Technical Program Manager
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Summary
Wardstone is hiring a Technical Program Manager in El Segundo to keep its Hailstorm missile program moving from design through ground test to flight. Day to day: owning the program schedule and critical path, running status meetings and design reviews, managing the risk register, and coordinating test ranges and government contract deliverables.
Overview
You will keep Wardstone’s engineering moving. You’ll own the program schedule, run the status meetings, track the dependencies between teams, and make sure risks reach the founders while there’s still time to act. You’ll report to [the founders].
You’ll work across every engineering team, including mechanical, propulsion, aerodynamics, GNC, the seeker, and avionics, to get Hailstorm from design through ground test to flight. The engineering leads own the technical decisions. You’ll make sure they’re made on time, with the right people involved, and that everyone knows what was decided.
What You’ll Do
Own the schedule
- Build and maintain the program schedule, from design milestones through ground and flight tests.
- Track the critical path and the dependencies between teams. When something slips, show what it affects and what the options are.
- Track long-lead parts and procurement with the engineering teams so hardware arrives when it’s needed.
Run the program rhythm
- 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 the team.
Manage risks and decisions
- Maintain the program risk register with the engineering leads, and follow up on mitigations.
- Keep a record of key decisions and interface agreements between teams.
- Escalate blockers early and help teams resolve conflicts over resources and priorities.
Coordinate tests and contracts
- 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.
Required Qualifications
- B.S. in an engineering or technical field, or equivalent experience.
- 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.
- Enough technical depth to understand engineering tradeoffs and earn engineers’ trust.
- Clear, direct communication, in writing and in meetings.
- Experience with scheduling and project tracking tools (e.g., [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 Have
- 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.