Autonomous Maritime Ops: Senior Program & Finance Lead

Frontdoor Defense; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental and Vision Insurance

Time Off

Parental Leave

401(k)

Stock Options

Life and Disability Insurance

Job summary

Saronic Technologies seeks a Senior Program Manager within the Mission Operations team to own the financial and material picture behind autonomous maritime deployments in Austin. You will track budgets, burn rate, and deployment costs while forecasting parts, equipment, and personnel.

Collaborate daily with Supply Chain, Finance, and Programs to translate field activity into clear financial insight and convert deployment plans into actionable demand signals for procurement and logistics.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years in financial analysis, FP&A, or business operations.
• Experience with budget tracking and variance analysis.
• Strong Excel/spreadsheet modeling skills and data handling.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deployments.
• Ability to brief non-financial stakeholders clearly.

Responsibilities

• Maintain day-to-day tracking of budgets, burn rate, and deployment costs.
• Translate deployment plans into material requirements for supply chain.
• Collaborate with Finance and Programs on budget development and invoicing.
• Coordinate deployment materials, equipment, and field support plans.
• Prepare recurring financial and readiness reports and dashboards.

Skills

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Cost forecasting

Excel modeling

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business, supply chain, or operations

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Excel

ERP systems

NetSuite

Job description

Senior Program Coordinator, Mission Operations

Own end-to-end financial and material planning for autonomous maritime deployments

Location: Austin, Texas

About The Role

Senior Program Manager

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms.

Job Summary:

Saronic is seeking a Senior Program Manager within the Mission Operations team to own both the financial and material picture behind our autonomous maritime systems deployments. You will track budgets, burn rate, and deployment costs while ensuring the parts, equipment, and personnel each deployment requires are forecasted, sourced, staged, and moved on schedule. You will work daily with Supply Chain, Program Management, Logistics, and Finance translating field activity into clear financial insight and translating deployment plans into a demand signal the supply chain can act on.

Responsibilities:

Budget, Burn Rate & Cost Forecasting

• Maintain day-to-day tracking of Mission Operations budgets, burn rate, and operational costs tied to deployments and field activity
• Monitor travel and expense usage against budget and flag variances as they emerge
• Build and maintain cost forecasts for upcoming demonstrations and deployments to support the gate review process
• Partner with Finance and Programs on budget development, contract deliverable tracking, and invoice alignment

Supply Chain & Field Coordination

• Serve as the primary coordination point between Supply Chain, Program Management, Logistics, and Mission Operations field teams for all deployment material and equipment requirements
• Translate deployment, demonstration, and test schedules into material requirements, order timelines, and required delivery dates, giving Supply Chain a demand signal early enough to act on
• Partner with Program Management to ensure SOW deliverables and customer commitments are correctly reflected in equipment, spares, and field support plans
• Act as the field's advocate internally. Collect requirements and issues from deployed teams and drive them to resolution with the responsible function

Parts, Spares & Procurement

• Own and improve the spares allocation model across platforms and sites, ensuring the right parts are forecasted, stocked, and positioned to meet deployment and test demand
• Execute procurement of components, consumables, and operational materials within established approval workflows and approved budget thresholds
• Track procurement and spares-related spend against budget, maintaining visibility into commitments and lead times
• Track software, tooling, and service subscription costs across Mission Operations, flagging underutilized or duplicate spend for review

Deployment, Rotation & Logistics Planning

• Maintain the deployment calendar and readiness picture, showing what is committed, what is staged, and what is at risk for each upcoming deployment
• Plan travel and on-site logistics for deployment teams against approved budget parameters

Reporting, Process & Systems

• Prepare recurring financial and readiness reports and dashboards for senior leadership, highlighting risks, variances, and trends
• Build and maintain tools and dashboards that give the team ongoing visibility into spend, material status, and resource usage

Role Requirements:

• 5–7 years of experience in financial analysis, FP&A, or business operations, ideally in a fast-paced or mission-driven environment
• Demonstrated experience with budget tracking, variance analysis, and cost forecasting
• Strong Excel/spreadsheet modeling skills; comfort working with large or imperfect data sets
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational discipline, with the ability to run concurrent deployments and financial cycles
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-financial stakeholders and keep field teams, program managers, and suppliers aligned on the same plan
• Comfort influencing and driving outcomes across teams without direct authority, and making sequencing decisions with incomplete information
• Willingness to travel up to 10–15% in support of field operations and customer engagements
• Active U.S. security clearance is required in advance of hire. TOP SECRET clearance with SCI eligibility is preferred, but not required in advance of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business, supply chain, operations, or a related field; advanced degree a plus
• Hands-on experience with inventory, spares planning, procurement execution, or field support logistics
• Working knowledge of ERP or inventory management systems
• Prior experience supporting DoD programs or operating in a defense contracting environment
• Military experience, particularly in a logistics, maintenance, or operations role
• Familiarity with contract milestone tracking, operational readiness cycles, field testing, and sustainment planning
• Proficiency with business intelligence or dashboarding tools
• NetSuite experience

Physical Demands:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Up to 10–15% travel in support of field operations and customer engagements.
• Occasional exposure to warehouse, shipyard, and waterfront environments during site visits, including changing weather conditions.
• Lifting and carrying items up to 25 pounds occasionally (e.g., equipment cases, spares, packages).

Benefits:

Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans covering a range of services

Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents

Dental and Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine dental check-ups, orthodontics, and vision care

Saronic pays 100% of the premium under the basic plan for employees and 80% for dependents

Time Off: Generous PTO and Holidays

Parental Leave: Paid maternity and paternity leave to support new parents

Competitive Salary: Industry-standard salaries with opportunities for performance-based bonuses

Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan with company match

Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company's success

Life and Disability Insurance: Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage

Pet Insurance: Discounted pet insurance options including 24/7 Telehealth helpline

Additional Perks: Free lunch benefit and unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office

Saronic CCPA Notice for Candidates and California Employees

If this role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items that require 'U.S. Person' status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a 'U.S. Person': (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). Saronic does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.