Deputy Program Manager, Marauder

Description

The company works on autonomy at sea, building autonomous and intelligent platforms that support maritime operations.

This is a Deputy Program Manager role that owns execution and delivery of Marauder, a 180-foot autonomous surface vessel (ASV) built at the company's shipyard in Franklin, LA.

Marauder is the flagship large-scale production program. The program manager is accountable for cost, schedule, scope and customer outcomes from contract award through delivery and sustainment.

Marauder is built at production scale and fielded on many different and changing missions. You will need strong shipbuilding and rate production experience, along with an interest in modular kits, payloads and mission-package integration. You will understand how one common hull is configured, reconfigured and sustained for different customers, and you will balance production throughput against mission flexibility.

You will be the customer-facing lead for the program and will work closely with the company's growth, engineering, production and quality teams. The role calls for the ability to manage government stakeholders and contracts, sound technical judgment that fits customer needs and contract terms, and the discipline to deliver a large, complex platform at scale.

Responsibilities

• Run the day-to-day rhythm of a commercial or government shipbuilding program, and own cost, schedule, scope and quality from award through delivery and sustainment.
• Act as the steward of the customer contract, including its deliverables, milestones, CDRLs and contractual obligations.
• Carry out the integrated program plan so that production schedules, engineering milestones and integration timelines all meet customer commitments.
• Manage risks and opportunities across the program, and escalate and resolve issues that threaten cost, schedule or performance.
• Prepare and present program health, forecasts and decisions to company leadership and customer stakeholders.
• Work with the Franklin and/or Port Alpha production team to plan and run rate production of large vessels, autonomous or manned, from long-lead procurement through hull construction, outfitting and delivery.
• Track build sequencing, work breakdown and production milestones to protect throughput while meeting quality and acceptance criteria.
• Identify and reduce production risks in supply chain, labor, tooling and facilities that are specific to large-vessel shipbuilding.
• Work with Quality and Production to confirm that build configurations and acceptance events meet customer and contract standards.
• Set the configuration strategy for the ship class across many mission packages, kits and payloads on one production hull.
• Work with Mission Package Integration Managers to plan how bespoke and commercial off-the-shelf kits fit into production and delivery.
• Balance standard production against mission-specific variation so throughput stays protected and flexibility is preserved.
• Make sure integration timelines, dependencies and configuration baselines appear in the master program plan.
• Collect lessons learned from mission packages and feed them into production and product roadmaps.
• Be the main point of contact for customers, managing their expectations, requirements and relationships across the program lifecycle.
• Draw out changing mission needs and turn them into clear program and technical direction.
• Lead program reviews, delivery events and technical exchanges with government stakeholders, operators and evaluators.
• Write clear, concise program updates and after-action reports for leadership and customer audiences.
• Coordinate a cross-functional program team across Production, Engineering, Software, Mission Services and Forward Deployed Engineering.
• Work with cross-functional and technical partners to keep technical work aligned with program commitments.
• Weigh tradeoffs between capability, schedule, cost and risk, and reach clear decisions.
• Maintain disciplined configuration management across vessels, kits, payloads and software versions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, naval architecture or a related technical field.
• 4-6+ years of experience managing large-scale production, shipbuilding or complex defense development programs.
• Experience managing unmanned surface vessel programs is highly desirable.
• Strong verbal and written communication, with the ability to speak confidently to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• A record of owning cost, schedule and scope on large, complex programs.
• Experience managing production at rate, including supply chain, build sequencing and delivery of large or complex hardware, is highly desirable.
• A proven ability to manage government or defense customers, contracts and deliverables.
• You can own a large, complex program from start to finish while balancing production throughput against mission flexibility.
• You can link production and configuration decisions to overall program cost, schedule and mission outcomes.
• You can turn changing customer requirements into disciplined, workable program plans.
• You can lead high-performing, cross-functional and distributed teams.
• You have a consistent record of clear, accurate communication with peers, leaders and external stakeholders.
• You are comfortable guiding customers through unclear or shifting requirements and shaping practical solutions.
• Prolonged sitting at a desk while working on a computer.
• Occasional standing and walking within the office.
• Manual dexterity to use a keyboard, mouse and other office equipment.
• Visual acuity to read screens, documents and reports.
• Occasional reaching, bending or stooping to reach file drawers, cabinets or supplies.
• Occasionally lifting and carrying items up to 20 pounds, such as supplies or packages.

Conditions

If the role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items, so you must be a U.S. Person as defined by U.S. law: a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or a protected asylee or refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

The company does not discriminate in hiring or benefits on the basis of any protected characteristic and provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

A privacy notice for candidates and California employees is available from the company.

Benefits

• Medical insurance with comprehensive coverage across a range of services. The company pays 100% of the employee premium and 80% of the dependent premium.
• Dental and vision insurance covering routine dental care, orthodontics and eye care. The company pays 100% of the basic plan premium for employees and 80% for dependents.
• Generous paid time off and holidays.
• Paid maternity and paternity leave for new parents.
• Competitive base salary, with opportunities for performance-based bonuses.
• 401(k) retirement plan with a company match.
• Stock options giving employees a stake in the company's success.
• Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Discounted pet insurance, including a 24/7 telehealth helpline.
• Free lunch, plus unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office.