Senior Staff Technical Program Manager (R5619)

Washington, D.C. DRONES Full-time $180k to $270k Posted Mar 23, 2026
Apply on Shield AI (opens in a new tab) Sourced via jobs.lever.co · Posted 2026-03-23

About this role

Shield AI is hiring a Senior Staff Technical Program Manager (R5619), full-time, on-site in Washington, D.C., in the DRONES sector.

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn , X , Instagram , and YouTube .

Job Description:

We are looking for an exceptional Technical Program Manager to guide and manage our next-generation autonomous aircraft conceptual design and tradespace analysis effort. You will be responsible for setting objectives based on customer provide use cases, developing metrics for reporting cost vs. performance trades, planning and managing the effort schedule and cost, and development and delivery of strategic products to customers. This role requires a versatile individual who can understand the aviation autonomy market, understand warfighter needs, and make difficult and informed decisions regarding system design, mission utility, and cost trades. The ideal candidate will maintain ownership over the effort execution, proactively engage and align stakeholders, demonstrate exceptional levels of communication, and ensure on-time and on-target delivery of product to customers.

Required qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s or Master's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
  • 10+ years of experience in technical program management or managing studies or projects.
  • Defense, national security, or aerospace domain familiarity through employment or education.
  • Proven track record of leading and facilitating cross-functional teams.
  • Self-starter with a proven track record of forging clarity and structure in the face of ambiguous or dynamic constraints.
  • World-class analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly synthesize disparate viewpoints to deliver well-informed, data-backed decisions.
  • Relentless learner who can develop specialized knowledge in niche domains.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Active Secret clearance and eligibility for Top Secret.
  • Experiencing owning and driving technical projects that balance engineering development realities against the speed of business growth.
  • Experience translating technical information and customer needs into comprehensible product narratives.
  • Experience conducting product, technology, and market discovery with subject matter experts.
  • Active Top Secret clearance and eligibility for SCI.
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Description from Shield AI's official posting. Always confirm details on the company careers page.

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About Shield AI

Shield AI

Company in the mobility sector tracked nightly on the Mobility Jobs board.

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Larry Sherwood Jr.

About Larry Sherwood Jr.

Talent Acquisition Leader specializing in mobility, EV, and frontier tech. 1,000+ hires across roles ranging from production technicians to VPs, including 48 hires for the AFEELA U.S. launch at Sony Honda Mobility (98% offer acceptance, $1.5M+ agency savings). SHRM-CP certified. Build recruiting functions from scratch, no agencies.

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Curated by Larry Sherwood Jr. on the free Mobility Jobs board. Pulled nightly from company applicant tracking systems. Apply directly on the source link above to be considered.