Autonomy Program Manager

Riverside Research; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Riverside Research seeks an Autonomy Program Manager to lead DoD/autonomy initiatives, aligned with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) goals. The role allows Arlington, VA or Mountain View, CA placement and demands a strong background in program management, autonomous systems, and cross‑functional leadership.

You will drive from problem definition through design, testing, and warfighter transition, ensuring schedule and budget adherence.

Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, 8 years with a master's, or a PhD with 5 years' experience.
• Experience in program management, DoD acquisition, tech transition, or rapid prototyping.
• Current TS/SCI clearance required.

Responsibilities

• Champion the needs of the warfighter throughout program development and execution.
• Drive program lifecycle from problem definition to solution transition to the warfighter.
• Develop strategies, operating plans, and budgets; manage cross‑functional teams.
• Engage with DoD customers and industry to align capability gaps with commercial solutions.
• Establish KPIs, monitor program health, and report outcomes to senior leadership.

Skills

Program management

Autonomous systems

SOWs & schedules

Stakeholder coordination

TS/SCI clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

Autonomy Program Manager

Location: US-VA-Suite 500
ID: 2026-4298

Riverside Overview

Riverside Research is an independent National Security Nonprofit dedicated to research and development in the national interest. We provide high-end technical services, research and development, and prototype solutions to some of the country's most challenging technical problems.

All Riverside Research opportunities require U.S. Citizenship.

Position Overview

Riverside Research is seeking a Program Manager with a strong background in one or more of the areas of military operational experience, program management, autonomous systems engineering, and/or startups with a curiosity to learn the other areas. They combine that expertise and curiosity with an urgency to solve real problems for the warfighter and the humility to embrace any necessary task to support our Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) customer.

DIU is a Department of War (DoW) organization focused on accelerating the Department's adoption of commercial technology at speed and scale. As the Department's gateway to leading technology companies, DIU is focused on rapid prototyping, fielding, and scaling of solutions that can save lives, increase performance, lower costs, and deter future conflict.

Driven by a sense of service and the desire to solve priority warfighter problems quickly, DIU Autonomy PMs enjoy unparalleled freedom with performance expectations to match.

A DIU Autonomy PM may work on autonomous system programs across domains, functions, and mission areas.

This position can be located in Arlington, VA or Mountain View, CA.

Responsibilities

Champion the needs of the warfighter first and foremost throughout program development and execution.

Drive program execution over the entire program lifecycle, from initial problem definition through solution design, operational testing, and final transition to the warfighter. Empowered to make critical decisions to ensure the program stays on schedule and within budget while addressing the defined problem. Responsible for the development of strategies, operating plans, and budgets.

Curate new programs through proactive engagement with DoW customers and outreach to companies to gain insights into DoW capability gaps and align them with potential commercial solutions that support DoW stakeholders.

Build and lead cross‑functional integrated product teams composed of civilians, military personnel, and contractors from within DIU and across the Department to enable program success. Responsible for gathering key stakeholders, assigning tasks, setting priorities, and driving timely decisions.

Serve as an Autonomy Subject Matter Expert (SME), continually building and sharing technical expertise on autonomous systems with team members and senior leadership.

Collaborate with Acquisition professionals and other Program Managers to address contract‑related matters.

Ensure accountability and rigor by establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), monitoring program health through rigorous data analysis, and reporting outcomes directly to senior leadership. Authorized to re‑baseline schedules, re‑scope priorities, and take decisive corrective action to mitigate risks and resolve programmatic issues. Act as a critical member of the Autonomy team by leveraging expertise and resources across the team and by providing support and mentorship back to others working on other programs.

Qualifications

Typically a minimum of 12 years of related experience with a bachelor's degree, 8 years with a master's degree, a PhD with 5 years' experience, or equivalent experience is typically required for an employee at this level.

Required Experience

• Demonstrated experience in program management (preferably in DoD acquisition, technology transition, or rapid prototyping).
• Familiarity with autonomous systems engineering – enough to ask the right questions and assess vendor claims.
• Experience writing SOWs, building schedules, issuing task orders, or managing similar project documentation.
• Ability to coordinate across multiple stakeholders and keep complex projects on track.
• Mix of DoD/USG and commercial experience strongly preferred.
• Current TS/SCI clearance required.

Attributes

• Energetic & Mission‑Driven – motivated to solve hard DoD problems with commercial technology.
• Entrepreneurial – seeks opportunities, builds networks, and grows DIU's impact.
• Independent – makes informed decisions and keeps projects moving without constant guidance.
• Agile & Flexible – navigates DoD bureaucracy and finds ways to get to "yes".
• Organized & Detail‑Oriented – comfortable with the mundane PM tasks that make projects successful.
• Fixer/Solver – proactively identifies risks, mitigates issues, and clears blockers.

Nice‑to‑Has

• Experience trying to sell technology to DoD or working inside a PEO/PM office.
• Frustration with DoD bureaucracy and a passion to improve it.
• Prior operational or combat experience (reinforcing end‑user empathy).
• Networks in autonomy, CUAS, or defense innovation communities.

Global Comp

$150,000 - $225,000 This represents the typical compensation range for this position based on experience, location and other factors.

Closing Statement

Riverside Research Institute is a not‑for‑profit, technology‑oriented defense company, where service to our customers and support of our staff is our overall mission. Riverside is an affirmative action‑equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. Riverside offers comprehensive compensation and benefit packages to our employees.

Riverside bases its employment decisions solely on technical experience, qualifications and other job‑related criteria related to our organizational purpose as a not‑for‑profit company, and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran's status or any other status legally protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.