About this opportunity
Ascend Recruiting Partners lists this VP of Operations opportunity in tampa, Florida. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Job Title: VP Operations
Industry: Defense Manufacturing/UAS
On-site Location: Tampa, FL
Relocation Provided: Yes
Salary Range: $145,000 - $180,000
Must be US Citizen (ITAR)
Job Overview:
Our client is seeking a hands-on, high-impact VP Operations to build and scale its U.S. operational infrastructure in Tampa, FL. Reporting directly to the CEO, this executive will own the end-to-end U.S. operations lifecycle—from demand and production planning through procurement, receiving, assembly, quality, and customer shipment—while serving as the operational bridge to global headquarters. The immediate priority is to establish a resilient U.S.-based defense supply chain capable of supporting rapid growth, domestic-content expectations, short UAS production cycles, and stringent regulatory requirements.
Minimum Requirements:
10+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing operations and supply chain management, including at least 5 years in a leadership role in aerospace/defense manufacturing
Significant operations leadership experience within the U.S. defense industry;
Must understand the regulatory and contracting environment, including FAR/DFARS and defense supply-chain compliance.
Proven track record leading and optimizing complex manufacturing, production, procurement, logistics, quality, and supplier operations.
Strong working knowledge of ITAR/EAR and export-control requirements relevant to defense hardware and UAS operations.
Demonstrated ability to build, localize, and scale a U.S. supplier base under tight availability, cost, capacity, and compliance constraints.
Hands-on leadership style with the ability to work directly on the production floor, with suppliers, and with business development/customer teams.
Exceptional communication and stakeholder-management skills across different cultures, time zones, and global functions.
Ability to work on-site in Tampa, Florida and to operate effectively in a fast-growth, startup-style environment.
Must be US Citizen (ITAR)
Preferred Requirements:
Direct experience in UAS/UAV, drone, autonomous systems, or related unmanned defense platforms.
Experience with small UAS supply chains, rapid production cycles, electro-mechanical hardware, batteries, motors, sensors, payloads, or related components.
Deep knowledge of U.S. government contracting standards, domestic-content requirements, and Buy America / supply-chain Americanization initiatives.
Experience implementing or optimizing ERP systems and advanced supply-chain planning tools.
Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement, and scalable production-system expertise.
Experience working for a smaller, yet international organization.
Responsibilities:
Lead all U.S. operational functions, including procurement, supply chain, logistics, production, quality assurance, quality control, receiving, and shipping.
Create and execute the U.S. supply-chain strategy, identifying and qualifying domestic suppliers while balancing capacity, cost, lead time, quality, and defense compliance.
Translate business-development and customer demand into resource, procurement, production, and delivery plans that support revenue and program milestones.
Build scalable operational processes for a growing U.S. manufacturing site, with clear accountability, metrics, controls, and operating rhythms.
Drive Lean Manufacturing and continuous-improvement initiatives to increase throughput, quality, predictability, and cost efficiency.
Develop strategic supplier relationships and contingency plans to reduce supply-chain concentration and component-risk exposure.
Own operational performance against production targets, customer commitments, cost objectives, and broader P&L expectations.
Ensure compliance with applicable U.S. and international regulations, including ITAR/EAR and defense-related procurement requirements.
Serve as the U.S. operational liaison to global headquarters with teams such as Finance, HR, IT, and other global functions, maintaining alignment with global policies and culture.
Partner closely with business development, engineering, customers, and external partners to support new programs, changing requirements, and rapid scale-up.
Recruit, develop, and lead the operations organization while remaining personally engaged in day-to-day execution and issue resolution.
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Worksite address
tampa, FL, 33646, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.