Defense Software Program Manager - C2 & Autonomy

Swarmaero; Oxnard (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Competitive base salary

Health benefits

PTO and sick leave

Wellness stipend

Lunch provided

Job summary

Swarm Aero in Oxnard, CA is seeking a Program Manager to run a software-heavy defense program with the rigor of hardware and the speed of a software team. You will own the plan, integrate sprint and release plans with contract milestones, and manage budget and schedules across software and hardware interfaces.

The role requires 6+ years in program management focusing on software or software-intensive DoD projects, fluency in agile methods, and the ability to brief both engineers and program

Qualifications

• 6+ years of program or technical program management, with at least 3 years owning software or software-intensive programs for DoD or other government customers.
• Fluency in agile delivery (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe or similar) and experience mapping it to milestone-based defense contracts.
• Enough technical depth to follow architecture discussions, challenge estimates, and spot integration risk early; a software engineering background is a strong plus.
• Experience delivering software that integrates with hardware: autonomy, C2, mission systems, avionics, or similar.
• Hands-on with schedule and backlog tools (Jira, Smartsheet, MS Project or similar) and with budget tracking.
• Comfort leading customer reviews and owning contract deliverables.
• Clear, direct communicator who can brief an engineer and a program officer in the same afternoon.
• U.S. person status as defined by ITAR, and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own the program plan and integrated schedule, tying sprint and release plans to contract milestones, demos, and customer events
• Translate customer requirements into a prioritized, traceable backlog with engineering and product, and manage scope changes against cost and schedule
• Run the program cadence: release planning, weekly program reviews, risk and issue boards, and monthly status to leadership and customers
• Manage program budget and burn, including labor across multiple engineering teams, and flag variance early with a recovery plan
• Coordinate software integration with aircraft, partner hardware, and government systems, including test events, field exercises, and demonstrations
• Drive software delivery and accreditation work with our DevSecOps team: deliverable packages, documentation, and cyber and ATO requirements where they apply
• Lead customer-facing milestone reviews and own contract deliverables (CDRLs, status reports, technical data)
• Partner with the Director of PMO to build program practices that fit how software teams actually work, without adding bureaucracy

Skills

Program management

Agile delivery

Software integration

Budget tracking

Stakeholder communication

Schedule management

Tools

Jira

Smartsheet

MS Project

Job description

Swarm Aero in Oxnard, CA is seeking a Program Manager to run a software-heavy defense program with the rigor of hardware and the speed of a software team. You will own the plan, integrate sprint and release plans with contract milestones, and manage budget and schedules across software and hardware interfaces.

The role requires 6+ years in program management focusing on software or software-intensive DoD projects, fluency in agile methods, and the ability to brief both engineers and program