Technical Program Manager, Systems Development & Implementation

Frontdoor Defense; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 149,500 - 192,000; Full time

Job summary

Joby is seeking a Technical Program Manager to own end-to-end program execution for aircraft systems from concept to operation. You will scope work, build roadmaps, and drive cross-team delivery to achieve aircraft-level milestones at the intersection of systems and interfaces.

The role requires strong execution discipline, stakeholder management, and the ability to translate complex system concepts into actionable plans under time pressure, in Santa Cruz, California.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or related technical field with 5+ years of experience.
• Strong ability to translate system requirements and verification concepts for cross-functional audiences.
• Experience scoping high-risk technical work into structured plans and actionable execution roadmaps.

Responsibilities

• Provide dedicated program support to mature high-risk design areas from scoping to readiness for operation.
• Scope and structure roadmaps for system areas, defining paths to inhabited-operation readiness.
• Build risk mitigation plans and sequence work to retire risk before it affects schedule or safety.
• Drive end-to-end maturation: requirements validation, software/verification, and continuous improvement.
• Translate roadmaps into integrated schedules synchronized with aircraft program milestones.
• Iterate plans as new information or test results surface.
• Coordinate with engineering and verification stakeholders to converge on aircraft-level outcomes.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Roadmap planning

System requirements

Stakeholder management

Technical proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, CS or related field

Tools

Smartsheet

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Technical Program Manager, Systems Development & Implementation

Own end-to-end technical program execution for aircraft systems from concept to operation

Location: Santa Cruz, California

Compensation: $149,500 - 192,000 USD / year

About The Role

Technical Program Manager

Joby is looking for a Technical Program Manager to take program execution from concept into practical, on-the-ground project delivery. This role sits at the intersection of systems and aircraft interfaces: you will scope work, build and maintain roadmaps, and then personally drive the cross-team execution needed to hit aircraft-level milestones - not just author the plan, but chase it to closure as new information and issues surface.

Responsibilities

• Provide dedicated program support to mature ongoing S4 design areas that still carry high technical risk - taking them from early scoping through to readiness for commercial operation
• Scope and structure roadmaps for system areas carrying open technical risk, defining the path from current state to inhabited-operation readiness, including early execution learnings
• Build risk mitigation plans for each area, sequencing the work needed to retire risk before it becomes a schedule or safety issue
• Drive the maturation path end to end: system requirements validation to software/feature development to verification approach and execution, including continuous improvements
• Translate system-level roadmaps into integrated program schedules, keeping them tightly synchronized with overall aircraft program and operational milestones
• Continuously iterate the plan as new technical information, test results, or issues surface
• Pull in the right engineering, verification, and airworthiness stakeholders at the right time to keep cross-team development and verification efforts converging toward aircraft-level outcomes

Required

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a related technical field with 5+ years of relevant experience
• Working technical literacy sufficient to understand system requirements, software/verification concepts, and engineering trade-offs to translate them for cross-functional and leadership audiences
• Demonstrated experience scoping ambiguous, high-risk technical work into structured plans and actionable execution roadmaps
• Proven track record managing schedules, dependencies, and critical paths across multiple engineering teams, including identifying constraints and recommending recovery options when plans slip
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to build trust across teams and keep cross-functional partners aligned under time pressure
• Comfort with ambiguity and a strong bias toward driving execution forward

Desired

• Prior experience in flight controls, propulsion, avionics, embedded software, or safety-critical/regulated system development
• Experience with verification processes (requirements-based testing, DO-178C/DO-254-style environments, or equivalent)
• Familiarity with project/program management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence) and AI-native tools
• Experience running structured retrospectives or continuous-improvement processes on technical programs
• Experience as an engineer transitioning into program management with demonstrated informal program leadership (e.g., driving cross-team schedules or owning roadmaps)

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $149,500 - $192,000/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer.