Director, Engineering Program Management

Axon•Scottsdale, AZ

About The Position

At Axon, we build technology that helps Protect Life and address some of society’s most critical safety challenges. Our products combine complex hardware, software, firmware, and manufacturing technologies and are deployed by customers around the world. As Director of Engineering Program Management, you will lead the Engineering Program Management organization responsible for driving Axon’s Devices products from early concept through development, validation, and launch. You will lead and develop a team of high-performing Engineering Program Managers who work at the center of Engineering, Product, Design, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operations. Your organization will create the structure, clarity, and accountability that enables cross-functional teams to execute effectively while navigating the technical complexity, ambiguity, and trade-offs inherent in developing world-class products. Beyond individual program execution, you will own how Engineering Program Management operates across the Devices portfolio. You will help establish development processes, portfolio governance, planning mechanisms, and decision frameworks that allow Axon to scale while maintaining the speed, agility, and ownership required to innovate. This role requires a leader who can operate at both the strategic and execution levels—someone who can build an exceptional program management organization, partner effectively with senior Engineering and Product leaders, and dive deeply into a critical program when necessary to help teams work through complex technical or execution challenges.

Requirements

12+ years of relevant experience in engineering program management, technical program management, product development, or related roles, with significant experience developing complex hardware products.
5+ years of people leadership experience, including building, developing, and leading high-performing program management teams.
Demonstrated experience leading multiple complex hardware or connected-device programs from concept through production launch.
Strong understanding of hardware product development, including electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, firmware/software integration, validation, manufacturing, and new product introduction.
Deep program management expertise across schedule development, risk management, resource planning, budget management, development milestones, and cross-functional execution.
Experience developing and scaling product development processes, governance models, and operating mechanisms across an organization.
Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio of programs and make thoughtful prioritization and resource trade-offs.
Strong business and financial acumen, including experience managing significant development budgets and capital investments.
Proven ability to influence across organizational boundaries and align diverse technical and business teams around a common objective.
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity, create clarity, and drive decisions in a fast-moving product development environment.
Ability to understand complex technical issues, ask the right questions, and communicate implications effectively to both engineering teams and executive leadership.
Exceptional judgment, analytical thinking, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance technical, schedule, cost, quality, and customer considerations.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated effectiveness communicating with senior and executive leadership.
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing high-volume consumer electronics, connected devices, cameras, communications products, or similarly complex hardware systems.
Experience working with global manufacturing, CM/JDM, and supply-chain partners.
Experience operating in a fast-growing organization where product development processes and organizational structures are evolving.
Experience managing products that combine hardware, firmware, software, cloud connectivity, and manufacturing complexity.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and mentor a high-performing team of Engineering Program Managers responsible for complex hardware and connected-device development programs.
Establish clear expectations for program leadership, execution rigor, communication, risk management, and cross-functional accountability.
Build organizational capability through coaching, hiring, talent development, and succession planning.
Foster a culture of ownership, transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Oversee execution of the Devices product development portfolio from early concept through product launch.
Maintain visibility across program schedules, dependencies, risks, budgets, resources, and major development milestones.
Identify systemic risks and cross-program dependencies early and drive resolution with Engineering, Product, and Operations leadership.
Establish mechanisms that provide leadership with clear, objective visibility into portfolio health and enable timely decision-making.
Step into critical programs when necessary to help teams resolve ambiguity, remove roadblocks, and establish a credible path forward.
Own and continuously evolve the program management processes and operating mechanisms used to develop Axon Devices products.
Establish scalable development frameworks that provide appropriate rigor and governance without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Drive consistent execution of phase-gate, build-readiness, risk-management, change-control, and launch-readiness processes.
Partner with Engineering leaders to continually improve how teams plan, make decisions, manage dependencies, and execute complex product development.
Partner closely with leaders across Hardware Engineering, Firmware, Software, Industrial Design, Product Management, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operations.
Ensure teams are aligned on program objectives, priorities, requirements, development plans, and key trade-offs.
Create clarity where ownership or priorities are ambiguous and facilitate decisions that allow teams to maintain momentum.
Build strong relationships across functions and influence outcomes even where direct organizational authority does not exist.
Partner with Engineering and Product leadership to translate product strategy into executable development plans.
Evaluate resource needs and constraints across the portfolio and help leadership make informed prioritization and investment decisions.
Identify conflicts between programs and drive decisions around sequencing, resources, schedules, and scope.
Balance speed, technical risk, customer needs, quality, cost, and organizational capacity when evaluating program trade-offs.
Oversee program operating and capital budgets across the Devices development portfolio.
Establish disciplined forecasting and budget-management practices across the EPM organization.
Partner with Engineering, Finance, and Product leadership on resource planning, investment decisions, and portfolio forecasts.
Ensure program teams understand both the technical and business implications of development decisions.
Provide clear, concise, and objective communication to senior and executive leadership regarding portfolio health, key risks, decisions, and trade-offs.
Ensure risks and issues are surfaced early, with clear ownership and actionable paths toward resolution.
Distill complex technical and cross-functional issues into the information necessary for effective leadership decisions.
Facilitate difficult decisions where technical, schedule, financial, customer, and business priorities compete.