Director, Technical Program Management (R3752)

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Boston, 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, YouTubeand Instagram.     

Job Description:

The Technical Program Manager will lead the development of transformative autonomy for large-scale efforts across crewed and uncrewed platforms. This role is responsible for ensuring programs are effectively tracking budget, schedule, and scope, and that they are delivering results aligned with Shield AI and customer expectations. The individual will collaborate closely with engineering, capture, product development, and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and clarity of objectives. Additionally, this role will contribute to efforts with partner organizations as they build their own solutions.  

• Serve as the program manager to ensure all program elements are flawlessly executed. 

• Deliver exceptional, proven, and reliable performance in support of customer and end-user’s needs through execution of each phase (Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring, Closure) of Shield AI’s programs.  

• Support internal team and customer relationships. 

• Facilitate execution and address or escalate issues for programs, projects, and operational performance.   

• Own development and ongoing execution of project plans, scope, schedule, and management, astutely evaluating the balance and re-balance the often-shifting customer cost, schedule, and technical parameters/priorities of each program as it progresses during the overall life cycle.   

• Develop and maintain effective relationships with a broad range of stakeholders including managers, customers, key partners and suppliers, both locally and internationally. Be able to operate and make decisions that reflect cultural nuances and overarching political and/or military factors.  

• Drive the accurate and timely tracking and reporting of internal budget, resource, and project management standard metrics. 

• Drive the accurate and timely tracking and reporting of all customer or end user contractually required deliverables. 

• Drive a consistent cadence of well-organized, well-facilitated, and effective meetings, including preparation and follow up activities. 

• Complete critical path analyses including the evaluation of potential means to accelerate the pace or mitigate identified risks. 

• Identify potential bottlenecks or delays in programs and drive efforts to achieve schedule milestones.  

• Support business development efforts as they develop & evolve from current programs and related opportunities, including requests for tender, proposal, or information, expressions of interest, and unsolicited offers. 

• Program Leadership and Drive Execution: Lead and Drive execution of large-scale, complex programs and rapid prototypes from initiation through delivery, ensuring alignment with customer expectations, budget, schedule, and scope.  

• Budget, Schedule, and Scope Management: Maintain overall responsibility for program budgets, schedules, and scope, ensuring that all projects stay within financial and time constraints. Monitor and control program expenses, track progress against schedules, and ensure that scope is managed through change control processes to avoid scope creep.  

• Collaboration with Engineering Leadership: Partner closely with engineering leaders to ensure each program is resourced appropriately with the right technical expertise, tools, and capacity. Coordinate with engineering teams to balance program needs with engineering capabilities and resource availability, ensuring smooth execution without compromising quality or timelines.  

• Collaboration with Capture and Product Development: Work with the capture team to ensure alignment between program execution strategies and new business opportunities. Collaborate with product development teams to ensure program execution reflects technical requirements and the product roadmap while staying within budget and time constraints.  

• Process Improvement and Standardization: Standardize PMO processes for budgeting, scheduling, scope management, and resource allocation to ensure consistent program delivery across all efforts. Drive continuous improvement initiatives, focusing on enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of project tracking, financial reporting, and program management practices.  

• Team Leadership and Mentorship: Lead and mentor a team of traditional and technical program managers, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, financial accountability, and cross-team partnership. Provide coaching to develop team members' abilities to manage program budgets, schedules, scopes, and resource needs effectively.  

• Performance Reporting and Metrics: Establish and maintain program performance metrics related to budget, schedule, scope, and resourcing. Ensure consistent tracking and reporting to senior leadership on financial performance, timeline adherence, and scope management. Ensure that program managers have the tools and processes to effectively track financial performance, resource utilization, and project status. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, with 10+ years of relevant experience.  

• 5+ years of experience in technical program management of a fast-paced, technology-driven organization.  

• Proven track record of leading and facilitating cross-functional teams to successfully bring products to market.  

• Self-starter with a history of forging clarity and structure in the face of ambiguous or dynamic constraints.  

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly synthesize disparate viewpoints to deliver well-informed, data-driven decisions.  

• Relentless learner capable of developing specialized knowledge in niche domains.  

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  

• Defense, national security, or aerospace domain familiarity through employment or education. 

• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance. 

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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.