Customer Program Manager

Karman•Ann Arbor, MI

5d•$140,000 - $190,000•Remote

About The Position

Karman is seeking an experienced Customer Program Manager to lead customer-facing programs for its AI data center platform, from initial evaluation through pilot deployment, design win, and long-term adoption. The role combines program management with customer engagement and serves as the single point of accountability across customers, Engineering, Product, Sales, and executive teams. The position is remote from anywhere in the United States, with travel of up to 30% for customer engagements, pilot deployments, and program reviews.

Requirements

At least 4 years of program or project management experience, including timeline management, risk tracking, and reporting, ideally in a technology or hardware-adjacent environment.
Strong customer communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to align technical execution with business outcomes.
Ability to navigate cross-functional teams and drive accountability across Sales, Solutions Architecture, Engineering, and Product.
Working knowledge of data center operations, AI/ML systems, or edge computing environments.
Understanding of solution integration lifecycles, including evaluation, proof-of-concept, deployment, and scale.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience producing status reports, program plans, and executive-level updates.
Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent practical experience in program management, technical account management, or customer-facing technical roles.
Willingness to travel up to 30% for on-site customer engagements, pilot deployments, and program reviews.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with project management software such as Jira, Smartsheet, or MS Project.
Experience with collaboration tools such as Slack, Teams, and Confluence.
Experience with CRM, KPI, and reporting or telemetry dashboards such as HubSpot or Grafana.
Prior experience supporting pilot or early-access programs for hardware/software co-designed products.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary customer contact and single point of accountability for Karman programs, ensuring deliverables, timelines, and milestones are met from initial engagement through pilot deployment, design win, and scale-out.
Develop and maintain integrated project plans across Engineering, Product, and Operations; track status, risks, and dependencies; and proactively drive resolution.
Build trusted relationships with customer stakeholders at technical, business, and executive levels, clarify customer requirements, and translate them into internal deliverables.
Coordinate joint planning sessions and program update meetings throughout the Karman pilot lifecycle.
Partner with Solutions Architects and Application Engineers to align resources for customer success, and relay customer feedback to Product Management to influence roadmap priorities.
Collaborate with Customer Success and Support to ensure a smooth transition from pilot deployment to operational excellence.
Ensure proof-of-concept, pilot, and deployment activities are executed successfully; track adoption, performance, and ROI KPIs; and communicate progress internally and externally.
Manage change control to preserve scope, cost, and schedule integrity.
Identify risks early, develop mitigation strategies, and escalate critical issues with context and recommended solutions.
Keep customers informed about program status and next steps across all phases of the pilot engagement.