Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.
We are looking for an exceptional Technical Program Manager to manage our next-generation autonomous aircraft development programs. You will be responsible for planning and managing the schedule, cost, development, and delivery of strategic products to customers. This role requires a versatile individual who can understand the aviation autonomy market and empathize with users, plan and manage a complex software development program, and make difficult and informed decisions regarding integrated hardware, software, and systems engineering efforts.
The ideal candidate will maintain ownership over the product lifecycle, proactively engage and align stakeholders, demonstrate exceptional levels of communication, and ensure on-time and on-target delivery of product to customers.
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
- Coordinate engineering execution and operations hand-offs to crush schedule, cost, performance objectives.
- Establish clear objectives: Work closely with product managers, and technical leads to establish clear objectives traceable to mission impact, strategic impact, financial outcomes, and program objectives.
- Project Management: Define project plans including milestones, timelines, and interdependencies. Estimate, allocate, and track resources. Establish efficient and effective battle rhythm for communication, coordination, decision making, quality control, and work-product delivery
- Drive Timely, High Quality, Critical Decisions: While TPMs aren't expected to design systems, they shall possess a strong technical understanding to drive the process of swift, rigorous, good technical decision making.
- Communicate with excellence: Ensure stakeholders with dependencies are aware of status, milestones, and any challenges. Ensure suppliers understand stakes, intent, and expectations.
- Empower the team: Obsess over whether your teams are empowered with a) the time, information, and tools to be effective b) clear and appropriate accountability, authority, and resourcing c) effective, efficient, swift processes and policies. Destroy obstacles to progress – anything that diminishes the capabilities of the team.
- Deliver outcomes: Oversee and material contribute to the curation and creation of technical documentation to ensure engineering outputs are properly delivered to “customer” organizations. RTM packages, Work Instructions, Engineering Change Orders, Service Bulletins, Flight Crew Information Files, Flight Manuals and Service Manuals.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s or MastersDegree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
- 10+ years of experience in technical program management or managing product development lifecycles
- Proven track record of leading and facilitating cross-functional teams to successfully bringing products to market.
- Self-starter with a proven track record of forging clarity and structure in the face of ambiguous or dynamic constraints.
- World-class analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly synthesize disparate viewpoints to deliver well-informed, data-backed decisions.
- Relentless learner who can develop specialized knowledge in niche domains.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experiencing owning and driving technical projects that balance engineering development realities against the speed of business growth.
- Experience translating technical information and customer needs into comprehensible product narratives.
- Experience conducting product, technology, and market discovery with subject matter experts.
- Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance.
- Defense, national security, or aerospace domain familiarity through employment or education.
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
