Deputy Program Manager - SOCOM

Saronic; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Saronic Technologies is advancing autonomy at sea with cutting‑edge autonomous and intelligent platforms. This hands‑on Program Manager role partners with Growth, Engineering, Production, Procurement, Software, and Product to translate opportunities into executable scopes, schedules, and budgets, and to lead cross‑functional teams across SOCOM contracts.

The role is largely in‑person to support tight collaboration with SOCOM customers; knowledge of maritime or autonomous systems helps bridging

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Naval Architecture, Business Admin, PM or related field.
• 5+ years in program management, defense/engineering/technical environment, including SOF/SOCOM.
• Familiarity with DoD program requirements, government contracting, and recognized PM standards.
• Working knowledge of maritime/autonomous systems; ability to read technical docs and engage with engineers.
• 3+ years working with MS Project, MS Office, Confluence, and cross‑functional communication via Slack.
• Willingness to travel up to 35% and ability to work in a fast‑paced environment.
• Secret security clearance eligibility required, active preferred.

Responsibilities

• Translate SOCOM opportunities and customer demand into clear, defensible scope and schedules.
• Support proposals, including scope, statements of work, and basis of estimate.
• Build and maintain work breakdown structures and executive schedules.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Maritime/defense awareness

Leadership

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/related field

Tools

MS Project

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Confluence

Slack

Job description

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 Overview

About Our Team

Programs partners closely with Growth, Engineering, Production, Procurement, Software, and Product teams to define scope, align resources, and manage cost, schedule, and risk. It's our collective, team-driven approach that powers execution to meet and exceed the expectations of our growing customer base. In an environment where things move fast and operate in open-ended, ambiguous problem spaces, we trust and empower each team member to operate independently and take full ownership of their work. When faced with roadblocks, each team member is expected to think critically and bring potential solutions to the table. When it comes to communication, the default is transparency; sharing context, decisions, and progress freely. Lastly, feedback flows in every direction; we experiment, question, and learn together by speaking directly and honestly.

About the Role

This is a hands‑on role for someone who owns the details and gets the work done, and it is an ideal next step for a candidate ready to grow intoa Program Manager. The position will be largely in‑person, because close, face‑to‑face collaboration is how our SOCOM customers work best. A working understanding of maritime and/or autonomous systems (schematics, software, CAD, wiring diagrams, and system‑level architecture) is highly beneficial for bridging communications and understanding of various lines of effort across technical, operational, and administrative teams. The DPM may support one or more lines of effort across multiple SOCOM‑focused contracts at once.

Responsibilities

Scoping & Scheduling

• Partner with Growth to translate SOCOM opportunities and customer demand into clear, defensible scope and schedules.
• Support proposal inputs, including scope, statements of work, and basis of estimate, ensuring what we propose is technically grounded, executable, and aligned to strategic, engineering, and timeline realities.
• Build and maintain work breakdown structures and executive schedules that connect growth commitments to engineering and production reality.

Program Execution

• Support the Program Manager across all five process groups (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring & control, and closeout) on one or more concurrent programs.
• Track schedules, requirements, budgets, deliverables, and integration milestones, including Government- and Contractor-Furnished Equipment (GFE/CFE).
• Coordinate design, build, on-water testing, and readiness activities to meet contract milestones, and de‑risk critical path items.
• Maintain configuration and documentation compliance across all program phases.

Cross‑Functional Coordination

• Serve as a day‑to‑day point of contact across Engineering, Production, Quality, and Training, communicating objectives, milestones, and changes so everyone knows what they own and when.
• Lead recurring coordination meetings to keep execution aligned to the delivery schedule.
• Engage confidently in technical discussions and interpret engineering documentation (BOMs, CAD, wire diagrams) to resolve issues and keep teams aligned.
• Relay feedback from field operations, testing, and customer reviews back to internal teams for continuous improvement.

Risk, Compliance & Field Support

• Identify, track, and help mitigate program risks and issues, maintaining risk registers and after‑action reports across assigned programs.
• Work with Contracts and Legal to keep scope, terms, and deliverables (CDRLs) accurately captured and compliant with contractual, DoD, ABS, and DCMA standards.
• Support field operations, demos, and test events (readiness, integration, documentation, and after‑action reviews), plus sustainment and logistics planning that keeps fielded systems mission‑ready for operators downrange.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Naval Architecture, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years in program management, preferably in a defense, engineering, or technical environment, including support to SOF or SOCOM programs.
• Familiarity with DoD program requirements, government contracting, and recognized program management standards.
• Working knowledge of maritime and/or autonomous systems, with the ability to read technical documentation and engage credibly with engineers.
• 3+ years working across software‑based toolsets, including MS Project, the MS Office suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), Confluence, and communicating with cross functional teams via Slack and other applications.
• A bias for action and ownership in a fast‑paced, high‑trust, rapidly growing environment.
• Willingness to travel up to 35% of the time.
• Secret security clearance eligibility required, active preferred.

Preferred Qualification

PMP certification or demonstrated command of project management firs