Staff Technical Program Manager, Advanced Effects

About the role

This role guides Air Dominance and Strike technology programs from early research through contract capture and delivery. You will own the end-to-end planning, coordination, and execution of complex programs in partnership with government stakeholders. Success in this position depends on systems thinking, rigorous execution, and the ability to translate strategic objectives into tactical actions. You will establish a trusted advisor role with Anduril engineers by owning all workstreams and ensuring alignment with defense priorities. The position emphasizes team creativity and performance through skills assessment, identifying development opportunities, and strengthening capabilities. You will enhance program delivery by evaluating tradeoffs for cost, schedule, and resource allocation to achieve on-time, on-budget outcomes. This role leverages model-based systems engineering and digital workflows within Advanced Effects to influence long-term defense capabilities. You will define program objectives for Department of Defense needs in collaboration with the Chief Engineer to enable rapid feedback and faster fielding of solutions.

Key facts

What you'll do

Define program objectives for Department of Defense needs in partnership with the Chief Engineer and advance them through research and development.

Establish strong relationships with Department of Defense partners to enable rapid feedback, solution shaping, and faster deployment of capabilities in the field.

Track program progress for cost, schedule, and resource allocation while evaluating tradeoffs to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery of solutions.

Exercise ownership across all workstreams to establish a trusted advisor role with Anduril engineers and ensure alignment with strategic goals.

Enhance team creativity and performance through skills assessment against needs and identify development or recruitment opportunities to strengthen capabilities.

Leverage model-based systems engineering and digital workflows, including digital thread platforms and model-based environments, to support engineering integration.

Coordinate multiple internal and external teams within a complex technology-focused organization to maintain momentum and clarity.

Support the development and delivery of collaborative combat aircraft, missiles, and associated software as part of Advanced Effects mission.

Utilize strategic thinking to move fluidly between tactical details and high-level oversight for structured program execution.

Cross-functional collaboration with finance, security, and engineering teams is central to ensuring program success and risk mitigation.

Influence long-term defense capabilities through rigorous program management and structured execution of advanced effects initiatives.

Provide clear and concise communication to diverse audiences, ensuring program objectives, constraints, and status are understood across stakeholders.

Drive continuous improvement by questioning existing processes, proposing enhancements, and implementing changes that increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Prepare materials and documentation that reflect process rigor, enable scalability, and support future operations and audits.

Contribute to the development and refinement of digital workflows that improve predictability, transparency, and outcomes across the program lifecycle.

Requirements

An active U.S. Top Secret security clearance must be obtainable and maintainable for this role.

A Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field is required, with a technical background preferred.

A minimum of 5 years of experience managing the development of complex technical systems across the product lifecycle is required.

A proven record of delivering multi-million-dollar projects on schedule and within budget is mandatory.

Strategic thinking must enable movement between tactical details and high-level oversight to balance detail and vision.

Coordination of multiple internal and external teams within a complex technology-focused organization is necessary for success.

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills must support clear presentation to diverse audiences and stakeholders.

U.S. citizenship or equivalent visa rights are typically required for this role due to clearance and program needs.

Onsite presence may be required depending on team and facility access within Anduril operations.

Ability to maintain reliability and focus on improving systems that you own over time.

Capacity to quantify the impact of fixes and process improvements to accelerate movement into leadership roles.

Commitment to structured program execution as a foundation for influencing defense capabilities and mission outcomes.

Willingness to engage in model-based systems engineering practices and utilize digital tools to support integration and delivery.

Nice to have

Experience in Air Dominance and Strike technology programs or related defense initiatives.

Exposure to digital thread platforms and model-based environments in prior roles.

Familiarity with government contracting processes and stakeholder management in defense contexts.

Background in cross-functional collaboration with finance, security, and engineering teams.

Practical notes

U.S. citizenship or equivalent visa rights are typically required for this role due to clearance and program needs.

Onsite presence may be required depending on team and facility access.

Typical interview steps

Operations interviews usually include a process scenario, an analytics question, and behavioral rounds. Candidates may be asked to improve a workflow or plan an event. Attention to detail and clear communication are tested throughout. Interviewers often ask how you would fix a process that is failing. Walking through diagnosis, a plan, and measurement is the winning structure.

Good to know

Advanced Effects develops and builds collaborative combat aircraft, missiles, and associated software.

The division relies on model-based systems engineering and digital workflows.

Tools such as digital thread platforms and model-based environments support engineering integration.

Cross-functional collaboration with finance, security, and engineering teams is central to the role.

The position influences long-term defense capabilities through structured program execution.

Questions to ask

Good questions to ask the employer in the interview: what does success look like in the first six months, how is the team structured, what is the current biggest challenge, and how are decisions made. Asking about growth paths and the review process is also well received. Employers expect questions, and good ones show preparation.

Career growth

Operations careers grow from coordinator to manager, director, and chief operating officer roles. Some people specialize in supply chain, facilities, or program management. Success depends on reliability and on improving the systems you own. Operations careers reward reliability and continuous improvement. Operators who quantify the impact of their fixes move into leadership fastest.