Technical Program Manager
About The Position
Wild West Systems is seeking a Technical Program Manager to serve as the primary integration point between engineering execution and program/contract delivery. This is a hybrid role for someone who can own a program's schedule, budget, and customer relationship while also being technically credible enough to sit in design reviews, understand engineering trade-offs, and help the team make sound technical-schedule decisions. You'll be the person who keeps hardware programs - from early development through test and delivery - on track, on budget, and aligned to contract requirements.
Requirements
- 5+ years in defense program management, systems engineering, or a hybrid PM/engineering role
- Demonstrated experience managing hardware development programs (not pure software/IT)
- Working knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, CDRLs, and contract types
- Ability to read and engage with engineering drawings, test data, and technical requirements documents
- U.S. Citizen
Nice To Haves
- Experience with counter-UAS, munitions, kinetic effectors, or related weapons systems programs
- PMP or equivalent certification
- Familiarity with CMMC Level 2 requirements and FFL/FEL-regulated environments
- Prior startup or small-defense-contractor experience (comfort with ambiguity and wearing multiple hats)
Responsibilities
- Own program schedule, budget (EVM or lightweight equivalent), risk register, and deliverables across one or more counter-UAS / kinetic effector programs
- Serve as primary customer POC for program status, technical interchange meetings (TIMs), and deliverable reviews
- Manage subcontractors, vendors, and supply chain dependencies against program milestones
- Prepare and present program reviews (internal and customer-facing), including CDRLs, status reports, and risk mitigation plans
- Manage contract compliance (CPFF, FFP, OTA) in coordination with contracts/finance
- Partner directly with engineering leads on system architecture, design maturity, and technical risk tracking
- Translate engineering realities (test failures, design changes, supply chain substitutions) into schedule/cost impact assessments
- Drive requirements management and verification/validation planning (test plans, acceptance criteria)
- Participate in design reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR) as a technical stakeholder, not just a scribe
- Identify and resolve conflicts between engineering scope creep and program baseline
- Ensure program execution aligns with ITAR/EAR, CMMC, and DFARS requirements as applicable
- Support proposal development and capture activities with realistic technical/schedule inputs
- Maintain configuration management and documentation discipline across the program lifecycle
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
