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About Client
Client builds high-performance electric vessels on shared platforms spanning consumer, commercial, and defense.
The Role
Client is seeking a Technical Program Manager to lead complex electric marine, autonomy, and defense programs. You will connect engineering, operations, finance, supply chain, suppliers, and defense partners to move programs from early concept through prototype development, system integration, sea trials, demonstrations, and delivery. You will own the integrated program plan and drive execution across mechanical, electrical, software, autonomy, and mission-system workstreams.
This role is for someone who can understand technical detail, manage cross-functional complexity, make clear tradeoffs, and keep teams moving through fast-paced development cycles and fixed-date government test events, where the vessel, payloads, partners, and data deliverables all have to be ready on the same day.
What You'll Do
• Lead electric marine, autonomy, and defense programs from concept through prototype build, testing, customer demonstrations, and delivery.
• Own integrated program plans, including scope, milestones, schedules, resources, budgets, dependencies, risks, and decision points.
• Coordinate mechanical, electrical, software, autonomy, manufacturing, supply-chain, and field teams to keep vessel programs on track.
• Drive system integration across battery systems, electric propulsion, vehicle controls, onboard networks, navigation, autonomy, and third-party payloads.
• Define integration plans, test objectives, acceptance criteria, and readiness reviews with engineering leads.
• Manage technical, schedule, budget, supply-chain, safety, cybersecurity, and compliance risks. Drive mitigation plans and escalate decisions when needed.
• Coordinate suppliers, subcontractors, and defense partners to meet technical, schedule, quality, and performance requirements.
• Serve as the day-to-day program lead for government customers: run structured prototype sprints and government test events, coordinate government-witnessed testing, and deliver test data, reports, and milestone evidence on schedule.
• Manage contract execution under OT agreements, CRADAs, SBIR/STTR awards, and prize competitions,
including statements of work, milestone and payment schedules, deliverables, and government reporting.
• Support capture and proposals: translate solicitations (CSOs, BAAs, RFIs, and other DoW calls) into technical approaches, schedules, teaming plans, and cost estimates.
• Coordinate integration of government-furnished and teaming-partner payloads, including interface definitions, power and data budgets, and configuration control across partners.
• Own defense program compliance: ITAR/EAR export controls, CUI handling, NIST SP 800-171/CMMC cybersecurity, DFARS flow-downs, and program security requirements.
• Lead program reviews, technical working sessions, test-readiness reviews, customer briefings, and post-test debriefs.
• Coordinate bench, dockside, hardware-in-the-loop, and on-water testing. Track results, corrective actions, and issue closure.
• Plan field logistics for government test events and exercises: containerized and trailered transport, launch and recovery, range and test-site coordination, safety plans, and permits.
• Maintain program records, including schedules, risk registers, requirements, test reports, configuration changes, and decision logs.
• Build clear executive updates covering program health, technical risk, test results, open issues, and decisions needed.
• Improve program execution through stronger change control, test planning, supplier coordination, documentation, and cross-functional communication.
• Travel as needed to support prototype builds, system integration, vessel testing, sea trials, customer demonstrations, and defense field deployments.
What You Bring
• Technical degree or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years leading complex hardware and software programs.
• Experience with electric propulsion, battery systems, vehicle controls, autonomy, robotics, marine, or defense platforms.
• Strong program execution skills across cross-functional teams, schedules, risk, testing, suppliers, and delivery.
• Experience delivering hardware programs to government or defense customers under milestone-based
agreements, with a record of on-time test events and deliverables.
• Comfortable in a small, fast-moving team where the program manager writes the plan, runs the review, and is on the dock for the test.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
• Willingness to travel for builds, testing, demonstrations, and field deployments.
• Travel up to 50% of the time
Preferred
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance.
• DoW, Navy, maritime autonomy, USV, or defense program experience.
• Hands-on experience with Other Transaction agreements (10 U.S.C. 4022), Commercial Solutions Openings, SBIR/STTR, CRADAs, prize competitions, FAR/DFARS, or defense contracting.
• Experience working with Navy warfare centers, tech bridges, or program offices, and with transitioning prototypes toward programs of record.
• Experience integrating third-party payloads (sensors, communications, effectors) and government furnished equipment on unmanned platforms.
• Experience running on-water test events, sea trials, or field demonstrations for government customers.
• Working knowledge of ITAR/EAR, CUI handling, and NIST SP 800-171/CMMC.
• PMP, DAU, or equivalent program management credential.
Compensation & Benefits
• Base Salary: based on relevant experience, technical depth, program leadership experience, and active security clearance status.
• Equity: Eligible for an equity grant in the form of stock options, subject to Board approval and the terms of Client's equity plan.
• Benefits per Client's standard package (health, dental, PTO, etc.)
W3Global was established in 2006 in Fremont, CA with a vision: simplify the recruiting process and develop an industry-disrupting platform to connect candidates with clients. Our cutting-edge Applicant Tracking System enables us to find the right person for the right job, creating value for job seekers and employers. While W3Global initially focused on IT staffing, we have expanded the business to serve many other industries, including accounting and finance, legal, engineering, human resources, government and more.
We’re proud of the investments we’ve made in our team, having grown from four to 1000 employees and evolving into one of the leading recruitment and staffing solution providers in the industry. Our recruiters and account managers are passionate about connecting qualified professionals with the right positions in small, medium, and large companies.
Our Services
W3Global understands the natural ups and downs of an organization’s staffing needs. We are continuously adapting to industry and economic changes to find the right candidates.
We specialize in placing permanent, direct, contract, and temporary positions for companies of any size. Our recruiting services include sourcing, recruiting, screening, interview management, salary negotiations, training, and onboarding.
We are committed to helping organizations redefine their recruitment process by delivering our SaaS-based proprietary application tracking system software.
Our Expertise
W3Global has been delivering staffing solutions for nearly two decades; we know which recruiting strategies work best. Our expert team is committed to developing a customized solution to fit your company’s unique needs.
As a W3Global client, you’ll also receive personalized assistance from a seasoned team of staffing specialists. We are committed to providing both technical support and industry expertise to simplify the hiring process. We know that your time matters. W3Global will help you streamline the hiring process, getting it done and getting it right.