Senior Program Manager (Santa Barbara)

Open Position: Senior Program Manager

Aeluma Background:

Aeluma is seeking motivated individuals that thrive in a multidisciplinary team environment, so please contact us if this description resonates with you. We offer competitive salaries, full benefits, stock incentives, and an exciting career path that fosters growth. Please join us as we reimagine the future of semiconductor manufacturing.

Division:

Program and Project Management

Position Summary:

The Senior Program Manager will own end-to-end delivery of an assigned Aeluma program and the projects within it, from approved intake through commercial release. Aeluma runs a defined phase-gate framework with documented exit criteria, so this role operates and strengthens an established system. The ideal candidate pairs formal program and project management discipline with enough technical depth to build a credible schedule with engineering, and to challenge one when it is wrong.

Responsibilities:

• Own delivery of an assigned program and the projects within it, including scope, schedule, budget, resources, risk, and gate readiness.
• Build and maintain resource-loaded schedules with explicit dependency logic and a defined critical path, developed directly with engineering and operations leads.
• Own the program roadmap and manage cross-project dependencies and resource contention.
• Prepare and lead formal gate reviews, including exit criteria evidence, review materials, and Go, Hold, or Kill recommendations to executive leadership.
• Drive consistent execution discipline and deliver concise, data-driven status and decision recommendations to senior management, program stakeholders, and customers.
• Operate and improve the project management system, including the portfolio structure, project workbooks, gate checklists, and capacity tracking.
• Ensure execution stays consistent with Aeluma's quality management system, with records and approvals documented to support audit and government program reporting.
• Mentor and support technical leads who carry project responsibility alongside their engineering work.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Materials Science, or a related technical field.
• Active Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Minimum of 7 years in project management, ideally including 3 or more years in semiconductor, photonics, or comparable hardware development.
• Demonstrated ownership of product development through a formal phase-gate process, including gate deliverables, exit criteria, and executive reviews.
• Proven ability to build and defend resource-loaded schedules with dependency mapping and critical path analysis, rather than milestone lists.
• Experience spanning early development, transition to volume manufacturing, and qualification.
• Excellent communication, able to present to executives and hold teams to their commitments.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and with government-funded or export-controlled programs is a plus.

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