Program Manager

Front Door Defense; Los Angeles, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401k

Relocation support

Flexible vacation

Equity

Job summary

Hadrian is seeking a Program Manager in Los Angeles to launch and oversee a defense/aerospace customer program from scope to production. You will turn complex customer needs into structured analyses, create strategic plans, and own end-to-end execution with P&L responsibility.

You will work with the CEO and senior leaders to connect shop-floor realities with executive priorities, scaling programs across the U.S. defence industrial base. Strong communication and ownership are essential.

Qualifications

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to turn ambiguous problems into structured analyses and plans.
• Experience presenting to senior stakeholders and driving decisions.

Responsibilities

• Define and scope new programs with senior leadership.
• Drive customer discovery and site visits to shape programs.
• Manage program financials, schedule, and risk with cross‑functional teams.
• Lead executive communications and program reviews.

Skills

Communication

Ownership/Accountability

Executive storytelling

Education

Bachelor's in Business/Economics/Engineering

Master’s degree (plus)

Tools

PowerPoint

Job description

Program Manager

Launch and oversee a defense/aerospace customer program from scope to production

Location: Los Angeles, California

About The Role

Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission‑critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost.

Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory‑as‑a‑Service platform to transform how critical products are built.

Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen.

If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.

The Role

Hadrian builds autonomous, scalable manufacturing to strengthen the national security supply chain. As Program Manager, customer deployments, you’ll scope, execute, and ultimately own the high‑impact customer programs and factory stand‑ups necessary to enable Hadrian’s mission to reindustrialize defense and aerospace.

You’ll turn ambiguous customer problem sets into structured analyses, program strategies, and business cases that drive go/no‑go decisions and execution. Applying first‑principles thinking, you’ll produce the executive‑ready deliverables that move programs forward: customer proposals, pricing analyses, execution plans, and schedules. You’ll also run and execute these programs with direct P&L responsibility.

You’ll work directly with the CEO and senior leaders, connecting shop‑floor reality, executive priorities, and government opportunities to define and launch new programs across the U.S. defence industrial base. We’re looking for someone who can own outcomes and can seamlessly move from a conversation with a C—suite customer to making sure your colleagues complete their badge paperwork.

What You’ll Do

Program Development & Scoping

• Define new programs and their early execution phases alongside the CEO and senior leaders
• Run customer discovery, working meetings, and site visits to gather unstructured data and shape programs
• Surface cost, schedule, and delivery risks early, and drive the mitigation and execution plans
• Own factory and production‑line stand‑ups end to end — capital plan, long‑lead equipment, site readiness, workforce ramp, and the reviews that clear a line to start producing

Strategic Problem Solving & Business Analysis

• Drive high‑impact initiatives that accelerate Hadrian’s growth across aerospace and defense
• Build quantitative models that turn operational and customer problems into roadmaps, investment cases, and ROI frameworks
• Connect manufacturing performance data to business priorities and government program needs
• Bring structure and decisions to ambiguous, high‑stakes manufacturing and execution challenges
• Support proposal development and capture management, including for follow‑on business (e.g., RFP submissions, Statement of Work development)
• Own program financials: budget, cost‑to‑complete, and margin, with a clear forecast of where each program lands
• Work with contracts, quality, and legal to keep programs inside their contractual and regulatory obligations, and flag early where contract terms, export rules, or security requirements drive cost and schedule

Cross‑Functional Execution & Delivery

• Drive execution across engineering, operations, supply chain, and software
• Own cross‑functional workstreams end to end — scope, schedule, risk, and stakeholder alignment
• Stand up and scale PMO systems (e.g., Work Breakdown Structures, Integrated Master Schedules, Earned Value Management)
• Run the operating rhythm: recurring reviews, milestone and dependency tracking, and program dashboards
• Carry programs from qualification and first‑article approval through full rate production and handoff to steady‑state operations

Executive Communication & Stakeholder Leadership

• Build and deliver executive presentations, business cases, customer proposals, and internal program materials
• Synthesize technical, operational, and strategic inputs into clear narratives
• Lead program reviews, status updates, and risk reporting
• Act as the primary point of contact for customer program offices, including on site at customer facilities, and position Hadrian for follow‑on work

What We’re Looking For

• Experience: 6+ years in management consulting, federal programs, manufacturing, or operations/strategy roles, ideally within aerospace, defense, or industrial environments. You’ve owned programs or workstreams, not just supported them.
• Education: Bachelor’s in Business, Economics, Operations, Engineering, or a related field. Master’s degree is a plus.
• Travel: Willingness to travel 20–40% domestically to customer and manufacturing sites.
• A&D Familiarity: Direct work in aerospace and defense manufacturing — with Primes, OEMs, Tier 1/2 suppliers, or large industrial programs. Cross‑functional experience across Operations, Finance, Engineering, Program Management, or Business teams is a plus.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal skills. You build executive‑grade PowerPoint independently and present to senior internal and external stakeholders on your own.
• Ownership & Ambiguity: You thrive in fast‑paced, evolving environments — proactive, organized, and able to bring structure to complex problems without being told how.
• Eligibility: U.S. person status required. Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance is a plus.

Benefits for Full‑time Employees

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
• 401k
• Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.
• Flexible vacation policy
• Equity

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Use of AI in Hiring

Hadrian uses AI‑assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI‑powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy.

Hadrian Is An Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the Company's policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. The Company does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race inclusive of traits historically associated with race (including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks and twists), color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin (including, in California, possession of a drivers license), ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, height or weight, medical condition, family care status, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, exercise of reproductive rights, any other basis protected by local, state, or federal laws, or any combination of the above characteristics. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy