Technical Program Manager, Release - Mission Autonomy

Anduril; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare Benefits

Generous time off

Professional Development

Retirement Savings Plan

Job summary

A defense technology company in Costa Mesa is seeking a Technical Program Manager to oversee the software release lifecycle within Air Dominance & Strike. The role requires over 4 years of experience managing technical programs, deep technical knowledge, and a focus on both quality and on-time releases. Ideal candidates will have skills in project management, communication, and data analysis. Benefits include comprehensive healthcare, generous time off, and a retirement savings plan.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in managing technical programs in software development.
• Understanding of software development lifecycles and quality assurance.
• Ability to prioritize and resolve critical path issues.

Responsibilities

• Drive the release process from planning to deployment.
• Define quality gates and release metrics with engineering.
• Establish frameworks for prioritization and decision-making.

Skills

Project Management

Technical Acumen

Communication

Data Analysis

Organization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

Job description

Technical Program Manager, Release – Mission Autonomy

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI‑powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a real‑time, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting‑edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About the Job

We are seeking a highly motivated Technical Program Manager (TPM) to oversee the software release lifecycle within Air Dominance & Strike (AD&S). In this role, you’ll serve as the operational backbone for our release cycles, partnering with engineering leadership to ensure on‑time, high‑quality software releases that support our customers. This high‑impact position rewards strategic thinking, execution excellence, and the ability to thrive in ambiguity while building scalable processes.

What You’ll Do

• End‑to‑End Release Ownership: Drive the release process from planning to testing and deployment, ensuring on‑time, stable releases that meet customer requirements.
• Architect & Elevate Release Quality: Define and evolve quality gates, test strategies, and critical release metrics. Partner with engineering to embed rigorous testing at every stage.
• Bridge Teams and Drive Execution: Act as the connective tissue between engineering, test & evaluation, and program management for seamless execution across teams.
• Strategic Prioritization & Decisive Execution: Establish frameworks for prioritization, communication, and decision‑making to cut through ambiguity and focus on what matters.
• Continuous Process Improvement: Champion a release management process that balances speed with stability, leveraging feedback and data for scalable improvements.
• Transparency & Data‑Driven Management: Utilize industry‑standard tools such as JIRA and Confluence to track progress, visualize key metrics, and enable real‑time communication.

Required Qualifications

• 4+ years of proven experience managing technical programs in high‑paced, mission‑critical software development environments.
• Deep technical acumen: Understanding of software development lifecycles, system architectures, testing methodologies, and quality assurance principles.
• Relentless prioritization: Proven ability to identify, prioritize, and resolve critical path issues to maintain release integrity and timeliness.
• Exceptional communication: Ability to engage in technical discussions and translate details to diverse internal audiences.
• Data‑driven & analytical mindset: Comfort leveraging metrics and analytics to guide decisions and continually improve quality.
• Highly organized: Ability to manage concurrent priorities in a fast‑moving environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Direct experience with release management, CI/CD pipelines, and advanced software build systems in a complex, multi‑component environment.
• Background in defense, hardware, autonomy, or robotics deployments with familiarity of mission‑critical quality standards.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive and provide strategic direction in ambiguous, rapidly evolving contexts.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.

Salary Range

$132,000 - $198,000 USD

Benefits

Healthcare Benefits

• US Roles: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost.
• UK & AUS Roles: Full coverage of medical insurance premiums.
• IE Roles: Annual contribution toward private health insurance.

Additional Benefits

• Income Protection: Life and disability insurance for all employees.
• Generous time off: Competitive PTO with a holiday pause in December; caregiver & wellness leave available.
• Family Planning & Parenting Support: Coverage for fertility treatments, adoption, and gestational carriers.
• Mental Health Resources: Free 24/7 mental health services, therapy, and coaching.
• Professional Development: Annual reimbursement for professional growth.
• Commuter Benefits: Company‑funded benefits based on region.

Retirement Savings Plan

• US Roles: Traditional 401(k), Roth, and after‑tax options.
• UK & IE Roles: Pension plan with employer match.
• AUS Roles: Superannuation plan.

EEO Statement

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