About Client

Client builds high-performance electric vessels on shared platforms spanning consumer, commercial, and defense.

The Role

Client is seeking a Technical Program Manager to lead complex electric marine, autonomy, and defense programs. You will connect engineering, operations, finance, supply chain, suppliers, and defense partners to move programs from early concept through prototype development, system integration, sea trials, demonstrations, and delivery. You will own the integrated program plan and drive execution across mechanical, electrical, software, autonomy, and mission-system workstreams.

This role is for someone who can understand technical detail, manage cross-functional complexity, make clear tradeoffs, and keep teams moving through fast-paced development cycles and fixed-date government test events, where the vessel, payloads, partners, and data deliverables all have to be ready on the same day.

What You'll Do

• Lead electric marine, autonomy, and defense programs from concept through prototype build, testing, customer demonstrations, and delivery.

• Own integrated program plans, including scope, milestones, schedules, resources, budgets, dependencies, risks, and decision points.

• Coordinate mechanical, electrical, software, autonomy, manufacturing, supply-chain, and field teams to keep vessel programs on track.

• Drive system integration across battery systems, electric propulsion, vehicle controls, onboard networks, navigation, autonomy, and third-party payloads.

• Define integration plans, test objectives, acceptance criteria, and readiness reviews with engineering leads.

• Manage technical, schedule, budget, supply-chain, safety, cybersecurity, and compliance risks. Drive mitigation plans and escalate decisions when needed.

• Coordinate suppliers, subcontractors, and defense partners to meet technical, schedule, quality, and performance requirements.

• Serve as the day-to-day program lead for government customers: run structured prototype sprints and government test events, coordinate government-witnessed testing, and deliver test data, reports, and milestone evidence on schedule.

• Manage contract execution under OT agreements, CRADAs, SBIR/STTR awards, and prize competitions,

including statements of work, milestone and payment schedules, deliverables, and government reporting.

• Support capture and proposals: translate solicitations (CSOs, BAAs, RFIs, and other DoW calls) into technical approaches, schedules, teaming plans, and cost estimates.

• Coordinate integration of government-furnished and teaming-partner payloads, including interface definitions, power and data budgets, and configuration control across partners.

• Own defense program compliance: ITAR/EAR export controls, CUI handling, NIST SP 800-171/CMMC cybersecurity, DFARS flow-downs, and program security requirements.

• Lead program reviews, technical working sessions, test-readiness reviews, customer briefings, and post-test debriefs.

• Coordinate bench, dockside, hardware-in-the-loop, and on-water testing. Track results, corrective actions, and issue closure.

• Plan field logistics for government test events and exercises: containerized and trailered transport, launch and recovery, range and test-site coordination, safety plans, and permits.

• Maintain program records, including schedules, risk registers, requirements, test reports, configuration changes, and decision logs.

• Build clear executive updates covering program health, technical risk, test results, open issues, and decisions needed.

• Improve program execution through stronger change control, test planning, supplier coordination, documentation, and cross-functional communication.

• Travel as needed to support prototype builds, system integration, vessel testing, sea trials, customer demonstrations, and defense field deployments.

What You Bring

• Technical degree or equivalent experience.

• 6+ years leading complex hardware and software programs.

• Experience with electric propulsion, battery systems, vehicle controls, autonomy, robotics, marine, or defense platforms.

• Strong program execution skills across cross-functional teams, schedules, risk, testing, suppliers, and delivery.

• Experience delivering hardware programs to government or defense customers under milestone-based

agreements, with a record of on-time test events and deliverables.

• Comfortable in a small, fast-moving team where the program manager writes the plan, runs the review, and is on the dock for the test.

• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.

• Willingness to travel for builds, testing, demonstrations, and field deployments.

• Travel up to 50% of the time

Preferred

• Active U.S. Secret security clearance.

• DoW, Navy, maritime autonomy, USV, or defense program experience.

• Hands-on experience with Other Transaction agreements (10 U.S.C. 4022), Commercial Solutions Openings, SBIR/STTR, CRADAs, prize competitions, FAR/DFARS, or defense contracting.

• Experience working with Navy warfare centers, tech bridges, or program offices, and with transitioning prototypes toward programs of record.

• Experience integrating third-party payloads (sensors, communications, effectors) and government furnished equipment on unmanned platforms.

• Experience running on-water test events, sea trials, or field demonstrations for government customers.

• Working knowledge of ITAR/EAR, CUI handling, and NIST SP 800-171/CMMC.

• PMP, DAU, or equivalent program management credential.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: based on relevant experience, technical depth, program leadership experience, and active security clearance status.

• Equity: Eligible for an equity grant in the form of stock options, subject to Board approval and the terms of Client's equity plan.

• Benefits per Client's standard package (health, dental, PTO, etc.)