Senior Aerospace Program Manager

DZYNE Technologies • Irvine, CA

12d • Onsite

About The Position

DZYNE Technologies, now part of Ondas Sentinel, is hiring a Senior Aerospace Program Manager for its Irvine, California location. The role provides leadership for the maturation, productization, and operation of a long-endurance unmanned aerial system (UAS) in collaboration with government and client partners. The manager serves as a primary interface between the program team and client and is responsible for program execution, including financial, schedule, technical, and client relationship and growth objectives. The role works alongside the Chief Program Engineer and supporting Project Engineer/Manager on technical management specific to the program. A strong background in design, productization, or operations and experience executing aerospace and defense projects are required, including demonstrated success leading aerospace programs and experience in productization and product operations.

The position is 100% onsite in Irvine, CA, with occasional travel (0–25%) for customer meetings, demonstrations, and business development. Work conditions may range from a general office environment to warehousing and potentially austere testing sites. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States full-time without current or future employment visa sponsorship. A security clearance is not required but is strongly preferred.

The advertised annual salary range is $160,000–$220,000, with eligibility for an annual bonus. DZYNE offers comprehensive healthcare benefits, paid time off and holidays, and a 401(k) plan with employer match and immediate vesting. The company states that base dental, vision, life, accident, disability, and other core benefits are fully covered.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math).
• At least 10 years of industry experience as a Program Manager, including at least 5 years as a Senior Program Manager.
• Strong design, productization, or operations discipline background.
• Experience executing projects in the Aerospace and Defense industry.
• Demonstrated experience leading successful aerospace programs, including productization and product operations.
• Experience managing a range of concurrent engineering design or operations projects.
• Experience in business capture and client management.
• Experience expanding programs beyond their initial phase and customer.
• High-level Earned Value Management (EVM) competency.
• Ability to create a winning proposal.
• Ability to plan, organize, supervise, and coordinate technical work and obtain cooperation from others, including building rapport with program staff.
• High level of scheduling skills.
• Skilled in IT tools, including ERP, MRP, Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Project.
• Expert knowledge of the Microsoft Office Professional Suite, including Project.
• Positive, can-do attitude and experience leading people in a matrixed organization and cultivating healthy customer relationships.
• Ability to travel as needed for customer meetings, demonstrations, and business development activities.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without current or future employment visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of Critical Chain Project Management, Earned Value, and other project controls methods as they pertain to the Aerospace and Defense industry.
• Experience across the product lifecycle, including field operations.
• Experience with enterprise resourcing and planning tools.
• Exposure to multidisciplinary engineering functions.
• Ability to interpret engineering technical drawings, work instructions, and test procedures.
• Aerospace or defense contractor industry experience.
• Experience transitioning a product from low-rate initial production (LRIP) to full-rate production and sustaining it at full-rate production.
• Experience with Government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) or contractor-owned, contractor-operated (COCO) UAS operations.
• Deep understanding of traditional and emerging government acquisition pathways for UAS.
• Agile program management methodology experience.
• Security clearance; not required but strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the maturation, productization, and operation of a long-endurance UAS in conjunction with government and client partners.
• Serve as a primary interface for client interaction between the program team and the client.
• Lead program execution to achieve financial, schedule, technical, and client relationship and growth objectives.
• Drive timely delivery of complex, multi-faceted projects where speed to market and effective operations are critical.
• Manage large teams across multiple parallel efforts, including teams located outside the United States.
• Oversee critical subcontractors, including evaluation, selection, scoping, and technical execution.
• Own program execution plans, schedules, and budgets, and participate in work from conceptual design through manufacturing, delivery, and sustainment.
• Collaborate across internal support functions to deliver programs on time and on budget.
• Provide program updates to clients, staff, and executive leadership.
• Prepare Master Phasing Schedules, Program Execution Schedules, Staffing Plans, Work Breakdown Structures, and Financial Execution Plans.
• Prepare and present monthly technical and financial program reports to senior and executive management, including Earned Value Metrics.
• Develop proposals, including technical volumes and cost-volume bases of estimates.
• Work with the Chief Program Engineer and supporting Project Engineer/Manager on program-specific technical management.
• Travel as needed for customer meetings, demonstrations, and business development activities.

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare benefits package.
• Base dental, vision, life, accident, disability, and other core benefits fully covered by DZYNE.
• Paid time off.
• Paid holidays.
• 401(k) plan with employer match and immediate vesting.
• Eligible for an annual bonus.

What This Job Offers

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