Engineering Program Manager

• We’re hiring an Engineering Program Manager to be the connective tissue across engineering, quality, manufacturing, supply chain, and flight operations — turning ambitious plans into shipped hardware, certified aircraft, and live commercial routes
• You’ll report to the COO and sit close to the leadership team
• This role sits at the center of a fast-moving, matrixed organization, which means your edge isn’t any single technical skill — it’s how well you connect people, surface the truth early, and keep everyone rowing in the same direction
• The programs you run directly unlock fleet expansion and new market launches
• This isn’t a role for someone who wants a stable, predictable roadmap
• We’re a startup building certified aircraft on startup timelines — plans will change, priorities will compress, and the job is to keep momentum without waiting for perfect information
• If you need every dependency mapped before you’ll move, this isn’t the seat
• If you’re energized by tight timelines and enjoy building the plane while flying it, you’ll fit right in
• Own the connective tissue — run cross-functional programs across engineering, quality, manufacturing, supply chain, and flight ops, with schedules and priorities visible to everyone who needs them
• Turn strategy into a plan people can run on — partner with leadership to define goals, key results and milestones, then hold every team accountable to them
• Be the translator and the truth-teller — bridge business, engineering, and operations so information moves fast and decisions get made on the full picture, not a partial one
• Keep the plan honest — track progress, flag risk early, and drive blockers to resolution before they become surprises
• Move fast without breaking trust — operate comfortably with aggressive, sometimes-shifting timelines, and keep teams aligned even when the plan changes mid-flight
• Coordinate the ground game — align cross-team activity for production, flight testing, and regulatory milestones
• Manage the outside world — keep partners and vendors on time and on budget
• Make the system better, not just the project — continuously sharpen how the team plans, tracks, and communicates
• This is an onsite role on a small team in a fast-paced environment

Preferred experience

• Proven track record in a matrixed org, juggling competing priorities without dropping the thread
• Working knowledge of agile frameworks
• Experience working in a startup environment
• Fluency in Jira, Confluence, and similar tools
• Experience owning schedule, scope, and budget from concept to production
• Technical degree (BS/MS in engineering or related field)
• 5+ years managing complex, multi-disciplinary technical programs (hardware, software, manufacturing, and ops)
• A communicator first — you translate fluently between engineers, execs, and partners, and make complex programs legible to anyone in the room
• Comfort operating in regulated environments (aviation, automotive, or medical devices)
• Experience taking hardware or systems from prototype into commercial production
• Aviation or other regulated-industry background