Senior Manager, Defense Programs at Aurelius Systems in San Francisco, CA

Job description

Who We Are: Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones. We're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system. Our namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate, small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable. In addition to our San Francisco lab, we've opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range. The Role and Your Impact: We need a Senior Manager, Programs to lead customer engagement and execution across our growing portfolio of government and industry programs. Reporting directly to the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), you will own commitments from award through demonstration, delivery, and operational fielding. You understand defense acquisition, build trusted customer relationships, and turn complex requirements into executable plans. You will serve as the primary day-to-day interface for assigned customers and partners, coordinating engineering, operations, supply chain, and leadership to deliver on cost, schedule, scope, and contractual commitments. What You'll Own: Customer relationships and program leadership across government and industry programs, including reviews, planning meetings, and execution updates Program schedules, milestones, budgets, deliverables, resource plans, and risk management across multiple concurrent efforts Cross-functional execution with engineering, operations, supply chain, and external partners from development through delivery Early identification of program risks, corrective actions, customer issues, and decisions requiring executive attention Planning and execution of government demonstrations, test events, operational assessments, and customer deployments Customer expectations, contract requirements, scope changes, cost-to-complete estimates, and resource forecasts Clear, timely program reporting, accountability for commitments, and practical program management processes Support for proposals, follow-on opportunities, and transitions from demonstrations to production and fielding What We're Looking For: 7+ years in defense program management, government acquisition, military program execution, or defense industry operations Experience in a customer-facing program management, government acquisition, or comparable leadership role Demonstrated success managing complex programs with multiple stakeholders, budgets, schedules, and deliverables Strong understanding of Department of Defense organizations, acquisition processes, and government-industry relationships Ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and manage competing priorities while maintaining customer trust Technical aptitude to collaborate effectively with engineering teams, paired with excellent written and verbal communication Where you probably come from: military, government program management, defense acquisition, or defense industry program management. We want to talk if: You have owned customer relationships and delivered complex defense programs from award through demonstration, delivery, or fielding. Not a fit if: You prefer internal coordination over direct customer ownership or cannot independently drive execution across competing priorities. Nice to Haves: Experience with counter-UAS, directed energy, air defense, or related defense technologies Experience with Other Transaction agreements, FAR-based contracts, or DoD rapid acquisition pathways Experience with defense technology development, prototyping, demonstrations, or rapid fielding Experience in an early-stage or growth-stage defense technology company Active U.S. secur