Technical Program Manager - Software Systems

Torch.AI•Leawood, KS

20h•Onsite

About The Position

Torch.AI is building the AI Control Layer for the United States Government, a foundational data and intelligence infrastructure designed to make sense of messy, adversarial, multi-domain data at machine speed. This enables commanders, analysts, and operators to act with clarity when it matters most. The company's platform—ORCUS, NEXUS, and HALO—is accredited, deployed, and operating today across enterprise clouds and tactical edge environments, supporting multi-INT fusion, predictive movement analysis, targeting workflows, anomaly detection, and decision support for cross-domain operations. Torch.AI seeks candidates who want to build systems that operate under real constraints such as degraded visibility, adversarial mis/disinformation, intermittent connectivity, low-SWaP hardware, and seconds-to-decision timelines, emphasizing operational AI that ships, runs, and gets used to strengthen U.S. defense readiness and protect national interests.Torch.AI believes the government must own its data, decision environment, and reasoning infrastructure, with its AI Control Layer increasing the value of existing systems of record rather than replacing them. Performance is measured by accuracy, latency, and efficiency. The company fosters a culture of craftsmanship, building with intention and shipping with discipline, where employees collaborate with engineers, data experts, veterans, and mission practitioners. Individuals own meaningful work, move quickly, and see their systems deployed in production, often within weeks, in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven environment where every day presents a new puzzle.Successful candidates at Torch.AI are builders who ship and iterate, comfortable with messy data, unclear requirements, and real mission constraints without always having the luxury of clear specs. They respect operators and prioritize utility over elegance, care about explainability and determinism for auditability, move quickly while understanding security boundaries and accreditation realities, and measure success by operational impact, not model novelty.This role blends program execution, technical fluency, and deployment coordination to deliver mission-critical AI and data platforms across classified and unclassified environments. The Technical Program Manager (TPM) will drive cross-functional execution, align engineering delivery with mission objectives, and ensure customer deployments meet operational readiness requirements. While not a software engineering role requiring daily hands-on coding or direct ownership of infrastructure, the TPM must be technically fluent to translate mission needs into executable delivery plans and technical requirements, track delivery across engineering teams, environments, and security domains, communicate program status, technical risk, and delivery tradeoffs to stakeholders, and coordinate deployment readiness, cutovers, and stabilization activities. This role is accountable for delivery outcomes and mission readiness across multiple environments and does not involve building automation frameworks, owning CI/CD pipelines, or serving as the primary implementer of software or infrastructure.

Requirements

Active Secret, Top Secret, or Top Secret/SCI clearance.
U.S. citizenship is required for all positions.
Technically fluent and able to translate mission needs into executable delivery plans and technical requirements.
Technically fluent and able to track delivery across engineering teams, environments, and security domains.
Technically fluent and able to communicate program status, technical risk, and delivery tradeoffs to stakeholders.
Technically fluent and able to coordinate deployment readiness, cutovers, and stabilization activities.
B.S. in a technical discipline (engineering, computer science, information systems) or demonstrated equivalent experience delivering complex technical programs.
6–10+ years of experience in technical program management, systems engineering, solutions delivery, or similar roles.
Demonstrated experience delivering complex technical programs in defense or high-security environments.
Strong technical fluency across software development lifecycles, cloud environments, APIs, and deployment processes.
Strong organizational discipline and ability to manage competing priorities in high-tempo environments.
Excellent communication skills and ability to drive alignment across cross-functional stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Previous software development in Java, Python, or other languages is a preferred.
Experience supporting deployments across SIPR/JWICS/NIPR or isolated cloud domains.
Familiarity with AI/ML-enabled platforms and data fusion workflows.
PMP, Scrum, SAFe, or DoD 8570/8140 certifications.
Prior military or operational mission experience.

Responsibilities

Drive planning and execution of mission-critical technical programs supporting DoD and IC customers.
Conduct code Peer Reviews for your team.
Translate mission needs into executable delivery plans, milestones, and measurable acceptance criteria.
Maintain execution rhythm across sprint planning, readiness reviews, and milestone delivery.
Track dependencies, risks, and delivery status across engineering, security, and deployment teams.
Coordinate deployment planning and go-live execution across multiple environments and security domains.
Communicate program status, technical risks, and tradeoffs clearly to internal and customer stakeholders.
Support accreditation and operational approval activities by ensuring delivery alignment with compliance requirements.
Maintain program artifacts including roadmaps, RAID logs, schedules, and customer-facing execution plans.