Technical Program Manager

About the Role

Wild West Systems is seeking a Technical Program Manager to serve as the primary integration point between engineering execution and program/contract delivery. This hybrid role requires owning a program's schedule, budget, and customer relationship while maintaining technical credibility to participate in design reviews, understand engineering trade-offs, and help the team make sound technical-schedule decisions. You'll keep hardware programs—from early development through test and delivery—on track, on budget, and aligned to contract requirements.

Responsibilities

• Own program schedule, budget (EVM or lightweight equivalent), risk register, and deliverables across one or more counter-UAS / kinetic effector programs.
• Serve as primary customer POC for program status, technical interchange meetings (TIMs), and deliverable reviews.
• Manage subcontractors, vendors, and supply chain dependencies against program milestones.
• Prepare and present program reviews (internal and customer-facing), including CDRLs, status reports, and risk mitigation plans.
• Manage contract compliance (CPFF, FFP, OTA) in coordination with contracts/finance.
• Partner directly with engineering leads on system architecture, design maturity, and technical risk tracking.
• Translate engineering realities (test failures, design changes, supply chain substitutions) into schedule/cost impact assessments.
• Drive requirements management and verification/validation planning (test plans, acceptance criteria).
• Participate in design reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR) as a technical stakeholder, not just a scribe.
• Identify and resolve conflicts between engineering scope creep and program baseline.
• Ensure program execution aligns with ITAR/EAR, CMMC, and DFARS requirements as applicable.
• Support proposal development and capture activities with realistic technical/schedule inputs.
• Maintain configuration management and documentation discipline across the program lifecycle.

Requirements

• 5+ years in defense program management, systems engineering, or a hybrid PM/engineering role.
• Demonstrated experience managing hardware development programs (not pure software/IT).
• Working knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, CDRLs, and contract types.
• Ability to read and engage with engineering drawings, test data, and technical requirements documents.
• U.S. Citizen.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with counter-UAS, munitions, kinetic effectors, or related weapons systems programs.
• PMP or equivalent certification.
• Familiarity with CMMC Level 2 requirements and FFL/FEL-regulated environments.
• Prior startup or small-defense-contractor experience (comfort with ambiguity and wearing multiple hats).

Location: Leander, TX | Employment Type: Full-time