{"id":3434031,"url":"https://alion.io/job/aurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs","title":"Senior Manager, Defense Programs","company":{"id":669079,"name":"Aurelius Systems","domain":"aureliussystems.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/aureliussystems","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":11,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":72,"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"}},"role":"Defense","role_family":"Defense","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":["San Francisco, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":["US"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":{"min":160000,"max":210000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":210000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-29T01:08:01Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-29","last_verified_at":"2026-10-30T17:14:49Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":1},"description":"Who We Are:\nAurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones.\nWe're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system.\nOur namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate, small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable.\nIn addition to our San Francisco lab, we've opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range.\nThe Role and Your Impact:\nWe need a Senior Manager, Programs to lead customer engagement and execution across our growing portfolio of government and industry programs. Reporting directly to the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), you will own commitments from award through demonstration, delivery, and operational fielding. You understand defense acquisition, build trusted customer relationships, and turn complex requirements into executable plans.\nYou will serve as the primary day-to-day interface for assigned customers and partners, coordinating engineering, operations, supply chain, and leadership to deliver on cost, schedule, scope, and contractual commitments.\nWhat You'll Own:\nCustomer relationships and program leadership across government and industry programs, including reviews, planning meetings, and execution updates\n\nProgram schedules, milestones, budgets, deliverables, resource plans, and risk management across multiple concurrent efforts\n\nCross-functional execution with engineering, operations, supply chain, and external partners from development through delivery\n\nEarly identification of program risks, corrective actions, customer issues, and decisions requiring executive attention\n\nPlanning and execution of government demonstrations, test events, operational assessments, and customer deployments\n\nCustomer expectations, contract requirements, scope changes, cost-to-complete estimates, and resource forecasts\n\nClear, timely program reporting, accountability for commitments, and practical program management processes\n\nSupport for proposals, follow-on opportunities, and transitions from demonstrations to production and fielding\n\nWhat We're Looking For:\n7+ years in defense program management, government acquisition, military program execution, or defense industry operations\n\nExperience in a customer-facing program management, government acquisition, or comparable leadership role\n\nDemonstrated success managing complex programs with multiple stakeholders, budgets, schedules, and deliverables\n\nStrong understanding of Department of Defense organizations, acquisition processes, and government-industry relationships\n\nAbility to coordinate cross-functional teams and manage competing priorities while maintaining customer trust\n\nTechnical aptitude to collaborate effectively with engineering teams, paired with excellent written and verbal communication\n\nWhere you probably come from: military, government program management, defense acquisition, or defense industry program management.\nWe want to talk if: You have owned customer relationships and delivered complex defense programs from award through demonstration, delivery, or fielding.\nNot a fit if: You prefer internal coordination over direct customer ownership or cannot independently drive execution across competing priorities.\nNice to Haves:\nExperience with counter-UAS, directed energy, air defense, or related defense technologies\n\nExperience with Other Transaction agreements, FAR-based contracts, or DoD rapid acquisition pathways\n\nExperience with defense technology development, prototyping, demonstrations, or rapid fielding\n\nExperience in an early-stage or growth-stage defense technology company\n\nActive U.S. security clearance; eligibility to obtain and maintain a clearance and willingness to travel to government sites and test events\n\nEducation:\nBachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant military, government, or industry experience. Demonstrated program execution matters more than credentials alone.\nHow You Operate:\nTake ownership of customer commitments and move quickly to resolve issues\n\nAnticipate program risks and readiness gaps before they affect customers or test events\n\nOperate comfortably with ambiguity and fast iteration in a growing defense technology company\n\nMake sound decisions using program facts, cost and schedule data, and customer priorities\n\nCommunicate clearly with customers, engineering, operations, partners, and executive leadership\n\nWork independently, escalate decisions when needed, and drive execution without waiting for direction\n\nWhy Join Aurelius Systems:\nDeliver capabilities that matter. Help move high-energy laser systems from demonstrations to operational fielding.\n\nOwn meaningful programs directly, with access to the Chief Strategy Officer and company leadership.\n\nHelp solve an urgent defense challenge: affordable, scalable counter-UAS protection for U.S. and allied forces.\n\nHelp establish the program execution foundation of a growing defense technology company.\n\nHow We Work:\nCore hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up, nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show.\nBenefits:\nCompetitive salary + equity\n\nUnited Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage\n\nFlexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days\n\nTravel to field test events and range days\n\nCovered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks\n\nE-bike / scooter stipend (Up to $500)\n\nDirect access to leadership and real ownership over your work\n\nExport Control Notice:\nThis role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require \"U.S. Person\" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a \"U.S. Person\": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).","description_format":"text","description_chars":6307,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"},{"name":"San Francisco","iso":null,"kind":"city"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Air Defense","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-29T02:01:41Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":72,"reasons":["conf:1","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":210000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/aurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/aurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-30T18:00:48Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":6847,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-31T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":669079},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=669079"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Faurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Faurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Faurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/aurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Faurelius-systems-senior-manager-defense-programs"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3434031}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"aureliussystems.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3434031},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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