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Salary: USD 220,000 - 300,000 / annual
CHAOS Industries, a defense technology company founded in 2022 and backed by $1B in funding from 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners, is seeking a Program Manager to lead the successful delivery of its long-range missile program. The company develops products powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™) that empower warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams.
In this role, you will own the full program lifecycle from development through flight test and production transition, ensuring cost, schedule, and performance goals are met. You will serve as the primary point of contact to the customer's COTR/Tech POC for all contract, cost, schedule, and performance matters. Key responsibilities include:
• Leading the full program lifecycle to ensure cost, schedule, and performance goals are achieved
• Providing oversight of all technical and operational functions, planning, organization, and control of resources to complete contract deliverables
• Planning and directing execution of contractual, technical, multi-disciplinary engineering, test, and administrative support efforts
• Planning and tracking program milestones including design reviews, test events, and flight test campaigns, with regular briefings to leadership
• Managing acquisition and employment of program resources in collaboration with technical delivery leads
• Ensuring sufficient qualified staffing to achieve timely and successful completion of contract statement of work (SOW)
• Coordinating efforts across engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, test, operations, and Growth teams for integrated program execution
• Leading resolution of program-related challenges and blockers
• Coordinating all program management reviews with the customer to discuss contract performance and issue resolutions
• Managing program budget and resource allocation to meet program requirements efficiently
• Supporting financial controls and administrative aspects of the program
• Managing and documenting scope changes while ensuring alignment with program goals
• Traveling up to 30% as needed to support program and customer objectives, including test and customer sites
You will work closely with Business Development, Growth, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Mission Delivery teams to ensure successful program execution.
**Requirements:**
Minimum:
• B.S. in engineering, computer science, business, or related field, and/or equivalent Program Management experience in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• 8+ years of Project/Program Management experience managing complex aerospace or defense development programs of similar scope and complexity
• Demonstrated experience leading a program through multiple phases of the development lifecycle, including test
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present complex information clearly and concisely to diverse audiences
• Direct experience with customer S&T and early development organizations such as AFRL, ONR, Army DEVCOM as well as program of record materiel development organizations
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 30% as needed to support program and customer objectives
• Current or recent DoD SECRET clearance
Preferred:
• Prior program management experience on a missile, munition, or other weapon system program
• Experience with DoD acquisition processes, contract types, and government oversight (e.g., DCMA, DCAA)
• Experience with flight test campaigns and range coordination
• Experience with integrated master scheduling
• Current or recent DoD TOP SECRET security clearance; eligibility for SAP and/or SCI indoc
• Experience with Agile project management using tools like JIRA and Confluence
• Prior systems engineering or software integration experience
• Experience with a prime integrator or in a fast-moving defense startup
• Advanced degree in a technical field
