Senior Technical Program Manager, Dedrone

Axon; Texas; Hybrid; USD 128,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and 401k with‑em pl

Discretionary paid time off

Paid parental leave for all

Fitness Programs

Emotional & Mental Wellness support

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)

Snacks in office

Job summary

Axon Enterprise is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager for Dedrone in Sterling, VA. You will own end-to-end launches of defense solutions, coordinating hardware, firmware, software, and network workstreams to deliver mission-critical deployments.

You will partner with engineering, manufacturing, compliance, and external partners to ensure on-time readiness, manage risk, and drive executive reporting on launch status and risk. This role follows a hybrid in-office schedule.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of technical program or launch management experience.
• Experience in defense, public safety, counter-UAS, or complex hardware/software products.
• Familiarity with wireless, embedded, or sensor domains (RF, radar, camera, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end launch of Dedrone counter-UAS solutions from readiness to field deployment.
• Translate requirements into launch criteria and risk gates for field deployment.
• Drive cross-functional launch plans across hardware, firmware, software, and networking.
• Coordinate with external vendors and partners to align timelines and dependencies.

Skills

Technical program management

Defense/public safety experience

RF/sensor domain familiarity

System architecture & integration

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Senior Technical Program Manager, Dedrone

Sterling

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.

At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.

Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.

Your Impact

As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you will own the end-to-end launch of the organization’s counter-UAS Solution offerings, from readiness through field deployment. You will work at the intersection of engineering execution, operational readiness, and customer need to drive how Dedrone products leveraging RF, Radar, Camera, Networking, Software, and Firmware technologies make it from development into reliable, mission‑critical field operation.

We’re looking for someone who can translate program risk and cross-functional dependencies into a clear launch plan, drive go/no-go decisions, and hold engineering, compliance, manufacturing, and business stakeholders accountable to launch readiness — while making thoughtful tradeoffs across performance, reliability, cost, power, schedule, and field quality. You will partner closely with electrical engineering, hardware engineering, systems engineering, RF engineering, firmware, software, operations, manufacturing, compliance, and external partners to ensure Dedrone’s capabilities launch successfully into real‑world public safety and defense environments.

What You’ll Do

Location:Onsite at our Sterling, Virginia office 4 days a week
Reports to: VP of Product Management
Direct Reports: N/A

Own launch readiness and go/no-go governance for defense solutions within Dedrone, across hardware, firmware, software, and network workstreams

Build and drive the cross-functional launch plan — coordinating RF, ME, EE, firmware, software, compliance, manufacturing, and supply chain teams against a shared timeline

Translate customer, business, and operational needs into clear launch criteria and risk gates for counter-UAS field deployment

Work with external vendors and partners to align launch timelines and dependencies

Drive trade-off decisions across BOM cost, system capabilities, schedule, manufacturability, and quality as they affect launch readiness

• Own risk registers, escalation paths, and rollback/contingency plans for field deployments
• Ensure launch decisions reflect real-world field conditions in mission‑critical environments
• Build alignment across cross-functional stakeholders and drive executive reporting on launch status and risk
• Define launch success metrics and use customer feedback, field data, and operational insights to drive post-launch iteration

What You Bring

• 5+ years of technical program or launch management experience, with 1+ years in defense, public safety, counter-UAS, or technically complex hardware/software products; demonstrated ability to drive cross-functional alignment
• Familiarity with wireless, embedded, or sensor domains — including some combination of RF, radar, camera, cellular, Wi‑Fi, GNSS, or connectivity performance
• Experience launching hardware products into operationally demanding or mission-critical environments
• Comfort with system architecture documentation, hardware/software integration concepts, and multi-discipline technical stacks
• Strong program judgment and ability to prioritize across customer value, technical complexity, business impact, and execution risk
• Ability to operate in ambiguous, high-dependency environments with multiple stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and systems thinking
• Track record of delivering launches or major capabilities with measurable customer and business impact
• Experience with mission‑critical, defense, cUAS, public safety, or other operationally demanding connected products
• Experience working with hardware RF, radar, camera, network, embedded, or wireless systems engineering teams
• Technical degree, PMP, or equivalent program/launch management certification a plus

Work Location

This role is based out of our Sterling Office and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in-person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite Tuesdays through Fridays, with the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation. We believe that connection fuels innovation, and our in-office culture is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success.

Benefits that Benefit You

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• And yes, we have snacks in our offices

Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.

Axon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation is made up of base pay, bonus, and stock awards. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: level, function, training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, geographic market, and often a combination of all these factors. Our benefits offer an array of options to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. To see more details on our benefits offerings please visit https://www.axon.com/careers .

Base Pay Range

$127,950 - $204,720 USD

Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long‑term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.

Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.

Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well‑being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [e-mail]. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.

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As set forth in Axon’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

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A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

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An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.