Commercial Program Manager - Business Development

Xona; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is seeking a Technical Business Development Manager in Burlingame, CA, to ensure compliant project delivery for commercial customers. You will work with cross-functional teams to capture customer programs and maintain accounts while generating new opportunities.

The ideal candidate has 2–5 years in program management, a technical degree in engineering, and knowledge of navigation technologies like PNT systems and GNSS. This role requires excellent communication skills and the ability to thrive in a startup environment.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience in program management or related role.
• Business development and/or sales experience is preferred.
• Knowledge of industrial timing or consumer IoT OEM companies is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with customers to align value propositions and schedules.
• Facilitate communication across product, operations, and business teams.
• Provide regular updates to leadership and propose solutions.

Skills

Program management

Technical background in engineering

Business development

Knowledge of PNT systems and GNSS

Excellent communication skills

Education

Technical degree in engineering or related field

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection. The U.S. defined global navigation with GNSS (GPS) over 50 years ago, supporting everything from consumer applications, transportation systems, and time synchronization for critical infrastructure. After nearly two decades, however, the performance and security demands of such navigation systems are increasingly beyond what GNSS can support. Xona Space Systems was founded in 2019 to address these threats through its space-based low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation. Xona’s vision is straightforward: make satellite navigation dramatically more accurate, secure, and available. In June 2025, Xona launched its first production class satellite, shaping the next era of navigational intelligence by bringing unmatched accuracy, affordability and resiliency to industries across timing, consumer IoT, defense, construction, agriculture, mining, mass mobile, and automotive—and that’s just the start.

Are you interested in joining the Xona Team as we rapidly evolve and field our LEO constellation?

We are seeking a Technical Business Development Manager to ensure compliant project delivery for commercial industry customers and partners. The successful candidate will be expected to work effectively with cross‑functional teams in identifying, capturing, and delivering on customer programs and schedules. Xona’s program manager must be able to maintain customer accounts and also generate new accounts, work closely with internal and external technical teams, and align these activities to Xona’s overall business objectives.

What You’ll Do

• Be the Customer Interface: Work closely with customers to match shared value propositions, build and synchronize schedules, technical requirements, and contract deliverables.
• Coordinate Across Teams: Facilitate communication across product, operations, and business teams to ensure deliverables are met.
• Interface with Leadership: Provide regular updates to the leadership team, escalating issues and proposing solutions to maintain program momentum.
• Contribute to Process Development: Collaborate with business and product team members to improve processes, tools, and reporting structures to scale with the company’s growth.
• Thrive in a Startup Environment: Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment where things can move and evolve rapidly. Ability to work autonomously in a small, dynamic team.
• Communicate: Excellent communication and organizational skills, ability to create and maintain project schedules.

Preferred Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience in program management, or a related role.
• Technical educational background, in engineering or a related field.
• Business development and/or sales experience.
• Knowledgeable of PNT systems, GNSS, and alternative navigation technologies.
• Well networked and knowledgeable of industrial timing and/or consumer IoT OEM companies.
• PMP, AGILE training or other relevant certifications.

For U.S. Roles:

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles:

To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles:

Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.