Technical Program Manager
Oversee delivery of autonomous robotic systems for defense customers, managing cross-functional teams to meet technical, budgetary, and compliance requirements.
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Munich, Germany
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Project management
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 5+ years of experience in engineering, technical project management or program management, including experience in a startup or scale-up environment.
- Demonstrated ownership of complex technical projects or product delivery, with the ability to drive execution from planning through to customer delivery.
- Experience leading or coordinating engineers against deadlines, resolving competing priorities and maintaining accountability across technical teams.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust, influence decisions and manage challenging customer and stakeholder relationships.
- Technical fluency in complex hardware/software systems, with the confidence to engage directly with engineers, understand technical trade-offs and challenge estimates constructively.
- A pragmatic, hands-on approach to problem-solving, comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and building lightweight processes where needed.
- Experience in robotics, embedded systems, automotive, aerospace or another complex engineering environment is advantageous.
- An engineering background, particularly in embedded software, systems engineering or a related discipline, is highly desirable.
- Fluent in German and English.
- German or EU citizenship is required for the position.
Full description
To drive our growth strategy in the dynamic market of autonomous robotic systems in defense we’re looking for a Technical Program Manager who will be responsible for the delivery of customer program deliverables to include hardware, software, and all product demonstrations. In this position you will have a significant contribution to the growth of the company. You will manage a portfolio of projects and will be accountable for delivering customer projects on-time, in-cost and to full customer satisfaction. This requires a holistic approach to project management covering all major disciplines tailored to the respective project sizes. In this role you will be customer facing and lead internal, cross-organizational project teams.
Responsibilities and Duties
- Lead the execution of customer programs for autonomous robotic systems, taking ownership from initial planning through integration, delivery and deployment.
- Drive engineering teams towards clear milestones and deadlines, aligning priorities, managing dependencies and removing blockers to keep delivery on track.
- Lead through influence rather than hierarchy, building trust with engineers, customers and cross-functional stakeholders to maintain momentum and achieve shared outcomes.
- Manage customer expectations through clear communication, realistic commitments and proactive resolution of technical or delivery challenges.
- Work closely with engineering, hardware, manufacturing and operations teams to translate customer requirements into practical execution plans and delivered capabilities.
- Make pragmatic decisions in a fast-moving environment, balancing technical trade-offs, delivery timelines and customer needs without waiting for perfect information or established processes.
- Own program plans, schedules, budgets, risks and delivery outcomes, introducing the structure needed to support execution without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
- Support customer proposals and contribute insights from program execution to product development and technology roadmaps.
- Coordinate hardware deliveries, integration activities, field trials and system deployments, ensuring a smooth transition from development to operational use.
Qualifications and Skills
- 5+ years of experience in engineering, technical project management or program management, including experience in a startup or scale-up environment.
- Demonstrated ownership of complex technical projects or product delivery, with the ability to drive execution from planning through to customer delivery.
- Experience leading or coordinating engineers against deadlines, resolving competing priorities and maintaining accountability across technical teams.