product IRAD and sustaining projects through proper work decomposition and skills assignment to project work tasks Develops and mentors high-performing engineering teams Leads multi-discipline engineering activities and mentors engineers to improve technical and leadership skills Partners with functional leaders to drive process improvements throughout the engineering development processes Responsible for leadership and direct performance management of a group of Senior Engineering Managers Works with other Engineering Managers to staff and prioritize engineering tasking across various Titan development efforts Leads root cause investigations and rolls out corrective actions (RCCA) Other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Master Degree or PhD in a Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering discipline (or equivalent).
• Experience with Defense products and customers, especially in C-UAS products
• Minimum of 15 years of demonstrated experience in product design and sustainment
• 10 years of direct technical expertise in the following areas: RF, to include high power amplifiers, signal conditioning, signal disruption, wireless communication systems protocols/waveforms, and software-defined-radios C-UAS products Digital signal processing
• Ability to obtain a Secret level clearance
• Experience with leading large technical teams through the product lifecycle
• Experience with drawings and BOMs; Engineering Change systems; Quality systems for non-conforming parts and corrective action
• Experience in an Agile and Waterfall development environment
• Excellent verbal, presentation, and written communication skills
• Experience project planning in terms of schedule, budget, and resource estimations
• Exceptional leadership and management skills, with the ability to develop and communicate a vision that inspires and motivates staff and aligns with the business strategy
• Ability to build strong relationships within all disciplines within organization
• Effective influencing and negotiation skills in an environment in which resources may not be under your direct control
• Experience with product manufacturing and product configuration processes
• Experience leading a multi-disciplinary team in an engineering environment
• Project Management Experience
• Experienced and proficient with MS Office applications and other office productivity tools
• U.S. Citizenship required

Nice To Haves

• Education / experience in R&D environment is preferred, especially in RF field
• Follows standard practices and procedures when analyzing situations or data from which answers can be readily obtained.
• Completes assigned tasks within schedule and budget
• Shares ideas and experiences with others, solicits feedback and asks relevant questions
• Able to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, where small teams share a broad variety of duties
• Displays strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives
• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products
• Is committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of oneself, others, and the company
• Has effective problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills
• Team Player - Focuses on teamwork, collaboration and puts the success of the team above one's own interests
• Inspires, motivates, and empowers people to deliver organizational goals, while also delivering value back to employees
• Direct technical expertise in as many of the following areas as possible: AI/ML Image processing Digital signal processing Robust mechanical design for military/defense sectors
• Existing DoD Secret security clearance preferred

Responsibilities

• As the Titan Engineering Authority, oversees all technical development and product sustainment activities within the Titan product line.
• Drives technical responses for business proposals
• Leads the technical team that will efficiently and effectively fulfill program technical, schedule and cost requirements and drives process improvements
• Chairs technical reviews and is the final authority for product documentation and engineering change requests/orders
• Collaborates with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality to ensure technical specifications, as designed, are managed/controlled and flow through the entire value chain
• Responsible for all technical aspects of the product
• Supports the development of plans for product IRAD and sustaining projects through proper work decomposition and skills assignment to project work tasks
• Develops and mentors high-performing engineering teams
• Leads multi-discipline engineering activities and mentors engineers to improve technical and leadership skills
• Partners with functional leaders to drive process improvements throughout the engineering development processes
• Responsible for leadership and direct performance management of a group of Senior Engineering Managers
• Works with other Engineering Managers to staff and prioritize engineering tasking across various Titan development efforts
• Leads root cause investigations and rolls out corrective actions (RCCA)
• Other duties as assigned

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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree