Technical Program Manager – Defense Hardware

Location: Leander, Texas
Employment Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Work Arrangement: To be confirmed
Compensation: To be confirmed
Work Authorization: U.S. citizenship required

Position Overview

An early-stage defense technology organization is seeking a Technical Program Manager to serve as the primary connection between engineering execution and program or contract delivery.

This position combines technical program management with engineering oversight. The successful candidate will manage program schedules, budgets, risks, deliverables, and customer relationships while participating meaningfully in engineering design reviews and technical decision-making.

The role will support hardware programs from early development through testing and final delivery, ensuring that technical execution remains aligned with schedule, cost, contractual, and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

Program Management

Manage schedules, budgets, risk registers, milestones, and deliverables across one or more defense hardware programs
Apply earned value management or an appropriate equivalent to monitor program performance
Serve as the primary customer contact for program status, technical interchange meetings, and deliverable reviews
Manage subcontractors, vendors, supply-chain dependencies, and external partners against program milestones
Prepare and present internal and customer-facing program reviews
Manage contract deliverables, status reports, and risk-mitigation plans
Coordinate contract compliance for cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, and Other Transaction Authority agreements
Work closely with contracts and finance teams to maintain program compliance and financial control

Engineering Program Management

Partner with engineering leaders on system architecture, design maturity, technical planning, and risk management
Translate test failures, design changes, and supply-chain substitutions into schedule and cost impacts
Support requirements management and traceability
Drive verification and validation planning, including test plans and acceptance criteria
Participate as a technical stakeholder in preliminary design, critical design, and test-readiness reviews
Evaluate engineering trade-offs and support technical schedule decisions
Resolve conflicts between changing engineering scope and approved program baselines
Help maintain alignment among engineering requirements, contractual obligations, schedules, and budgets

Compliance and Process

Support compliance with ITAR, EAR, CMMC, and DFARS requirements as applicable
Contribute technical and scheduling input to proposals and business-development efforts
Maintain configuration-management and documentation practices throughout the program lifecycle
Ensure program documentation and customer deliverables are accurate, current, and complete

Required Qualifications

Minimum of five years of experience in defense program management, systems engineering, or a combined program management and engineering role
Demonstrated experience managing physical hardware development programs
Working knowledge of Department of Defense acquisition processes
Familiarity with Contract Data Requirements Lists and common government contract types
Experience managing program schedules, budgets, risks, milestones, and deliverables
Ability to interpret and discuss engineering drawings, test data, specifications, and technical requirements
Experience working directly with engineering teams and participating in technical design reviews
Strong customer communication, presentation, organization, and problem-solving skills
Ability to manage vendors, subcontractors, and supply-chain dependencies
U.S. citizenship required

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with counter-unmanned aircraft systems, munitions, kinetic effectors, or related defense hardware
PMP or equivalent program-management certification
Familiarity with CMMC Level 2 requirements
Familiarity with ITAR, EAR, and DFARS compliance
Experience working in an FFL- or FEL-regulated environment
Previous experience with a startup or small defense contractor
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities

Qualified candidates with defense hardware program-management experience and strong technical credibility are encouraged to apply.