Sr. Manager, Mission Engineering & Operations

Join Axon and be a Force for Good.At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.Your ImpactYou will lead a team of Mission Engineers who serve as Axon’s embedded builders and operational partners inside strategic public safety agencies. Mission Engineers work face-to-face with the people doing the work, diagnose how the agency operates, and build the workflows, automations, integrations, and AI-enabled solutions that measurably improve it.As Senior Manager, you will create the environment in which that work succeeds. You will coach experienced individual contributors, set a clear bar for technical delivery and agency partnership, and help the team turn ambiguous field problems into secure, maintainable solutions that reach production and earn sustained adoption. You will stay close enough to the portfolio to recognize patterns, anticipate risk, and connect what the team learns in the field back to Product, Engineering, and the broader organization.Success is reflected in agencies becoming more capable, Mission Engineers growing into trusted transformation leaders, and strong field solutions becoming reusable patterns that benefit customers beyond a single engagement. Axon’s mission is to Protect Life, and this team is one of the most direct ways we advance that mission alongside the agencies we serve.What You’ll DoLocation: Southeast US Regionally based with Travel up to 40%Reports to: Senior Director, Customer Deployment & Mission EngineeringDirect Reports: Individual ContributorsLead, Coach, and Develop Mission EngineersLead and develop a distributed team of embedded Mission Engineers working across strategic agency environmentsCoach individual contributors through complex technical decisions, ambiguous customer problems, executive conversations, and high-stakes delivery momentsEstablish clear expectations for ownership, technical quality, onsite partnership, production delivery, adoption, documentation, and measurable agency impactBuild individualized development plans and create opportunities for Mission Engineers to expand their technical range, executive presence, and transformation leadershipFoster a culture of curiosity, candor, responsible experimentation, continuous learning, and shared accountabilitySupport thoughtful team growth by selecting and onboarding people who can both build practical solutions and earn credibility with agency stakeholdersSet the Bar for Agency OutcomesEnsure Mission Engineers begin with the agency’s mission, operational workflow, and desired outcome before selecting or building a solutionRequire clear baselines, success criteria, and adoption measures so impact is demonstrated rather than assumedGuide the team from discovery through production use, iteration, handoff, and sustained adoptionHelp Mission Engineers balance immediate agency needs with secure, maintainable, and scalable solution designReinforce that success means the agency is more capable—not that one individual has become indispensableOwn a Strategic Mission Engineering PortfolioMaintain visibility across strategic agencies, active builds, adoption progress, technical risk, and emerging operational needsMatch Mission Engineer capability and level to agency complexity, transformation opportunity, and stakeholder environmentUse operating reviews and portfolio data to identify delivery risks, recurring friction, adoption barriers, and opportunities for reuseStep into critical situations with structure and calm while coaching the accountable Mission Engineer to remain in ownershipDrive consistent execution across embedded engagements without forcing every agency problem into the same playbookAdvance Technical and AI-Enabled DeliveryMaintain sufficient fluency across SaaS, cloud services, APIs, enterprise integrations, hardware, data, and modern AI tooling to coach technical decisions and challenge weak reasoningHelp the team decide when to configure the platform, when to extend it, and when a net-new build is justifiedEstablish expectations for validation, observability, fallback paths, maintainability, documentation, and responsible use of sensitive dataEnsure solutions uphold CJIS requirements, evidence integrity, privacy, approved-tooling standards, and other applicable security controlsEncourage practical use of AI to accelerate work while preserving human ownership of architecture, accuracy, and outcomesTurn Field Learning Into Organizational LeverageBuild mechanisms for Mission Engineers to document and share reusable workflows, integrations, frameworks, and playbooksIdentify patterns across agencies and help convert successful one-off solutions into repeatable capabilitiesCreate strong feedback loops with Product and Engineering around recurring workflow friction, unmet operational needs, and product opportunitiesPartner with Mission Operators, Customer Success, Deployment, Professional Services, Support, Sales, Product, Engineering, and Enablement so agencies experience coordinated executionShare portfolio insights with senior leaders to influence investment, prioritization, staffing, and the evolution of the Mission Engineering operating modelLead Executive and Agency EngagementBuild trusted relationships with command staff, agency executives, technical leaders, and internal senior leadershipServe as a senior partner during agency-impacting incidents, high-visibility deployments, and moments that require clear trade-offs or executive alignmentTranslate complex technical and operational issues into decisions that are clear to both technical teams and executive audiencesCoach Mission Engineers to challenge requests constructively, communicate candidly, and leave stakeholders with a practical path forwardWhat You BringRequired10+ years of experience in customer-facing technical delivery, systems integration, solutions engineering, implementation consulting, operational transformation, or comparable environments5+ years leading and developing senior technical individual contributors in customer-facing organizationsDemonstrated success coaching teams that deliver secure, production-ready solutions in complex customer environmentsExperience leading distributed or field-based teams across multiple customers, regions, or engagement modelsA record of improving technical execution, adoption, operational outcomes, and delivery consistency across a portfolioBroad technical fluency across SaaS platforms, cloud services, APIs, networking, hardware, integrations, data workflows, and AI-enabled technologiesExecutive presence with the ability to earn trust, communicate trade-offs, and guide decisions with command staff and senior leadersStrong systems thinking and the ability to distinguish isolated issues from patterns that require a scalable solutionA data-informed leadership approach using baselines, production delivery, adoption, operational improvement, quality, and reuse to evaluate performanceComfort leading through ambiguity while creating clarity around ownership, priorities, and success criteriaAbility to obtain and maintain CJIS compliance and exercise sound judgment with highly sensitive informationPreferredExperience in public safety, law enforcement, defense, government technology, or another mission-critical operating environmentFamiliarity with CAD, RMS, digital evidence, real-time operations, or integrated public safety ecosystemsExperience leading teams that build automations, integrations, operational workflows, internal tools, or AI-enabled solutionsExperience converting field-developed solutions into reusable frameworks, product improvements, or organizational playbooksFamiliarity with technical talent development, competency frameworks, or academy-style enablement programsAdditional InformationWe recognize that leaders may arrive through different paths. If you have developed technically curious customer-facing teams, helped people turn ambiguous operational problems into working solutions, and care deeply about measurable customer impact, we encourage you to apply.Benefits that Benefit YouCompetitive salary and 401k with employer matchDiscretionary paid time offPaid parental leave for allMedical, Dental, Vision plansFitness ProgramsEmotional & Mental Wellness supportLearning & Development programsAnd yes, we have snacks in our officesBenefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.Important NotesThe above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.We collect personal information from applicants to evaluate candidates for employment. You may request access, deletion, or exercise other CCPA rights at View email address on click.appcast.io or via our Axon Privacy Web Form. For more information, please see the Your California Privacy Rights section of our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice.Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email View email address on click.appcast.io. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.Phishing alert: Axon will never ask you to pay for any part of the hiring process, including training, equipment, or background checks. We do not make job offers via text message, WhatsApp, or instant messaging platforms without a formal interview process. All legitimate job openings are listed on our official careers page at . If you receive a suspicious offer or outreach from an email address that is not @axon.com, or if you are asked for sensitive personal information (bank details, Social Security Number) prematurely, please ignore the message and report it to View email address on click.appcast.io.