Senior Manager, Defense Programs
About The Position
Aurelius Systems is hiring a Senior Manager, Programs to lead customer engagement and execution across a growing portfolio of government and industry programs. Reporting directly to the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), this role owns program commitments from award through demonstration, delivery, and operational fielding. The manager serves as the primary day-to-day interface for assigned customers and partners, coordinating engineering, operations, supply chain, and leadership to meet cost, schedule, scope, and contractual commitments. The role involves managing customer relationships, program plans, schedules, milestones, budgets, deliverables, resource needs, and risks across multiple concurrent efforts. It also supports government demonstrations, test events, operational assessments, deployments, proposals, follow-on opportunities, and transitions to production and fielding. Aurelius Systems is a venture-capital-backed defense technology startup developing autonomous, edge-deployed directed-energy systems for counter-UAS. The company has a San Francisco lab, a Detroit manufacturing hub, and a private 400-acre range where it conducts weekly field tests. The position requires access to export-controlled information or items and therefore requires U.S. Person status as defined by U.S. law.
Requirements
- At least 7 years of experience in defense program management, government acquisition, military program execution, or defense industry operations.
- Experience in a customer-facing program management, government acquisition, or comparable leadership role.
- Demonstrated success managing complex programs with multiple stakeholders, budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
- Strong understanding of Department of Defense organizations, acquisition processes, and government-industry relationships.
- Ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and manage competing priorities while maintaining customer trust.
- Technical aptitude to collaborate effectively with engineering teams.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant military, government, or industry experience.
- U.S. Person status, as defined by U.S. law, is required for access to export-controlled information or items.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with counter-UAS, directed energy, air defense, or related defense technologies.
- Experience with Other Transaction agreements, FAR-based contracts, or DoD rapid acquisition pathways.
- Experience with defense technology development, prototyping, demonstrations, or rapid fielding.
- Experience in an early-stage or growth-stage defense technology company.
- Active U.S. security clearance; eligibility to obtain and maintain a clearance and willingness to travel to government sites and test events.
Responsibilities
- Lead customer relationships and program execution across government and industry programs, including reviews, planning meetings, and execution updates.
- Manage schedules, milestones, budgets, deliverables, resource plans, and risks across multiple concurrent programs.
- Coordinate cross-functional execution with engineering, operations, supply chain, leadership, and external partners from development through delivery.
- Identify program risks, corrective actions, customer issues, and decisions requiring executive attention.
- Plan and execute government demonstrations, test events, operational assessments, and customer deployments.
- Manage customer expectations, contract requirements, scope changes, cost-to-complete estimates, and resource forecasts.
- Provide clear and timely program reporting, maintain accountability for commitments, and establish practical program management processes.
- Support proposals, follow-on opportunities, and transitions from demonstrations to production and fielding.
- Take ownership of customer commitments and resolve issues quickly.
- Anticipate risks and readiness gaps before they affect customers or test events.
- Make decisions based on program facts, cost and schedule data, and customer priorities; communicate with customers, internal teams, partners, and executive leadership.
- Work independently, escalate decisions when needed, and drive execution across competing priorities.
Benefits
- Competitive salary and equity.
- United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Flexible 18 days of paid time off and 5 sick days.
- Travel to field test events and range days.
- Covered daily lunches, office snacks, and drinks.
- E-bike or scooter stipend up to $500.
- Direct access to leadership and real ownership over work.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
