Sr. Director Manufacturing - Space

AeroVironment•Albuquerque, NM

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role will serve as the senior leader responsible for all space product manufacturing, with end-to-end accountability for transitioning a portfolio of ten space products from engineering development into scalable, high-reliability production. Reporting to the VP of Manufacturing for Space, Cyber and Directed Energy Segment at AV, this position will play a critical role in enabling productization, accelerating production readiness, and delivering operational excellence across the space manufacturing portfolio. In addition to strategic leadership, this role has direct responsibility for tactical execution across manufacturing operations, including material planning, supply chain coordination, and quality performance. The leader will ensure day-to-day execution meets cost, schedule, and performance objectives while aligning closely with AV’s Global Operations to adopt and enforce enterprise initiatives, policies, tools, and standardized processes. This role requires a forward-leaning, collaborative leader capable of driving both execution discipline and organizational transformation, ensuring space manufacturing operates with speed, rigor, and scalability in alignment with evolving commercial and national security priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, or related technical or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
Minimum 12+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing or operations experience required with minimum 7-10 years of direct managerial experience
Strong track record in leading multi-site or complex manufacturing operations in the aerospace, defense, or high-technology industries.
Proven experience leading space hardware manufacturing organizations, including responsibility for both strategic leadership and tactical execution
Demonstrated success transitioning products from engineering development into production at scale
Deep expertise in space manufacturing standards and requirements, including IPC J-STD and applicable space addenda, as well as quality and mission assurance frameworks
Strong understanding of material planning, supply chain operations, and quality systems in high-reliability environments
Experience operating within complex, regulated environments (defense, aerospace, or space)
Track record of leading cross-functional teams and influencing across engineering, operations, and program organizations
Experience implementing or operating within enterprise ERP/MRP systems (e.g., Oracle Fusion or equivalent)
Demonstrated ability to drive operational discipline while leading transformation and standardization efforts
Collaborative leadership style with ability to work effectively across segment and enterprise (Global Operations) structures

Nice To Haves

Experience with multi-product space portfolios, including payloads, avionics, and space subsystems
Background in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing transitioning to higher-rate production
Experience supporting new product introduction (NPI) and production ramp in emerging or rapidly evolving markets
Familiarity with commercial space trends and dual-use product strategies
Secret or Top Secret clearance, or the ability obtain a clearance is desired.

Responsibilities

Lead all aspects of space product manufacturing across a portfolio of ~10 products, including production readiness, rate ramp, quality, and delivery performance
Own tactical execution across manufacturing operations, including: Material planning and production scheduling, Supply chain coordination and input on supplier performance, Quality execution, compliance, and defect reduction, Daily/weekly operating cadence to ensure commitments are met
Drive the transition from engineering development to full-rate production, ensuring design-for-manufacturability, producibility, and cost optimization
Partner closely with engineering to mature designs and implement robust build-to-print, configuration control, and production release processes
Ensure full compliance with space manufacturing standards, including IPC J-STD requirements and applicable space addenda, as well as mission assurance and reliability expectations
Establish and scale manufacturing processes that meet high-reliability, low-defect, and traceability requirements for space systems
Lead cross-functional coordination across engineering, quality, supply chain, programs, and finance to deliver on cost, schedule, and performance commitments
Partner with Global Operations to: Ensure alignment to enterprise initiatives, policies, and governance, Drive adoption of standard tools and systems, including Oracle Fusion, Implement consistent processes, metrics, and reporting across sites, Support enterprise-wide continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives
Champion lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, improving throughput, reducing cycle time, and optimizing cost structure
Build and develop a high-performing organization across manufacturing, material planning, supply chain, and quality functions
Align manufacturing strategy with broader company direction to accelerate commercialization and productization, consistent with evolving government and market priorities
Other duties as assigned