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Senior Director, Program Management

Shield AI
Full-time
On-site
Washington DC Metro Area, United States
Aviation Tech
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide.  For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.    

The PMO Lead will oversee a team of Program Managers (PM) and Technical Program Managers (TPM), ensuring the successful execution of large-scale efforts and rapid prototypes. This role is responsible for ensuring each program is strictly managing program budget, schedule, and scope and delivering results in accordance with Shield AI and customer expectations. The PMO Lead will coordinate closely with engineering leadership across Engineering, Capture team, Product Development, and external stakeholders to ensure teams are resourced and objectives are clear. The PMO Lead will also support international partners and external organizations in establishing their own solutions engineering capacity. 

Responsibilities:

    • Program Leadership and Drive Execution: Lead and Drive execution of large-scale, complex programs and rapid prototypes from initiation through delivery, ensuring alignment with customer expectations, budget, schedule, and scope. 
    • Budget, Schedule, and Scope Management: Maintain overall responsibility for program budgets, schedules, and scope, ensuring that all projects stay within financial and time constraints. Monitor and control program expenses, track progress against schedules, and ensure that scope is managed through change control processes to avoid scope creep. 
    • Collaboration with Engineering Leadership: Partner closely with engineering leaders to ensure each program is resourced appropriately with the right technical expertise, tools, and capacity. Coordinate with engineering teams to balance program needs with engineering capabilities and resource availability, ensuring smooth execution without compromising quality or timelines. 
    • Collaboration with Capture and Product Development: Work with the capture team to ensure alignment between program execution strategies and new business opportunities. Collaborate with product development teams to ensure program execution reflects technical requirements and the product roadmap while staying within budget and time constraints. 
    • Support for Global Solutions Engineering Initiatives: Play a key role in helping other countries or companies set up their own solutions engineering organizations, offering guidance on program management, budgeting, resourcing, and operational readiness. Assist international partners in customizing solutions engineering frameworks to meet their specific financial, operational, and cultural requirements. 
    • Process Improvement and Standardization: Standardize PMO processes for budgeting, scheduling, scope management, and resource allocation to ensure consistent program delivery across all efforts. Drive continuous improvement initiatives, focusing on enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of project tracking, financial reporting, and program management practices. 
    • Team Leadership and Mentorship: Lead and mentor a team of traditional and technical program managers, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, financial accountability, and cross-team partnership. Provide coaching to develop team members' abilities to manage program budgets, schedules, scopes, and resource needs effectively. 
    • Performance Reporting and Metrics: Establish and maintain program performance metrics related to budget, schedule, scope, and resourcing. Ensure consistent tracking and reporting to senior leadership on financial performance, timeline adherence, and scope management. Ensure that program managers have the tools and processes to effectively track financial performance, resource utilization, and project status. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

    • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, with 12+ years of relevant experience. 
    • 5+ years of experience leading a PMO in a fast-paced, technology-driven organization. 
    • Proven track record of leading and facilitating cross-functional teams to successfully bring products to market. 
    • Self-starter with a history of forging clarity and structure in the face of ambiguous or dynamic constraints. 
    • Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly synthesize disparate viewpoints to deliver well-informed, data-driven decisions. 
    • Relentless learner capable of developing specialized knowledge in niche domains. 
    • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
    • Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance. 
$200,000 - $300,000 a year
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. 
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