Senior Programme Manager

Hypersonica; München; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

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Competitive compensation

Autonomy with clear objectives

Job summary

Hypersonica seeks a seasoned programme/delivery professional to lead defence initiatives from inception to delivery, engaging senior customers and partners across military and government sectors. You will translate policy drivers into concrete plans, maintain momentum across teams, and balance commercial and technical realities while shaping bids for funded work.

Fluent German and English are essential, as is a track record of high ownership in complex, high-stakes environments.

Qualifications

• 7+ years’ experience in defence, aerospace, policy, or adjacent high‑consequence sectors.
• Comfortable operating in market-facing roles with real exposure to customers, partners, or stakeholders.
• Clear writing ability to produce credible programme narratives and thought pieces.

Responsibilities

• Win, shape, and deliver defence programmes from early engagement through execution, owning outcomes end to end.
• Act as a market-facing leader, managing customer relationships with military, government, and defence stakeholders.
• Translate customer needs, operational context, and policy drivers into clear programme plans and delivery priorities.
• Lead programme execution across internal teams and partners, maintaining momentum, clarity, and accountability.
• Balance commercial, technical, and delivery realities, making hard trade-offs when required.
• Develop and articulate thought leadership, concept papers, and programme narratives that influence customers and partners.
• Support business development by identifying opportunities, shaping bids, and converting interest into funded work.
• Represent Hypersonica with credibility, discipline, and mission focus in high‑stakes customer environments.

Skills

Market-facing leadership

Stakeholder management

German (native)

English (fluent)

Job description

• Win, shape, and deliver defence programmes from early engagement through execution, owning outcomes end to end.
• Act as a market-facing leader, managing customer relationships with military, government, and defence stakeholders.
• Translate customer needs, operational context, and policy drivers into clear programme plans and delivery priorities.
• Lead programme execution across internal teams and partners, maintaining momentum, clarity, and accountability.
• Balance commercial, technical, and delivery realities, making hard trade-offs when required.
• Develop and articulate thought leadership, concept papers, and programme narratives that influence customers and partners.
• Support business development by identifying opportunities, shaping bids, and converting interest into funded work.
• Represent Hypersonica with credibility, discipline, and mission focus in high‑stakes customer environments.

What You’ll Do

• Win, shape, and deliver defence programmes from early engagement through execution, owning outcomes end to end.
• Act as a market-facing leader, managing customer relationships with military, government, and defence stakeholders.
• Translate customer needs, operational context, and policy drivers into clear programme plans and delivery priorities.
• Lead programme execution across internal teams and partners, maintaining momentum, clarity, and accountability.
• Balance commercial, technical, and delivery realities, making hard trade-offs when required.
• Develop and articulate thought leadership, concept papers, and programme narratives that influence customers and partners.
• Support business development by identifying opportunities, shaping bids, and converting interest into funded work.
• Represent Hypersonica with credibility, discipline, and mission focus in high‑stakes customer environments.

Who You Are

• A programme or delivery professional with 7+ years’ experience in defence, aerospace, policy, or adjacent high‑consequence sectors.
• Comfortable operating in market-facing roles, with real exposure to customers, partners, or stakeholders.
• Fluent native‑level German and fluent English, comfortable operating in bilingual, cross cultural defence environments.
• Commercially minded, with experience balancing delivery, growth, and customer trust.
• Prior military service or close operational exposure is a strong advantage.
• Able to operate confidently with senior customers, not just internally.
• Clear thinker and strong writer, capable of producing credible programme narratives and thought pieces.
• Thrives in high‑ownership environments where accountability is real and visibility is high.
• Motivated by building and delivering real capability, not managing process or maintaining status.

What We Offer

• A mission driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security.
• Daily collaboration with top experts across engineering, operations, and defence, with real opportunity to learn from the best, contribute, and grow.
• High ownership and autonomy; no time tracking, no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes.
• A fast paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly, and feedback from test and flight drives real decisions.
• A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly.
• Competitive compensation and real share options aligned to responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.