Senior Engineering Program Manager II - New Ventures

Axon•Scottsdale, AZ

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Join Axon and be a Force for Good. At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other. Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter. Your Impact Axon's Robotics & New Ventures division is building the next generation of autonomous public safety technology -- TASER-enabled drones, ground control stations, ground robots, and the command-and-control ecosystem that connects them. These are complex, multi-disciplinary hardware-software-firmware systems designed, manufactured, certified, and launched for law enforcement agencies across three continents. You will own the integrated execution of the hardware portfolio for our flagship robotics platform -- spanning drone hardware, ground control station hardware, radio integration, international contract manufacturing, regulatory certification, and product launch. The work crosses multiple engineering disciplines, multiple build phases, multiple countries, and multiple vendor relationships simultaneously. Your job is to hold all of it together, see around corners, and drive outcomes that no single team could deliver alone. You will report directly to the Director of PMO and operate as the single-threaded hardware execution leader -- owning the integrated master schedule, the risk register, vendor and manufacturing relationships across 3 countries, phase gate governance, and executive communication. You are stepping into a live, complex program mid-flight. There is no ramp-up runway. You must be someone who has walked into ambiguity before, built situational awareness fast, and started driving outcomes within weeks.

Requirements

10+ years of engineering program management in hardware product development (aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or complex consumer electronics)
Track record of owning and delivering complex multi-disciplinary hardware products from prototype through mass production at scale (10K+ units), managing the interdependencies across hardware, firmware, test, manufacturing, certification, and supply chain simultaneously
Direct experience managing contract manufacturers in Asia (Taiwan, China, Korea, or Japan) including on-site build oversight and supplier quality management
Integrated Master Schedule ownership: building, maintaining, and defending schedules with 500+ tasks, cross-functional dependency chains, and critical path analysis
Formal risk management practice: risk registers, quantitative scoring, FMEA, response planning, risk trending, and executive risk communication
Phase gate process ownership: defining entry/exit criteria, assembling evidence packages, and presenting readiness arguments to senior leadership
Change control and configuration management discipline across hardware revisions and multi-site builds
Deep understanding of PCB/PCBA manufacturing, supply chain management, yield optimization, and supplier corrective action processes
Strong technical foundation: ability to read schematics, understand mechanical tolerances, and engage credibly with EE, ME, and FW engineers on design and manufacturing tradeoffs
Excellent written and verbal communication: executive-ready briefings, vendor negotiations, and the ability to translate technical complexity into leadership decision frameworks
Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or related technical field
Must be able to qualify for an export control license (ITAR)

Nice To Haves

PgMP (Program Management Professional) or PMP certification
Experience with autonomous systems, UAS/drones, or robotics hardware
Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM) principles applied to hardware programs
Experience with schedule risk analysis (Monte Carlo simulation or equivalent probabilistic methods)
Experience managing programs with $5M+ annual budgets and 5+ active vendors simultaneously
MS Project, Jira, Confluence, or equivalent integrated scheduling and tracking toolsets
Lean/Six Sigma methodology, PFMEA, or structured quality framework experience
Experience with ITAR/EAR-controlled hardware programs and international shipment compliance
Multi-lingual or experience working across culturally diverse international teams

Responsibilities

INTEGRATED SCHEDULE & EXECUTION
Own the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) across drone, GCS, radio, and supporting subsystems -- from SP2 design through EVT, PVT, and mass production -- ensuring all workstreams are synchronized, dependency-mapped, and resource-loaded
Manage the cross-functional integration points where design, manufacturing, firmware, test, and certification converge -- these are where execution breaks down, and your job is to see it before it happens
Drive formal change control: evaluate scope, schedule, and cost impacts of proposed changes before they are accepted; maintain a change log with full traceability
Ensure configuration management discipline across hardware revisions, BOM versions, ECOs, and firmware builds so that every unit in every location is on a known, controlled configuration
GOVERNANCE & PHASE GATES
Own phase gate execution (Concept, SP, EVT, DVT/PVT, Mass Production) with formally defined entry/exit criteria, evidence packages, and readiness reviews
Prepare and present gate readiness assessments to leadership -- evidence-based arguments for why the program is or is not ready to proceed, not status slides
Establish and enforce governance cadence: weekly execution reviews, bi-weekly risk reviews, monthly executive briefings, and ad-hoc decision forums when issues demand rapid resolution
Maintain the decision log -- every material decision, who made it, what alternatives were considered, what evidence supported it, and what constraints applied
RISK MANAGEMENT
Own the risk register end-to-end: identification, qualitative and quantitative assessment (likelihood, severity, detectability, schedule/cost impact), response planning, and active monitoring
Conduct structured risk analysis using FMEA methodology for hardware and manufacturing processes
Drive risk response strategies (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept) with assigned owners, funded mitigations, and measurable triggers
Quantify schedule confidence on key milestones -- probabilistic assessment, not single-point estimates
Track risk velocity and trending: which risks are heating up, which are cooling down, and what the aggregate posture looks like week over week
STAKEHOLDER & EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION
Serve as the primary hardware execution voice to VP-level and C-level leadership -- milestone readiness, risk posture, budget health, and critical path
Translate complex technical situations into decision frameworks: options, tradeoffs, recommendation, and rationale
Represent the hardware program in cross-program reviews, QBRs, MBRs, and customer trial readiness assessments
Manage expectations proactively -- bad news delivered early with a mitigation plan is always better than surprises at the gate
VENDOR & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Manage contract manufacturer relationships across multiple international sites (Taiwan, Belgium, Poland) -- accountability, delivery performance, quality, and cost
Own PCB/PCBA supply chain execution: fab house qualification, dual-sourcing strategy, yield tracking, root cause analysis on quality escapes, and supplier corrective actions
Drive factory readiness for each build phase: test fixtures, assembly stations, calibration equipment, operator training, SOPs, production line layout, and throughput validation
Lead hardware build execution at contract manufacturers -- on-site during critical builds
Manage vendor budgets, purchase order tracking, and statement-of-work execution within approved spend envelopes
Drive procurement planning aligned to the IMS: long-lead item identification, vendor lead time management, and material availability gates
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
Lead design reviews (CDR, TRR, MRR) and drive engineering closure on open items with assigned owners and due dates
Partner with EE, ME, FW, and test engineering to ensure design intent translates into manufacturable, testable, certifiable hardware
Drive DFM/DFA/DFT reviews at the design stage -- before parts are ordered, not after
Manage the BOM lifecycle from prototype through production: ECO processes, alternate part qualification, and design-to-cost optimization
CERTIFICATION & COMPLIANCE
Coordinate hardware certification activities (FCC, CE, radio type approval) with test labs and regulatory agencies, ensuring certification milestones are integrated into the IMS
Ensure export control compliance (ITAR/EAR) for international hardware shipments and controlled technical data access at contract manufacturer sites
Drive product safety and reliability requirements through design, manufacturing, and field operations
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Ensure execution is aligned to the division's strategic objectives: international GA by EOY 2026, customer trials mid-year, and next-gen product announcements at key industry events
Track and report program-level KPIs: schedule performance, cost performance, risk burn-down, milestone completion rate, and build yield
Drive lessons learned capture at each phase gate as a living input to the next build cycle and to next-generation products
Identify and champion process improvements across program execution, tools, and cross-functional interfaces