Technical Program Manager, Merlin Labs

• You are a mission-driven builder who thrives at the intersection of technology, execution, and impact
• You bring technical fluency, structured thinking, and the ability to bring clarity to complexity
• You’re energized by hard problems, unafraid of ambiguity, and relentless about delivering results
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field
• 5+ years of experience managing complex technical programs—ideally within aerospace, defense, or autonomy
• Demonstrated success delivering integrated hardware-software systems under high accountability
• Technical fluency—you can engage deeply with engineers and recognize risks and tradeoffs
• Expert-level project management skills—tools, methods, and the ability to bring order to chaos
• Strong communicator—able to engage diverse technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven ability to work within dynamic environments and adapt to evolving priorities
• Ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance

Desirable

• As a Technical Program Manager at Merlin Labs, you’ll play a central role in bringing our autonomy technology to life—delivering the Merlin Pilot into operational service on military aircraft and driving execution across some of the most ambitious programs in aerospace
• Embedded within our fast-moving autonomy and flight systems teams, you’ll work side-by-side with engineers, business stakeholders, and customer teams to ensure technical momentum and cross-functional alignment
• This role sits at the heart of Merlin’s mission and next stage of growth. You’ll support a dynamic portfolio that spans internally funded R&D and customer programs
• Above all, you believe in the mission: to accelerate autonomy, support the warfighter, and redefine what’s possible in aviation
• Own delivery of complex, cross-functional aerospace and defense programs—spanning autonomy development, flight test, integration, and certification
• Drive technical execution rhythms across engineering, systems integration, certification, flight test, and business stakeholders
• Serve as the central point of coordination for internal teams, subcontractors, and government customers—ensuring alignment, transparency, and trust
• Define and maintain detailed program plans, including scope, milestones, dependencies, and risk mitigation strategies
• Identify blockers early and drive resolution through structured problem-solving and escalation
• Shape and manage program scopes and deliverables in alignment with contractual, technical, and business objectives
• Support capture and proposal efforts by developing cost estimates, technical inputs, and schedules
• Lead stakeholder communications—from internal reviews to formal customer engagements and milestone briefings
• Build scalable processes and tools that improve execution velocity and visibility across projects