Autonomous Warfare Program Manger

Job Description

Job Description

Autonomous Warfare Program Managers with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) are responsible for turning consequential warfighter problems into executable programs and moving promising commercial technologies from initial discovery to operational use.

The ideal candidate brings significant experience in at least two of the following areas: military operations, program management, autonomous systems engineering, or startup environments. They combine that expertise and curiosity with an urgency to solve real problems for the warfighter and the humility to embrace any necessary task PM may work on autonomous system programs across domains, functions, and mission areas.

Successful Program Managers are technically credible, commercially aware, operationally grounded program builders. They are comfortable moving between a military unit, an engineering discussion, a company boardroom, a test event, and a senior leader briefing.

Technical Leadership Competencies:

• Identifies unmet needs, develops opportunities, builds partnerships, and creates executable programs rather than waiting for clearly defined assignments.
• Exercises sound judgment, takes responsible action with incomplete information, and maintains momentum without continuous oversight.
• Adjust rapidly to changing priorities, technical discoveries, stakeholder demands, and institutional constraints.
• Synchronizes multiple programs, vendors, stakeholders, decisions, and dependencies while maintaining clear ownership and follow-through.
• Builds trust across organizations, communicates candidly, and aligns stakeholders who may have different incentives, authorities, and priorities.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Translate complex operational needs into clear problem statements, technical objectives, evaluation criteria, and executable acquisition strategies.
• Identify and assess commercial technologies, companies, and emerging market capabilities relevant to priority Department needs.
• Build and lead multidisciplinary programs involving military operators, engineers, acquisition professionals, contracting personnel, test organizations, commercial vendors, and senior leaders.
• Manage program outcomes, schedules, budgets, risks, dependencies, and stakeholder expectations from initial problem definition through transition.
• Develop competitive solicitation, prototyping, experimentation, and contracting strategies using the most appropriate acquisition pathways.
• Design operational assessments that generate credible evidence, meaningful end-user feedback, and clear transition decisions.
• Work directly with vendors to resolve technical, contractual, operational, and organizational barriers.
• Develop transition strategies that move successful prototypes into production, sustained operational use, or an established program of record.
• Communicate program status, risks, decisions, and recommendations clearly to senior government, military, and industry stakeholders.
• Build enduring partnerships across the Services, combatant commands, program offices, operational units, commercial industry, and the broader defense innovation ecosystem
• Drive program execution over the entire program lifecycle, from initial problem definition through solution design, operational testing, and final transition to the warfighter.
• Curate new programs through proactive engagement with DIU customers and outreach to companies to gain insights into DIU capability gaps and align them with potential commercial solutions that support DIU stakeholders.
• Build and lead cross-functional integrated product teams composed of civilians, military personnel, and contractors from within DIU and across the Department to enable program success.
• Responsible for gathering key stakeholders, assigning tasks, setting priorities, and driving timely decisions.
• Serve as an Autonomy Subject Matter Expert (SME), continually building and sharing technical expertise on autonomous systems with team members and senior leadership.
• Collaborate with Acquisition professionals and other Program Managers to address contract-related matters.
• Ensure accountability of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), monitor program health through rigorous data analysis, and report outcomes directly to senior leadership.
• Act as a critical member of the Autonomy team by leveraging expertise and resources across the team and by providing support and mentorship back to others working on other programs.

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, Engineering, or a related discipline.

Skills and Experience:

• Meaningful experience in at least two of these areas: military operations, commercial technology, DoW acquisition, technical program management, autonomy, robotics, or artificial intelligence.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical programs with responsibility for outcomes, schedules, budgets, risks, and senior stakeholder expectations.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments, make decisions with incomplete information, and maintain momentum without detailed direction.
• Sufficient technical fluency to decompose unfamiliar problems, evaluate solution credibility and maturity, identify integration risks, and engage effectively with engineers and operators.
• Working knowledge of DoW acquisition and contracting pathways, including FAR-based contracts, Other Transactions, prize challenges, SBIR, or comparable rapid-acquisition mechanisms.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate between operational, technical, commercial, and acquisition communities.
• Minimum 7+ years of progressively responsible professional experience in program management, business operations, or administrative management.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-disciplinary programs supporting federal government customers.
• Experience managing program schedules, budgets, risks, deliverables, and performance metrics.
• Experience in supporting acquisition, research and development (R&D), or technology transition programs is highly desirable.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Possession of, or eligibility to obtain, a Top-Secret security clearance.
• Location: Mountain View, CA

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management Professional ® (PMP) Certification
• Familiarity with unmanned systems, collaborative autonomy, AI, robotics, and human-machine teaming.
• Experience supporting conventional or Special Operations Forces via operations, requirements, or program management.
• Experience selling or delivering commercial technology to the Department of Defense.
• Proficiency with rapid-acquisition pathways (FAR, Other Transactions, SBIR, prize challenges).
• Experience designing operational tests and transitioning prototypes into production or programs of record.
• Capability to evaluate manufacturing readiness, supply-chain risk, scalability, and product-market fit.
• Established relationships across the Services, program offices, industry, and investment communities.
• Advanced degrees or certifications, paired with a drive to improve outcomes within traditional acquisition systems.