Technical Program Manager

Vatn Systems; Bristol (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Vatn Systems is seeking a Program Manager to oversee customer-facing execution and internal coordination across multiple programs. You will translate customer needs and contractual commitments into coordinated internal action, ensuring the program stays organized and aligned to customer expectations.

The role focuses on managing schedules, milestones, dependencies, and delivery commitments using Jira and other PM tools, while tracking requirements across projects and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of a technical product design life cycle and problem solving processes.
• Ability to apply technical knowledge to drive decision making and program strategy.
• Cross-functional work across product, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain.
• Experience creating and implementing program management tools for communication, scheduling, risk management, etc.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• A B.S. degree or higher in an engineering or science discipline.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary customer facing point of contact for program level execution, schedules, and status.
• Maintain the program plan, including milestones, dependencies, and delivery commitments via Jira and other program management tools.
• Track contractual requirements, customer deliverables, and acceptance criteria across projects by working with leadership, finance and other stakeholders.
• Assist coordinating schedules and dependencies across PMs, Lead Engineers, Engineering, Ops, and external partners.
• Run administrative program cadences including customer status calls, internal program reviews, and leadership updates (as necessary).
• Identify, track, and escalate program-level risks, changes, and issues impacting customer commitments via cross-functional communication.
• Prepare and distribute customer-facing materials such as status reports, timelines, and delivery updates.
• Support updating Jira and iSOW

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Program management

Jira proficiency

Scheduling & planning

Education

B.S. degree or higher in engineering or science

Tools

Jira

Job description

Purpose of the Role

This role exists to manage customer-facing execution and internal coordination across multiple programs, with a focus on specific products/projects.The Program Manager is responsible for ensuring commitments made to customers are clearly planned, tracked, communicated, and delivered across the organization. They act as the primary administrative owner of the program, translating customer needs and contractual commitments into coordinated internal execution.

The Program Manager ensures the overall program stays organized, predictable, and aligned to customer expectations.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as the primary customer facing point of contact for program level execution, schedules, and status
• Maintain the program plan, including milestones, dependencies, and delivery commitments via Jira and other program management tools
• Track contractual requirements, customer deliverables, and acceptance criteria across projects by working with leadership, finance and other stakeholders
• Assist coordinating schedules and dependencies across PMs, Lead Engineers, Engineering, Ops, and external partners.
• Run administrative program cadences including customer status calls, internal program reviews, and leadership updates (as necessary)
• Identify, track, and **escalate** program-level risks, changes, and issues impacting customer commitments via cross-functional communication
• Prepare and distribute customer-facing materials such as status reports, timelines, and delivery updates.
• Support updating Jira and iSOW

Requirements

• Deep understanding of a technical product design life cycle & problem solving processes
• Ability to apply technical knowledge to drive decision making, i.e. trade‑off discussions and program strategy
• Have the ability to work cross‑functionally between product, engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain personnel.
• Demonstrated experience creating and implementing program management tools for communication, scheduling, risk management, resource planning, and production planning, etc.
• Have outstanding verbal and written communication skills
• B.S. degree or higher in an engineering or science discipline

Bonus

• Experience in start‑up environments

Vatn is an equal opportunity employer, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We look forward to reviewing your application and potentially having you join our team in shaping the future of autonomous underwater vehicles.