Head of Programs

Furientis • Los Angeles, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Furientis is seeking a Head of Programs to own commitments made to government customers, company partners, and vendors and ensure delivery by contracted dates. This is a technical role requiring a deep understanding of the product to assess engineering plans and technical risk, translate customer requirements for engineering teams, and represent technical programs directly to customers. The position offers substantial autonomy and accountability for program planning and results. It reports to company leadership and is based on-site at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters, with travel to Mojave, test sites, customers, and vendors. Access to ITAR-controlled information is required, and candidates must be U.S. persons as defined by ITAR.

The Head of Programs will oversee customer deliverables, requirements translation, program cost and schedule execution, technical risk management, customer communications, proposals and contract negotiations, and program planning and reporting processes. The role includes monthly weekend travel for test events and supplier engagements. A security clearance is not required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent hands-on technical experience.
• 7–10 years of experience on complex engineering programs.
• Program or mission management experience on complex hardware programs, with direct ownership of cost, schedule, and deliverables.
• Experience in a high-pressure, rapid R&D environment, such as SpaceX or a comparable organization.
• A record of delivering hardware programs to committed dates.
• Working knowledge of how the U.S. government buys, contracts for, and fields defense systems.
• Ability to learn the full product in depth and earn the trust of senior engineers.
• Clear written and verbal communication with engineers, executives, customers, and vendors, including technical writing.
• Must be a U.S. person and eligible to access export-controlled information.
• Able to work on-site at the Los Angeles, California headquarters; remote work is not available.
• Available for monthly weekend travel for test events and supplier engagements.

Nice To Haves

• Experience at another deep tech startup.
• Experience as an engineer on complex hardware systems, especially missile, launch vehicle, spacecraft, or other aerospace and defense systems.
• Experience managing government contracts, including FAR-based contracts and Other Transaction Agreements.
• Experience taking hardware from R&D into production.
• An active security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own all contracted deliverables to government and company customers, including hardware, test events, reports, contract data requirements, and technical data packages.
• Translate contract requirements and customer requests into clear priorities and tasks for engineering teams.
• Lead requirements breakdown, support design reviews, and manage technical and contract changes.
• Build and maintain integrated program schedules and budgets from contract award through delivery, and drive the team to contracted dates.
• Identify technical and schedule risks early, work through tradeoffs with engineers, and lead risks to resolution.
• Serve as the program contact for specific customers, leading technical reviews, status updates, and milestone discussions.
• Work with the Business Development team to shape and identify follow-on work.
• Drive proposal development and contract negotiations, ensuring proposed scope, price, and schedule are achievable and terms meet FAR and DFARS requirements.
• Establish lightweight planning and reporting processes that provide leadership with a clear view of program status without slowing the team down.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior