Senior Program Manager, Government & Defense
Senior Program Manager, Government & Defense
Posted on :
01-08-2025
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1 Vacancy
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Job Description
About Merlin:
Merlin is a venture backed aerospace startup building a non-human pilot to enable both reduced crew and uncrewed flight. Backed by some of the worlds leading investors Merlin is scaling alongside our customers to begin leveraging autonomy today to solve some of aviations biggest challenges.
About You:
You are a strategic operator with deep program leadership experience and a passion for delivering mission-critical outcomes. As a Senior Program Manager at Merlin youll play a pivotal role in leading and scaling a portfolio of high-impact customer-facing defense and autonomy programsfrom early-stage capture through successful deployment and fielding.
You bring a rare blend of technical fluency stakeholder confidence and operational rigor. You thrive in dynamic environments where ambiguity is the norm and execution velocity is critical. You have the ability to listen deeply translate military operator needs into technical and programmatic priorities and guide teams toward impactful delivery. Youre not just a program manageryoure a builder an integrator and a force multiplier. If youre excited by the opportunity to shape the future of aviation while growing enduring customer relationships wed love to meet you.
Responsibilities:
- Own and lead a portfolio of government and defense programs spanning autonomy integration flight test certification and operational fielding.
- Drive program strategy and execution across multiple internal and external teamsincluding engineering product test supply chain and business development.
- Serve as the senior point of contact for customer engagements program reviews and critical milestones. Build trust and deliver with high accountability.
- Understand and interpret military customer needs and operator use cases shaping internal roadmaps and priorities to align with mission success.
- Translate operator feedback and requirements into clear actionable deliverables for engineering and test teams.
- Develop and manage integrated master schedules financial plans and program baselines across multiple workstreams.
- Identify and mitigate cross-program risks resource constraints and bottlenecks before they impact delivery.
- Contribute to and help lead capture activities proposals and new opportunity shaping alongside technical and business teams.
- Build and institutionalize execution processes and artifacts that scale as our portfolio grows (e.g. WBS frameworks program rhythms status reporting).
- Provide mentorship and leadership across the broader program management organization.
Requirements:
- 8 years of experience in program or project leadership roles ideally within aerospace defense or high-stakes dual-use technologies.
- Proven success leading complex programs involving cross-functional teams and technical integration.
- Demonstrated ability to work closely with military customers and operational users with a deep understanding of their constraints language and expectations.
- Strong understanding of program lifecycle from capture to delivery including contract structuring CDRLs SOWs and earned value metrics.
- Strong systems thinking and technical curiosityyou dont need to be the engineer but you know how to talk to one.
- Exceptional listening communication and stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to build alignment between customers and internal teams.
- Ability to context switch between strategy execution and team dynamics across multiple efforts.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance.
Nice to Haves:
- Experience scaling program teams or building new operating models in high-growth environments.
- Prior experience in autonomy mission systems or flight control integration.
- Familiarity with government acquisition and test processes (DoD 5000 series AFWERX DIU etc.).
- Active Security Clearance.
This position is based on-site at Merlin HQ in Boston MA. We offer flexible hybrid in office schedules.
We understand that relocating for a new role is a significant decision and were here to support you every step of the way. Thats why we offer comprehensive relocation assistance to help make your transition as seamless as possible. From covering moving expenses to providing guidance on finding housing we aim to ensure your relocation experience is stress-free.
Additionally once youre here youll enjoy a variety of on-site perks designed to make your workday enjoyable and convenient. These include catered lunches featuring a rotating menu of delicious options an assortment of snacks to keep you fueled throughout the day and a selection of beverages including coffee tea and other drinks to keep you refreshed.
Our goal is to create an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally
Merlin Labs offers an innovative entrepreneurial and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health dental life unlimited vacation and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.
Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin sex gender gender expression sexual orientation age marital status veteran status or disability
status. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.
At this time we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.
If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application interviewing completing any pre-employment testing or otherwise participating in the employee selection process please direct your inquiries to
Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.
Required Experience:
Manager
Employment Type
Full-Time
Key Skills
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