VP of Aerospace & Defense Operations

Element U.S. Space & Defense • US,

2d • Remote

About The Position

The VP of Aerospace & Defense Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for a portfolio of testing businesses across multiple facilities and business units. Reporting as a key member of the senior leadership team, this role leads General Managers, Quality, Safety and is accountable for driving revenue growth, EBITDA performance, operational excellence, customer & employee satisfaction, safety, quality, and talent development across the organization.
The Vice President develops and executes long-term growth strategies, oversees business performance, and strengthens executive-level customer relationships within the aerospace, defense, space, and government sectors. This leader fosters a high-performance, people-first culture while prioritizing employee engagement, leadership development, accountability, inclusion, and collaboration while driving scalable growth, market expansion, and continuous improvement. The Vice President serves as a visible and approachable leader who inspires teams, develops future leaders, creates an environment where employees feel valued, empowered, and connected to the organizations’ mission and values.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of military leadership and testing industry experience.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in testing services, aerospace, defense, engineering services, service industry, or related industries.
• 10+ years of experience leading leaders, including Directors, General Managers, or equivalent business leaders in a multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated success managing complex operations with full P&L accountability and driving revenue growth, EBITDA improvement, and operational excellence.
• Proven ability to develop and execute business strategies across multiple facilities, business units, or geographic regions.
• Strong knowledge of aerospace and defense markets, customer requirements, regulatory environments, and industry best practices, with exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, and executive presence.
• Ability to influence stakeholders at all organizational levels.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree (MBA, Engineering Management, or related discipline) preferred.
• Experience leading multi-site, geographically dispersed organizations exceeding $100M in annual revenue.
• Executive leadership experience within testing, inspection, certification, aerospace, defense, space, service industries, or government contracting environments.
• Proven people leader that inspires and motivates leaders and teams, ability to develop and manage people with collaboration with shared accountability success leading acquisitions, business integrations, and enterprise transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading cultural transformation initiatives that improve employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, retention, and organizational performance.
• Strong track record of building positive workplace cultures while successfully leading organizations through growth, change, business transformations, and acquisitions.
• Demonstrated ability to create high levels of employee trust, engagement, and organizational commitment across geographically dispersed teams.
• Demonstrated ability to build strategic customer relationships and drive growth with major aerospace, defense, and government customers.
• Strong knowledge of operational excellence, capital planning, investment analysis, and enterprise business management.
• Active or previous security clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Champion a people-first leadership philosophy that recognizes employees as a key competitive advantage and critical driver of long-term business success.
• Lead organizational change initiatives in a manner that builds trust, transparency, employee engagement, and organizational commitment.
• Create alignment between business objectives and workforce strategies to ensure sustainable growth while maintaining strong employee experience. Build trust, establish credibility, and influence stakeholders at all levels. Navigate complex situations and gain alignment.
• Develop and execute multi-year strategic plans that drive sustainable growth, profitability, and market leadership across the Aerospace & Defense Testing Services portfolio.
• Lead and develop direct reports responsible for individual business units, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy and performance expectations.
• Drive growth through market expansion, new services, strategic partnerships, and informed investment decisions.
• Partner with executive leadership to drive long-term growth strategies, business transformation initiatives, and acquisition integration activities.
• Ensure business decisions appropriately balance financial performance, operational objectives, and employee engagement to support sustainable long-term results.
• Maintain full accountability for consolidated business unit performance, including revenue growth, profitability, EBITDA, cash flow, and return on investment. Balances strong business results with a genuine commitment to employee experience and development.
• Establish annual operating plans, financial targets, and performance metrics across all assigned businesses.
• Drive financial and operational performance through forecasting, budgeting, resource allocation, capital investments, and disciplined execution of growth initiatives.
• Lead corrective action planning and execution when business performance falls below expectations.
• Partner with site leadership to establish workplace environments that promote engagement, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure execution of enterprise operational strategies and standardized business processes across all locations.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
• Maintain accountability for safety, quality, compliance, security, and risk management performance throughout the organization.
• Drive operational excellence by ensuring adoption of standard processes, monitoring key performance indicators, and implementing strategies that optimize performance and achieve business objectives across all facilities.
• Maintain a strong focus on understanding and exceeding customer expectations. Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key aerospace, defense, government, and commercial customers. Ensures operations decisions and processes are designed around delivering quality, responsiveness, and value to customers.
• Partner with Sales, Business Development, Operations, and Engineering leaders to drive strategic account growth and customer retention.
• Support business capture, proposal, and growth initiatives supporting major customer programs and long-term contract opportunities.
• Represent the organization at industry events, customer engagements, and strategic business forums.
• Serve as a visible and engaged leader who regularly connects with employees at all levels of the organization, fostering trust, transparency, and open communication.
• Develop and execute strategies that strengthen employee engagement, retention, leadership effectiveness, and organizational culture across all business units.
• Create a workplace culture where employees feel respected, heard, valued, and empowered to contribute their best work.
• Drive initiatives that promote collaboration, inclusion, recognition, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Build strong leadership capability throughout the organization by coaching leaders to effectively manage, develop, and engage their teams.
• Foster a culture that balances high performance with employee well-being, professional growth, and career development opportunities.
• Champion succession planning and internal talent development to create strong leadership pipelines and long-term organizational sustainability.
• Lead culture transformation efforts that strengthen alignment with company values and reinforce leadership expectations across all levels of the organization.
• Promote a safe, respectful, and inclusive work environment where every employee can thrive and contribute meaningfully to business success.
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory, contractual, security, quality, and customer requirements while overseeing risk management across assigned business units.
• Provide executive leadership with business performance insights, strategic recommendations, and actionable plans to achieve organizational objectives.
• Partner with Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Quality, Safety, and other corporate functions to ensure effective governance, compliance, and operational execution.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts
• Seven (7) paid holidays and four (4) paid floating holidays, depending on your hire date
• Paid Time Off (PTO), accrued biweekly
• 401k with employer match
• Twelve (12) hours of Paid Volunteer Time Off (PVTO) each year
• Tuition reimbursement and other employee programs
• Flexible schedules offered at some of our labs
• Monthly Lab Bonus plans (Based on position)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive