Senior Aerospace TPM - Unmanned Aircraft & Autonomy

Speedrun Talent Network; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Principal Technical Program Manager to lead the execution of its aircraft development efforts supporting the U.S. Air Force MMA program.

You will translate customer objectives into an integrated plan spanning concept development, aircraft and mission systems integration, prototype demonstration, flight test, and production readiness. You will partner with the program leader, Chief Engineer, engineering teams, manufacturing, supply chain, and government stakeholders to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years aerospace engineering or complex hardware/software program management.
• Experience leading a major aircraft, spacecraft, unmanned system, or similarly integrated aerospace program through development and test milestones.
• Technical breadth to evaluate integration dependencies and challenge cross-disciplinary tradeoffs.
• Demonstrated ownership of schedules, budgets, risks, and cross-functional delivery.
• Experience with government customers or aerospace partners on requirements, reviews, and delivery commitments.
• Ability to lead through influence, establish accountability, and make sound decisions with incomplete information.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including executive briefings and customer-facing technical discussions.

Responsibilities

• Own integrated program execution from concept to production readiness.
• Translate customer objectives into executable plan milestones and verification criteria.
• Drive multidisciplinary coordination across air vehicle, propulsion, avionics, flight controls, autonomy, and ground systems.
• Maintain affordability and production considerations in planning and execution.
• Lead reviews with government stakeholders and industry partners, coordinating contractual deliverables.
• Identify critical-path risks and drive timely mitigations.
• Align development schedules with tooling, procurement, and manufacturing readiness.
• Provide concise executive visibility into milestone confidence, progress, and financials.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communications

Program management

Systems thinking

Decision making

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Flight test coordination

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Principal Technical Program Manager to lead the execution of its aircraft development efforts supporting the U.S. Air Force MMA program.

You will translate customer objectives into an integrated plan spanning concept development, aircraft and mission systems integration, prototype demonstration, flight test, and production readiness. You will partner with the program leader, Chief Engineer, engineering teams, manufacturing, supply chain, and government stakeholders to