Senior Manager, Defense Programs

Aurelius Systems•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

Aurelius Systems is a venture capital-backed defense technology startup developing autonomous, edge-deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. The company describes itself as a small team of engineers, former U.S. military operators, and subject matter experts, with a San Francisco lab, a Detroit manufacturing hub, and a private 400-acre range used for weekly field testing. The Senior Manager, Programs leads customer engagement and execution across a portfolio of government and industry programs. Reporting directly to the Chief Strategy Officer, this role owns commitments from award through demonstration, delivery, and operational fielding. The Senior Manager serves as the primary day-to-day interface for assigned customers and partners and coordinates engineering, operations, supply chain, and leadership to meet cost, schedule, scope, and contractual commitments. The role includes managing customer relationships, program plans and risks, government demonstrations and test events, contract requirements, and program reporting. It also supports proposals, follow-on opportunities, and transitions from demonstrations to production and fielding. The position calls for independent execution, sound judgment, clear communication, and comfort working in a growing defense technology company. Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; during sprints toward demonstrations or field tests, additional nights and weekends may be required, with workload easing after the sprint.

Requirements

At least 7 years 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 the role requires 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, or eligibility to obtain and maintain a clearance.
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 efforts.
Coordinate cross-functional execution with engineering, operations, supply chain, and external partners from development through delivery.
Identify program risks, corrective actions, customer issues, and decisions requiring executive attention early.
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 and maintain accountability for commitments and practical program management processes.
Support proposals, follow-on opportunities, and transitions from demonstrations to production and fielding.
Independently drive execution, resolve issues, and escalate decisions when needed.