Deputy Program Manager - Technical Lead

Orbis; McLean (VA); Remote; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbis is seeking an experienced Deputy Program Manager - Technical Lead to guide the core solution and drive technical delivery on a complex international defense program. The role is remote with international travel and reports to the Delivery Operations Lead within the OPD, coordinating with a second DPM for end‑unit adoption and CULMEX requirements.

Strong hands-on leadership and engagement with clients are essential.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years building production software, with a substantial portion in hands‑on development roles.
• 5+ years leading and growing technical teams, including engineers you did not personally hire.
• Proven track record leading distributed teams of 15+ personnel across multiple time zones (8+ hours differential), in deployed or forward environments.
• Experience being accountable for the technical solution on milestone‑based or outcomes‑based contracts with defined acceptance criteria.
• Strong architectural fluency across cloud‑native systems, APIs, identity (OAuth, SSO, JWT), and data integration patterns.
• Ability to read, write, and review code in at least one modern language currently in production use.
• Fluency with AI‑assisted productivity tooling (Claude, Copilot, Cursor, or equivalents) as part of daily engineering practice.
• Demonstrated experience working with international and foreign partners, particularly in the Middle East.

Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Own the program's technical solution. Drive architecture and design across data exchange, integration, identity, and deployment layers.
• Field Team Management: Directly manage OPD's Field Deployable Engineer Teams, staffing, rotation schedules, technical standards, and performance.
• Program Execution: Oversee delivery activities, including execution of deliverables across integration teams, sprint cadence, and alignment with client requirements.
• Engineering Quality: Review code, challenge design choices, and stay hands‑on to unblock the team.
• DPM Partnership: Align the technical solution and transition timeline with end‑unit adoption and CULMEX requirements.
• Client Engagement: Participate in client engagements and translate engineering detail for non‑technical decision‑makers.
• Compliance Support: Ensure program activities adhere to ITAR and host nation protocols.

Skills

Production software

Technical leadership

Distributed teams

Architecture & design

Code review & debugging

Cloud-native tech

AI tooling familiarity

Middle East experience

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

CI/CD

Tools

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

CI/CD

Job description

Orbis is a technology company that delivers sovereign intelligence and decision capabilities to the United States Government and its allies. We convert complex information and operational systems into decisive outcomes, giving public institutions and critical enterprises the tools to move faster, see clearer, and act first in an increasingly contested world.

We are not a consulting firm and not a systems integrator. Every Orbis team is built around practitioners who have operated at the mission edge, and every engagement is judged on one thing: whether it produces working capability, not slide decks. Solutions forged from experience; that is how we build, and it is how we hire.

Job Summary

Orbis is seeking an experiencedDeputy Program Manager - Technical Lead to lead the core solution and drive technical delivery on a complex, technology-enabled international defense program in the Middle East. This role sits within the Operations & Delivery Division (OPD), reporting to the Delivery Operations Lead, and is matrixed to the program under the Program Manager's day-to-day direction. The role manages OPD's Field Deployable Engineer Teams supporting the program.

This position carries direct technical ownership of the solution architecture and engineering delivery. The program operates under a dual DPM structure: this role owns the core solution and leads the Field Deployable Engineer Teams as they technically transition operational control to the client's technical teams, partnering closely with a second DPM, the User Engagement Lead, who owns end-unit acceptance, adoption, and the CULMEX.

This is a senior, hands-on leadership role for someone who has led both people and code, and who can operate credibly with both technical staff and senior client stakeholders.

THIS POSITION IS REMOTE WITH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL REQUIRED

TRAVEL: Extended international travel is required, including rotational deployment to the Middle East and time in geopolitical hot zones. Please apply only if you can meet this requirement.

MANAGE

Support program delivery, team operations, and execution quality, with direct ownership of the technical solution.

• Technical Leadership: Own the program's technical solution. Drive architecture and design across data exchange, integration, identity, and deployment layers. Make the calls the team needs made, document them, and defend them.
• Field Team Management: Directly manage OPD's Field Deployable Engineer Teams, owning staffing, rotation schedules, technical standards, and performance, while driving the team's transition of operational control of the solution to the client's technical teams.
• Program Execution: Assist the Program Manager in overseeing delivery activities, including execution of deliverables across integration teams, sprint cadence, and alignment of delivery scope with client requirements.
• Engineering Quality: Hold engineers accountable to clear, tight deliverables. Review code, challenge design choices, and stay hands‑on, writing code when it's the fastest way to unblock the team.
• DPM Partnership: Partner with the DPM, User Engagement Lead, to align the technical solution and transition timeline with end‑unit adoption and CULMEX requirements, ensuring a coordinated handoff from technical delivery to operational ownership.
• Client Engagement: Participate in client engagements and technical working groups. Translate engineering detail into language non‑technical decision‑makers can act on.
• Compliance Support: Ensure program activities adhere to applicable regulatory standards, including ITAR requirements and host nation protocols, in coordination with the Program Manager.

GROW

• Business Development Support: Assist the Program Manager and Country Manager in identifying program growth opportunities within the Middle East region.
• Capability Awareness: Maintain working familiarity with Orbis offerings to identify opportunities for capability reuse and new business.
• Proposals and Pricing: Contribute to program proposals, concept pitches, and pricing reviews, translating engineering reality into client‑ready commitments.

CONNECT

• Market Intelligence: Monitor regional and international trends that could affect the program. Share insights with the Program Manager to inform investment decisions and risk mitigation.
• Capability Input: Contribute technical and operational insight to internal concept and capability development.
• Cross-Division Support: Support firm‑wide strategy and business development efforts across divisions as requested.

EVOLVE

• Mentorship: Raise the technical bar of the team through code review, pairing, and direct feedback. Retain the engineers worth retaining.
• Career Growth: Identify organizational and professional growth opportunities for team members aligned with contract growth.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 10-15 years building production software, with a substantial portion in hands‑on development roles.
• 5+ years leading and growing technical teams, including engineers you did not personally hire.
• Proven track record leading distributed teams of 15+ personnel across multiple time zones (8+ hours differential), in deployed or forward environments.
• Experience being accountable for the technical solution on milestone‑based or outcomes‑based contracts with defined acceptance criteria.
• Strong architectural fluency across cloud‑native systems, APIs, identity (OAuth, SSO, JWT), and data integration patterns.
• Ability to read, write, and review code in at least one modern language currently in production use.
• Fluency with AI‑assisted productivity tooling (Claude, Copilot, Cursor, or equivalents) as part of daily engineering practice.
• Demonstrated experience working with international and foreign partners, particularly in the Middle East.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 8-10 years in the U.S. military, special operations, or U.S. intelligence community.
• Experience coordinating blended U.S. and local national workforces.
• Familiarity with Middle East defense markets, procurement processes, and partner nation cultures.
• Hands‑on experience operating, integrating, or maintaining air defense systems and radars with C2 systems.
• Experience with data exchange, federation, or cross‑domain integration patterns.
• Experience with Kubernetes, Cloudflare, Azure AD / Entra ID, or equivalent cloud, identity, and edge platforms.
• Adversarial or red‑team perspective on the systems you build.
• Exposure to Agile or sprint‑based delivery in a technology integration environment.
• Professional working proficiency in Arabic.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• The following describes the physical demands of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the ADA.
• Sedentary Work: Primarily performs work in a seated position for extended periods; occasionally required to stand, walk, or move within the work area
• Fine Motor Skills: Regularly required to use hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and standard office equipment
• Vision: Must be able to read and view a computer screen for extended periods; close vision and ability to adjust focus required
• Communication: Must be able to communicate clearly and effectively in person, via telephone, and through video conferencing platforms; ability to hear and understand spoken information in a professional setting required
• Lifting: Occasionally required to lift and/or move items up to 25 pounds (e.g., files, documents, office supplies)
• Concentration: Must be able to maintain sustained focus and attention to detail in a professional office or hybrid work environment
• Travel: Extended travel to the Middle East, including time spent in geopolitical hot zones on a rotational basis (60 days in country and 60 days in the US working remotely).

Beyond the opportunity to work alongside practitioners who have operated at the mission edge, joining Orbis means real ownership over outcomes that matter; the chance to build technology that gives the United States Government and its allies a genuine decision advantage, not just another dashboard. From competitive retirement matching to a PTO policy that encourages real time off, we're committed to creating an environment where our team can do their best work and still have a life outside of it.

Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. A full list of benefits is shared with candidates following an initial conversation with our HR team, so you'll have a clear picture of the support and resources available to you as part of the Orbis team.

Orbis Locations

Orbis works in whatever arrangement the mission requires. Depending on the role, that might mean five days a week on a customer site, full‑time in one of our offices, a hybrid schedule, or fully remote work; our team is spread across 25 states and four countries to match. We make sure every team member has the tools and access needed to do the work, wherever that work happens.

Travel is common across many Orbis roles, particularly those supporting customer missions in the field.

Orbis is headquartered in McLean, VA, with additional office locations in Taipei, Taiwan, and Canberra, Australia.

Orbis is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment, and we make employment decisions based on merit,

qualifications, and business need. Orbis does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Orbis complies with all applicable equal opportunity and non‑discrimination laws in every jurisdiction in which we operate. Reasonable accommodation is available to applicants and employees with disabilities upon request.