Senior Technical Program Manager – XBAT Autonomous Aircraft

About the role

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to lead execution within the XBAT organization, overseeing cross‑functional integration, technical execution, and demonstration readiness for autonomous aircraft development.

Key responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day execution of the Hopper Demonstration Program across engineering, integration, flight test, and operations stakeholders.
• Drive integrated program planning, technical coordination, and execution tracking across multiple subsystem teams.
• Coordinate activities spanning flight controls, aero/performance, aerostructures, avionics, autonomy, software, and vehicle integration.
• Partner with engineering leads to identify technical risks, integration gaps, and critical‑path dependencies.
• Support development and execution of demonstration campaigns, flight‑readiness activities, and test‑event planning.
• Facilitate technical reviews, milestone assessments, configuration reviews, and executive program updates.
• Track and communicate program status, technical risks, mitigation plans, and schedule impacts to leadership.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in aerospace, unmanned systems, autonomous systems, or advanced aircraft development programs.

Required skills

• Flight controls
• Aerodynamics / flight sciences
• Vehicle integration
• Systems engineering
• Aerostructures
• Flight test