Technical Program Manager

wardstone.space•El Segundo, CA

10d

About The Position

The Technical Program Manager will keep Wardstone’s engineering program moving by owning the program schedule, running status meetings, tracking dependencies across teams, and escalating risks to the founders. The role works across mechanical, propulsion, aerodynamics, GNC, seeker, and avionics teams to move Hailstorm from design through ground testing and flight. Engineering leads own technical decisions; the Program Manager ensures decisions are made on time with the right people involved and are communicated clearly. The position owns the program schedule, tracks the critical path, inter-team dependencies, long-lead parts, and procurement, and assesses the impacts and options when work slips. It establishes and runs the program rhythm, including weekly status meetings, engineering syncs, design reviews, test readiness reviews, post-test reviews, and regular status updates. The role also maintains the risk register and decision records, follows up on mitigations, and escalates blockers. The Program Manager coordinates test campaigns with ranges and facilities, including scheduling, logistics, and readiness checklists. The role tracks government contract milestones and deliverables, assists with reports and customer reviews, and sets up and maintains lightweight project tracking tools and processes. The position reports to the founders.

Requirements

B.S. in an engineering or technical field, or equivalent experience.
At least 5 years of program or project management experience on hardware programs, preferably in aerospace or defense.
Experience running schedules for complex, multi-team engineering programs through test.
Technical depth sufficient to understand engineering tradeoffs and earn engineers’ trust.
Clear, direct written and verbal communication skills.
Experience with scheduling and project tracking tools such as Jira, Linear, MS Project, or Smartsheet.
Must be a U.S. person as defined by ITAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual).
Must be eligible to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience on missile, rocket, or other flight vehicle programs.
Familiarity with DoD contracts, such as SBIR, OTA, or other government programs, and their deliverables.
Experience coordinating flight tests or range operations.
Prior engineering experience before moving into program management.
PMP or similar certification.
Prior early-stage startup experience.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain the program schedule from design milestones through ground and flight tests.
Track the critical path and dependencies between teams; communicate the impact of schedule slips and available options.
Track long-lead parts and procurement with engineering teams to ensure hardware arrives when needed.
Run weekly status meetings and engineering syncs with clear agendas, decisions, and action items.
Organize design reviews, test readiness reviews, and post-test reviews.
Send regular, concise status updates to the founders and team.
Maintain the program risk register with engineering leads and follow up on mitigations.
Record key decisions and interface agreements between teams.
Escalate blockers early and help teams resolve conflicts over resources and priorities.
Coordinate test campaigns with test ranges and facilities, including scheduling, logistics, and readiness checklists.
Track government contract milestones and deliverables, and help prepare reports and customer reviews.
Set up and maintain the team’s project tracking tools and processes, keeping them lightweight.