VP Production, Mission Systems

For our client, we are seeking a VP Production, Mission Systems to join the team of a leader in the Aerospace & Defense space.

This leader will oversee production operations across multiple facilities, guiding the scale-up of complex manufacturing activities in support of critical mission-driven programs. The role will shape production strategy, operational excellence, and cross-functional execution across engineering, supply chain, quality, and commercialization teams. It is a high-impact leadership opportunity for an executive who can balance capacity, investment, talent, and financial performance while driving consistent results at division scale.

Location: Costa Mesa, CA - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $252,000 – $382,000 annually

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across multiple production facilities
• Lead and build production capabilities across a portfolio of products, balancing investment, capacity, and talent allocation
• Partner with R&D, sales, and engineering teams to lead new product introduction efforts across emerging product lines
• Drive division-level production strategy, including facility footprint decisions, make-vs-buy analyses, and workforce sizing
• Establish the operational excellence framework and continuous improvement culture, leveraging lean methodologies
• Establish and monitor KPIs to ensure performance targets are met across production sites
• Build and develop a high-performing production organization through talent development and accountability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations Management, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred
• 15+ years of progressive manufacturing leadership experience, including 7-10 years in a senior or executive role overseeing organizations of 500+ employees
• Proven track record of leading large, complex manufacturing operations across multiple sites or locations
• Experience managing simultaneous product ramps across multiple facilities and scaling international manufacturing operations
• Experience across all 5 pillars of production: production planning, supply chain, manufacturing engineering, operations, and quality
• Demonstrated ability to set and scale an operational excellence framework across a division, with expertise in lean manufacturing and continuous improvement
• Direct P&L ownership in a production environment with demonstrated ability to manage financial performance at division scale

Benefits

• Comprehensive, competitive benefits package available at little to no cost to employees
• Support in health, recovery, and future planning
• Investment in employee development and wellbeing
• Highly competitive equity grants for full-time employees

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.