Program Manager, Software

Description

The company is building the biggest swarming UAV and the most adaptable swarming aircraft network anywhere, and is racing to ship the first aircraft made for swarming along with command and control software that coordinates groups of thousands of mixed autonomous units, so human operators can get results beyond what they could manage alone.

Team members have launched and sold several startups, closed defense agreements valued in the billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft. Their aerospace work includes time at Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

The company is growing quickly, and its software now carries real customer commitments: releases tied to milestones, integration with hardware it does not always own, and demos that must work on the first attempt. It needs a Program Manager who can run a software-heavy defense program with hardware-level discipline and a software team's speed.

The role sits in the Program Management Office and reports to the Director of PMO. You will own cost, schedule, scope, and risk for a software-centric program, work alongside engineering leads, product, and forward deployed engineers, and be able to tell a customer what ships, when, and what it took.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain the program plan and integrated schedule, linking sprint and release plans to contract milestones, demos, and customer events
• Turn customer needs into a ranked, traceable backlog with engineering and product, and manage scope changes against cost and schedule
• Run the program rhythm: release planning, weekly program reviews, risk and issue boards, and monthly status to leadership and customers
• Manage the program budget and spend, including labor across several engineering teams, and raise variances early with a recovery plan
• Coordinate software integration with aircraft, partner hardware, and government systems through test events, field exercises, and demonstrations
• Lead software delivery and accreditation work with the DevSecOps team, covering deliverable packages, documentation, and cyber and ATO requirements where they apply
• Lead customer milestone reviews and own contract deliverables such as CDRLs, status reports, and technical data
• Work with the Director of PMO to set up program practices that suit how software teams really work, without adding bureaucracy

Requirements

• You have 6+ years of program or technical program management, with at least 3 years owning software or software-intensive programs for DoD or other government customers
• You are fluent in agile delivery (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe or similar) and have mapped it to milestone-based defense contracts
• You understand architecture discussions well enough to challenge estimates and spot integration risk early; a software engineering background is a strong plus
• You have delivered software that integrates with hardware, such as autonomy, C2, mission systems, avionics, or similar
• You work hands on with schedule and backlog tools (Jira, Smartsheet, MS Project or similar) and with budget tracking
• You are comfortable leading customer reviews and owning contract deliverables
• You communicate clearly and directly, and can brief an engineer and a program officer in the same afternoon
• You are a U.S. person as defined by ITAR and can obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance
• You have program experience on UAS autonomy, collaborative autonomy, or C2 software
• You have worked under DoD software acquisition pathways, OTAs, or SBIR contracts
• You have exposure to DevSecOps, software factories, or ATO and RMF processes
• You have a background at a startup or fast-scaling defense tech company
• You hold an active Secret clearance or higher
• You hold PMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe, or DAWIA Program Management certification

Conditions

Hybrid role based in Oxnard, CA, with occasional travel to customers, test events, and partner sites

Reports to the Director of PMO

Compensation: [Add posted base salary range] plus equity and benefits

This role requires access to ITAR-controlled information, so candidates must be U.S. persons as defined by 22 CFR 120.62

To meet U.S. Government export rules, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State

Benefits

• Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company
• Base salary competitive and matched to your experience
• Medical, dental, vision, and 401k
• PTO and paid sick leave
• Monthly wellness stipend
• Daily catered lunch in the office
• Paid parental leave
• Work with a direct impact on a critical national security mission
• Work alongside a world-class group of engineers and operators on genuinely hard problems