Program Manager, Marauder

About the Role

Saronic Technologies is seeking a Program Manager to own the execution and delivery of Marauder, our 180-foot Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) produced at our Franklin, LA shipyard. This flagship large-scale production program requires accountability for cost, schedule, scope, and customer outcomes from contract award through delivery and sustainment. The Program Manager must pair deep expertise in large-scale shipbuilding and rate production with an instinct for modular kits, payloads, and mission-package integration, understanding how a common hull is configured, reconfigured, and sustained to meet diverse customer needs. This role serves as the primary customer-facing owner of the program, partnering closely with internal growth, engineering, production, and quality teams.

Responsibilities

• Program Ownership & Delivery
  • Own end-to-end execution of the Marauder program, holding accountability for cost, schedule, scope, and quality from award through delivery and sustainment.
  • Serve as the leader and owner of the customer contract, deliverables, milestones, CDRLs, and contractual obligations.
  • Build and maintain the integrated program plan, aligning production schedules, engineering milestones, and integration timelines to customer commitments.
  • Drive risk and opportunity management across the program, escalating and resolving issues that threaten cost, schedule, or performance.
  • Report program health, forecasts, and decisions to Saronic leadership and customer stakeholders.
• Large-Scale Production Interface
  • Partner with the Franklin production team to plan and execute rate production of a 180-foot ASV, from long-lead procurement through hull construction, outfitting, and delivery.
  • Monitor build sequencing, work breakdown, and production milestones to protect throughput while meeting quality and acceptance criteria.
  • Monitor and mitigate production risks—supply chain, labor, tooling, and facility constraints—unique to large-vessel shipbuilding.
  • Coordinate with Quality and Production to ensure build configurations and acceptance events meet customer and contractual standards.
• Kit & Mission Package Integration
  • Own the configuration strategy for Marauder across a variety of mission packages, kits, and payloads on a common production hull.
  • Partner with Mission Package Integration Managers to plan integration of bespoke and commercial-off-the-shelf kits into the production and delivery flow.
  • Balance production standardization against mission-driven variance, protecting throughput while enabling flexibility.
  • Ensure integration timelines, dependencies, and configuration baselines are reflected in the master program plan.
  • Capture mission-package lessons learned and feed them back into production and product roadmaps.
• Customer & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for the customer, managing expectations, requirements, and relationships across the program lifecycle.
  • Elicit and clarify evolving mission needs, translating them into actionable program and technical direction.
  • Lead program reviews, delivery events, and technical exchanges with government stakeholders, operators, and evaluators.
  • Deliver clear, concise program updates and after-action reporting to leadership and customer audiences.
• Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Direct and synchronize a cross-functional program team spanning Production, Engineering, Software, Mission Services, and Forward Deployed Engineering.
  • Partner with Technical Program Managers to align technical execution with programmatic commitments.
  • Make and defend tradeoff decisions across capability, schedule, cost, and risk.
  • Drive disciplined configuration management across vessels, kits, payloads, and software versions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Naval Architecture, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in program management of large-scale production, shipbuilding, or complex defense development programs.
• Program Management experience of Unmanned Surface Vessels highly desirable.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interface confidently with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ownership of cost, schedule, and scope on programs of significant size and complexity.
• Experience managing production at rate, including supply chain, build sequencing, and delivery of large or complex hardware systems highly desirable.
• Proven ability to manage government or defense customers, contracts, and deliverables.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% of the time.
• Secret security clearance eligibility required; active preferred.

Key Competencies

• Ability to own a large, complex program end-to-end while balancing production throughput against mission flexibility.
• Ability to connect production and configuration decisions to overall program cost, schedule, and mission outcomes.
• Ability to translate evolving customer requirements into disciplined, executable program plans.
• Leadership of high-performing, cross-functional, and distributed teams.
• Established track record of clear, consistent, and correct communications with peers, leaders, and external stakeholders.
• Comfort guiding customers through ambiguous or evolving requirements and shaping actionable solutions.

Physical Demands

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Occasional standing and walking within the office.
• Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other office equipment.
• Visual acuity to read screens, documents, and reports.
• Occasional reaching, bending, or stooping to access file drawers, cabinets, or office supplies.
• Lifting and carrying items up to 20 pounds occasionally (e.g., office supplies, packages).

Benefits

• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans covering a range of services. Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents.
• Dental and Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine dental check-ups, orthodontics, and vision care. Saronic pays 100% of the premium under the basic plan for employees and 80% for dependents.
• Time Off: Generous PTO and holidays.
• Parental Leave: Paid maternity and paternity leave to support new parents.
• Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan with company match.
• Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success.
• Life and Disability Insurance: Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Pet Insurance: Discounted pet insurance options including 24/7 Telehealth helpline.
• Additional Perks: Free lunch benefit and unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office.

If this role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items that require “U.S. Person” status.