Senior Technical Program Manager
About The Position
FlightWave, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to drive engineering execution and connect engineering, product, and operations. The company manufactures unmanned aircraft systems for defense, public safety, and other government security organizations. The role works with senior stakeholders to turn product vision into program plans, own product requirements documentation, lead cross-functional reviews, develop integrated schedules, and drive execution across hardware, software, and other engineering teams. The position is onsite in Carson, California. The role leads sustaining engineering and new product programs from concept through design, validation, and production ramp. It defines requirements with customer teams, maintains alignment across technical and business stakeholders, plans schedules and resources, manages risks and interdependencies, and serves as the primary contact for program status, tradeoffs, and decisions. The role also helps develop FlightWave’s program management practices as the company grows. The position requires occasional travel and may involve extended hours to meet critical program deadlines. It requires successfully completing a post-offer background check. Work involving ITAR/EAR-controlled materials requires proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residence and no need for sponsorship for export-restricted work authorization.
Requirements
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering or a related technical field.
- At least 7 years of experience managing complex hardware/software programs from concept through launch.
- Demonstrated cross-functional technical program management experience in aerospace, robotics, consumer electronics, or a similar field.
- Strong understanding of new product development processes, including PRD creation, requirements traceability, and design validation workflows.
- Experience with project scheduling tools, including Gantt tools; Smartsheet is preferred.
- Ability to lead without direct authority and coordinate across engineering, product, and operations.
- Excellent communication, technical fluency, and program tracking skills.
- Ability to work extended hours as needed to meet critical program deadlines.
- Ability to travel occasionally for program-related site visits, customer meetings, or vendor coordination.
- Ability to successfully complete a post-offer background check.
- For work subject to ITAR/EAR restrictions: proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residence and no need for sponsorship for export-restricted work authorization.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with autonomous systems, aerospace platforms, or other regulated or high-reliability products.
- Familiarity with product management tools such as Jira, Trello, Linear, or Notion.
- Systems-thinking mindset and comfort working at multiple levels, from boardroom to build floor.
- Experience in environments combining agile software development with gated hardware development cycles.
Responsibilities
- Lead sustaining engineering and new product programs from concept through design, validation, and production ramp.
- Gather input from customer teams to define product requirements, features, and success criteria.
- Own and maintain Product Requirements Documents (PRDs), ensuring alignment across technical and business teams.
- Build and drive program plans, including schedules, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies.
- Develop detailed Gantt charts and use agile methods and tools, such as Scrum and Kanban, for planning and execution.
- Facilitate cross-functional reviews and drive timely execution across mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, and manufacturing teams.
- Identify and manage interdependencies among engineering disciplines, supply chain, and external partners.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for program status, tradeoffs, and decision-making; escalate risks and unblock teams as needed.
- Help evolve FlightWave’s program management tooling and processes as the company scales.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
