Worker Type
Regular
Job Description
Summary
Our Mission
At the heart of national defense and global security, we are committed to building programs and products that deliver real-world impact for the warfighter. The Global Program and Product Office ensures our teams execute with discipline, agility, and purpose. As VP of Global Product Management, you will lead the enterprise product management discipline — enabling product managers, strengthening product thinking across the organization, and ensuring our products are aligned to customer needs, operational realities, and long-term strategy.
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced, mission-driven Vice President of Global Product Management to grow and lead the product management discipline across the enterprise. Reporting to the VP of Global Programs and Product Management, this role is responsible for defining how product management is practiced at scale — including roles, processes, training, and tooling.
This leader will act as the chief steward of product excellence, partnering closely with Engineering, Programs, Operations, and Business Leaders to ensure our products deliver value throughout their lifecycle. The role is highly visible with a strong emphasis on direct mentorship, training, and capability building for product managers at all levels. Success in this role is measured by the strength, consistency, and effectiveness of the product management discipline across the enterprise.
Position Responsibilities
Product Management Discipline Leadership
Accountable to lead the enterprise product management discipline, aligned with the company’s Product Development Framework and governance model.
Establish clear product management roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and interfaces with program management, engineering, and operations.
Own product lifecycle standards from concept and requirements through development, deployment, sustainment, and end-of-life.
Talent Development & Mentorship
Build, mentor, and coach a global community of Product Managers and Product Owners.
Define career paths, competency models, and training plans for product management roles.
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior product leaders on product strategy, trade decisions, and customer alignment.
Build a comprehensive internal and external training program to support the continuous development of our product leaders.
Process, Efficiency, & Execution Excellence
Accountable to drive consistency, efficiency, and scalability in how products are defined, prioritized, and managed.
Partner with Operational Excellence and Program Excellence leaders to ensure strong handoffs, clear accountability, and disciplined execution across the product–program interface.
Identify and eliminate systemic friction, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies in product development and delivery.
Partner with our Digital Business Transformation team to identify, select, deploy, integrate, and train new tools for product managers into the way we conduct business.
Customer & Mission Alignment
Partner with product, program, and business leaders to ensure product roadmaps and requirements remain aligned to customer missions.
Promote outcome-based product thinking, balancing cost, schedule, performance, and mission impact.
Support customer engagements as a senior product advisor and thought leader when needed.
Governance, Metrics & Insight
Responsible for defining product health and performance metrics (value delivery, maturity, technical readiness, lifecycle cost).
Establish governance mechanisms to ensure product decisions are data-driven, transparent, and aligned with enterprise priorities. Lead regular Product Line Business reviews to ensure executive level visibility of product performance.
Partner with internal teams to enable frictionless product insights and reporting
Other duties as assigned
Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)
Bachelor’s degree is required in a related field or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Advanced degree, MBA or MS is highly preferred.
15+ years of product management experience, with a primary focus in aerospace and defense.
Direct accountability for product strategy, definition, and lifecycle ownership of complex, mission-critical products.
Proven experience leading product management as a discipline, including standards, operating models, and governance.
Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop product managers and elevate product thinking across the organization.
Strong track record of partnering with executive and business leaders to enable effective decision making aligned to customer missions and enterprise priorities.
Excellent communication, influence, and decision-making skills in matrixed environments.
Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies
20+ years of progressive product management experience.
Experience building or scaling a global product management function.
Background spanning both development and sustainment phases of defense products.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong analytical, critical thinking and interpersonal skills, with the ability to speak and write persuasively
Demonstrated experience working with cross-functional teams; ability to develop and maintain internal and external trusting, professional relationships
Uses vision to think beyond the immediate situation, explore multiple potential paths, and adapt decision-making style based on the situational circumstances
Inspires, motivates, and empowers people to deliver organizational goals, while also delivering value back to employees
Brings organizational values to life using personality, uniqueness, and the creation of a shared vision
Champions the process of change and promotes a culture of quick adaptation while helping others deal with the effects of change
Takes ownership and responsibility for assigned tasks
Is committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of oneself, others, and the company
Focuses on teamwork and puts the success of the team above one's own interests
Physical Demands
Ability to sit, stand, stoop, reach, lift (up to 10 lbs.), bend, etc. Hand and wrist dexterity to utilize the computer.
May require travel to sites/program and special functions.
Environmental Conditions Critical to Performance
Work is in an office environment, climate controlled through central air conditioning/heating.
May have some exposure to outside environment while traveling.
Special Requirements
U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder) or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required.
Must be able to travel within the Continental U.S. and internationally when required.
Clearance Level
The salary range for this role is:
$220,000 - $288,750AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.
ITAR Requirement:
This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.
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. For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.
We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.
Principals only need apply. NO agencies please.
About AV:
AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.
We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.
Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.
If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.
We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.
ITAR
U.S. Citizenship required. Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.