Program Manager, Army, Air Defense

Program Manager, Army, Air Defense

Irvine, California, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

About The Team

The Air Defense team builds robots that find other robots and knock them out of the sky. At a time when air superiority can no longer be taken for granted, the Air Defense team provides mission critical capabilities to protect the nation's most important assets. From detection to tracking, identification, deterrence, and defeat, our family of networked sensors, effectors, and Command & Control (C2) software enables our customers to rapidly close the kill chain against a broad range of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) threats. Working across product, engineering, business development, logistics, and operations, the Air Defense team develops, tests, deploys, and sustains the Anduril Air Defense Family of Systems in challenging operational environments worldwide.

About The Job

Our Air Defense team is responsible for developing and fielding Counter UAS (CUAS) capabilities around the world. We are seeking a Program Manager to join our growing team focused on protecting critical national security locations in the United States. This role is designed for a strong operator who will help scale our deployments to domestic military customer locations.

Operating CUAS capabilities inside the United States requires a combination of technical rigor, operational excellence, clear communication, and regulatory awareness. Our systems must integrate seamlessly with military and civilian airspace, spectrum, and network operations while meeting federal, state, and local regulatory requirements governing CUAS activity. Our customers depend on precise execution, regulatory compliance, and professional fielding in environments where safety, legal authority, and public trust are paramount.

This role is responsible for driving program execution to protect critical infrastructure and government facilities. You will serve as the operational expert for domestic Air Defense deployments—ensuring systems, personnel, training, documentation, and regulatory requirements are aligned for mission success. You will build repeatable deployment processes, manage cross-functional coordination, and serve as the connective tissue between technical teams and customers.

You will operate at the intersection of technology development, operational deployment, and customer engagement - serving as a key integrator across teams and ensuring the program executes effectively and efficiently at scale. You will directly support program cost management, schedule, risk management, executive reporting, customer communication, and strategic execution.

This role is ideal for an operator who thrives in ambiguity, who is comfortable in front of senior military leaders, wants to scale at speed, and wants to build long-term sustainable operations.

What You'll Do

Program Execution

• Develop and maintain program execution frameworks, milestones, and reporting structures to ensure alignment across technical and operational teams
• Drive program coordination across engineering, product, growth, compliance, and supply chain
• Develop executive-level reporting, dashboards, and briefings to communicate program health and progress to leadership
• Identify program risks early and drive mitigation strategies across technical and operational stakeholders
• Ensure program execution aligns with applicable federal, state, and local regulatory frameworks governing domestics CUAS operations
• Coordinate with regulatory and policy stakeholders to support deployments at multiple locations
• Serve as CUAS subject matter expert to ensure operational concepts and deployment strategies reflect real-world legal and regulatory constraints as well as operational realities

Deployment Planning and Execution

• Oversee planning and coordination of CUAS deployments — from planning and logistics through on-site activation to long-term sustainment
• Develop structured deployment plans, readiness gates, and operational checklists to ensure repeatable execution
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to deliver mission-ready capabilities to customer sites
• Lead after-action reviews and capture lessons learned to continuously improve deployment velocity and quality

Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as senior program representative during key deployments and operational activities
• Ensure clear, proactive communication across internal stakeholders and external customers
• Drive stakeholder alignment across technical, operational, and regulatory teams to ensure program decisions are made quickly, transparently, and in support of mission success
• Ensure coordination between program leadership, field operations, engineering, product teams, and customer stakeholders to maintain readiness and program credibility

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in deployment operations, defense programs, aerospace systems, logistics, or technical project management
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, cross-functional programs involving hardware and software systems in high-stakes or regulated environments
• Experience working with domestic government entities, critical infrastructure operators, or regulated commercial customers
• Strong operational rigor—ability to build structured plans, manage concurrent workstreams, and execute against tight timelines
• Proven ability to work through ambiguity and drive cross-functional alignment without formal authority
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable briefing executive level senior leadership
• Willingness to travel up to 50% as program and deployment needs require
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with the domestic CUAS operating environment with direct experience work on sensor networks, autonomy, or ISR platforms
• Knowledge of FAA coordination, domestic airspace regulatory compliance, and operational integration within civilian airspace infrastructure
• Prior experience as a Deputy Program Manager, Program Analyst, or Technical Program Manager
• Prior experience with infrastructure development on military installations
• Background in DoD, DHS, or critical infrastructure protection programs
• Experience scaling operations from early-stage deployments to sustained production and fielding
• MBA or advanced degree in Business, Public Policy, Engineering, or a related technical discipline

Who You Are

• You are a structured operator who brings clarity and discipline to complex, fast-moving initiatives
• You are comfortable navigating both technical complexity and operational ambiguity
• You are detail-obsessed but capable of thinking strategically
• You are comfortable both in a warehouse coordinating shipments and in a boardroom presenting a program update
• You approach mission-critical work with high ownership and low ego
• You are a highly collaborative problem solver

US Salary Range

$146,000 - $194,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:

Benefits

At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.

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