Senior Program Manager, Autonomy (Aerospace)

Location: Boston, United States; hybrid workplace

Company

Merlin is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company developing the Merlin Pilot, a full-stack autonomy system for aircraft from takeoff to touchdown.

What you will do

• Lead a portfolio of programs covering autonomy development, integration, flight testing, certification, and operational fielding.
• Own capability roadmaps and align release commitments with the Merlin Pilot product strategy.
• Partner with Product and autonomy engineering leaders on release scope, prioritization, technical risk, and resource trade-offs.
• Translate operator feedback, mission needs, and customer requirements into product priorities, deliverables, and acceptance criteria.
• Drive execution across engineering, product, test, supply chain, and business development teams while managing schedules, financial plans, and program baselines.
• Identify cross-program risks and bottlenecks, scale execution processes, and mentor the program management organization.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in program or product leadership roles.
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional technical integration programs focused on software development and delivery.
• Experience shaping product roadmaps or capability definitions and making prioritization decisions with imperfect information.
• Strong listening, communication, stakeholder engagement, and customer relationship skills.
• Ability to manage multiple programs under resource and time constraints and switch between strategy, execution, and team dynamics.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance.

Nice to have

• Product management or hybrid program/product experience in autonomy, robotics, or aerospace software.
• Experience scaling program teams or building operating models in high-growth environments.
• Experience in autonomy, mission systems, or flight control integration.
• Active security clearance.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment with top-tier employee benefits.
• Highly competitive equity grants as part of the total compensation package.
• Opportunity to work on autonomous flight systems for commercial and defense aviation.