Program Manager, Unmanned Surface Vehicle (Defense Robotics)

Location: El Segundo, California, United States; onsite

Salary: $230,000–$300,000 base annually

Company

hirify.global develops defense products powered by Coherent Distributed Networks for domain dominance across defense, aviation, and border protection applications.

What you will do

• Own program cost, schedule, technical performance, P&L, risk, and opportunity management across development, test, production, and sustainment.
• Coordinate Integrated Product Teams across systems engineering, vehicle design, propulsion, payloads, avionics, software, manufacturing, quality, testing, and logistics.
• Develop Integrated Master Schedules, manage critical paths, and resolve cross-functional schedule conflicts.
• Lead customer program reviews, proposal development, pricing and Basis of Estimate activities, and follow-on contract capture.
• Oversee requirements decomposition, design reviews, integration, developmental and operational testing, production readiness, safety, and airworthiness processes.
• Manage contract performance, configuration management, export controls, security requirements, supply-chain partners, and subcontractors.

Requirements

• At least 15 years of program or project management experience in the defense industry, including complex development programs.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field.
• Strong knowledge of Earned Value Management Systems, Integrated Master Schedule development, and risk management.
• Experience with FAR/DFARS contract types, including CPFF, CPIF, and FFP, and with government customer program offices.
• Strong leadership, negotiation, executive communication, and cross-functional team management skills.
• Willingness to travel approximately 20–30% to customer sites, test ranges, and manufacturing or integration facilities.

Nice to have

• Master’s degree or MBA and PMP certification.
• Foreign Military Sales or international program execution experience.
• Experience with digital engineering and model-based acquisition environments.
• Previous experience as a Chief Engineer, Deputy Program Manager, or Integration Lead.
• Ability to obtain or maintain Secret, Top Secret, or SCI clearance.

Culture & Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits fully paid by the company.
• 401(k) with a 50% company match up to 6% of pay, plus FSA, HSA, and life insurance.
• Daily lunch onsite, stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, and casual dress code.
• Relocation assistance, pre-IPO stock options, and planned annual bonuses.
• Work with a growing organization of more than 500 employees across five offices.