Technical Project Manager

Technical Project Manager

The modern battlefield has changed. Cheap, autonomous suicide drones have turned the tactical advantage upside down, and the world is looking for a solution. At 9 Mothers, we aren't just "innovating"—we are building the shield.

Backed by top-tier investors, we develop AI powered machines designed to intercept and neutralize Group 1/sUAS threats in real-time. Our flagship product is a low-power, counter-drone system built for the edge—on vehicles, at bases, or in a soldier's pack.

While others build for "awareness" or "long-term research," we build for the immediate survival of those in harm's way. We are a team of hackers, engineers, and mission-driven builders who value field-ready capability over polished slide decks. If you want to see your code or hardware in the field next month—not next year—this is your playground.

You will be our first dedicated project manager, and your job is to fix that. You own the work breakdown structure and the integrated schedule. You run the weekly coordination rhythm, record every task and decision so nothing is dropped, and stay ahead of the risks that quietly kill hardware schedules: long-lead parts, manpower shortages and skill gaps, missing equipment and infrastructure. Leadership will continue to set priorities, assign responsibility, and hold people accountable; your job is to make the plan legible and current so those decisions are made with real information, and so every person on the team knows what they need to be doing and when.

This is a role for someone who treats a well-built Gantt chart as a love language. Your best days end with the ambiguity banished from the plan and a name and a date on everything that matters. We are a startup: the process you bring must be the lightweight 20% that delivers 80% of the value, not a bureaucracy the team routes around.

Essential duties include:

• Schedule & WBS Ownership (Primary)
• Risk & Dependency Management
• Coordination, Tasking & Communication
• Building the Structure

Requirements include:

• 5+ years of project management experience on complex hardware / electromechanical development programs in robotics, defense, aerospace, automotive, industrial equipment, or similar
• Technical background: an engineering degree or hands-on engineering experience on hardware products
• Demonstrated ownership of a WBS and integrated schedule on a multi-disciplinary program
• Expert fluency in Gantt-based scheduling tools
• Proven risk management on hardware programs
• Strong meeting facilitation and action-tracking discipline
• Comfortable leading through influence rather than authority
• Self-sufficient in a low-process environment
• US person (citizen or lawful permanent resident), required for ITAR compliance

Nice-to-have includes:

• PMP, PMI-SP, or similar project management certification
• Experience in a defense, ITAR-regulated, or government-customer environment
• Experience taking a hardware product from prototype through production transfer
• Experience standing up project management practices at a startup or small company
• Working familiarity with manufacturing and machine-shop workflows

What success looks like includes:

• In the first 90 days, a real WBS and integrated schedule exist and the team trusts them. The weekly coordination meeting runs on rails, every task has an owner and a date in one tracked system, and the first schedule-threatening risks (a long-lead part, a skills gap, a missing piece of equipment) have been caught and raised while they were still cheap to fix.
• On an ongoing basis, nothing falls through the cracks. Everyone on the team can tell you what they need to be doing and when it is due. Leadership sets priorities against a schedule that reflects reality, slips are seen weeks out instead of discovered at the deadline, and the company hits its demo and delivery commitments because the plan was honest all along.

This role is based on-site in Austin, TX at our shop, working directly alongside the engineering and manufacturing team; the plan gets built by walking the floor, not from a remote dashboard. The environment is a working R&D and manufacturing facility for weapons systems: expect an active shop floor and proximity to live-fire test activity, with strict adherence to safety protocols. Occasional travel to test ranges and demonstration events to keep the schedule connected to what actually happens in the field.

Benefits include:

• Meaningful Early Equity
• Direct Roadmap Influence
• Mission-Critical Work
• The Builder's Playground
• 100% Employer-Paid Premiums
• Unlimited PTO
• Zero Red Tape
• Austin-Based Culture
• Relocation Assistance

About the Interview:

1. Initial screen with recruiter (30 min phone call)
2. Virtual interview with Director of HW Ops (45 min via MS Teams)
3. In-person interview (1 hour in Austin, TX) *9 Mothers will fly out candidates that are not local to the Austin area
4. Reference checks & offer