Program Manager (Special Projects)

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years. ABOUT THE TEAM Maritime Digital Production (MDP) is the software and digital systems function within Anduril's Heavy Metal division. We build and deploy the full technology stack that powers Anduril's shipbuilding factories: the data infrastructure that makes every machine and sensor visible in real time, the manufacturing execution system (ArsenalOS) that workers and planners use every shift, the scheduling engine that replans production in minutes instead of days, and the AI systems that eliminate manual toil from both the shop floor and business operations. MDP operates at the boundary between Operational Technology and Information Technology. Our systems live where factory-floor machines, edge compute, and OT networks meet enterprise platforms and cloud infrastructure. We incubate solutions close to the production line, validate them with real operators building real hardware, harden them for reliability and security, and then scale them across multiple sites. The environment is fast, physical, and consequential. When our systems go down, production stops. The output of our work is not a dashboard: it is a ship. This is not a support function. It is a strategic investment by Anduril in the premise that digitizing the manufacturing lifecycle end-to-end, from engineering definition through scheduling through execution through field feedback, is how Heavy Metal will out-build, out-adapt, and out-scale the traditional defense industrial base. MDP is scaling from a founding team to 70+ engineers across multiple U.S. sites. You will be joining early, working on hard problems with real operational stakes, and shaping how manufacturing software is built at Anduril from the ground up. ABOUT THE JOB As Program Manager for Special Projects/Triage, you will own the intake-to-execution lifecycle for manufacturing technology requests routed to MDP from ManTech stakeholders. You will scope work, define deliverables, coordinate execution across MDP teams, and ensure every project has explicit scope, timeline, exit criteria, and clear handoff—no open-ended engagements. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Own the intake and triage process for manufacturing technology requests from ManTech teams, evaluating requests for fit, feasibility, and alignment with MDP capabilities and priorities. - Define and maintain clear intake criteria that separate ManTech special projects from standing line-of-effort work, ensuring requests are appropriately scoped and routed. - Partner with ManTech stakeholders to understand their needs, translate ambiguous requests into well-defined project scopes with explicit deliverables, timelines, and success criteria. - Scope and structure special projects with clear boundaries—defining what is in scope, what is out of scope, required resources, dependencies, and exit criteria before work begins. - Coordinate project execution across MDP engineering teams, ensuring special projects are staffed, prioritized appropriately, and delivered on time without disrupting standing initiatives. - Drive projects from kickoff through delivery and handoff, maintaining transparency with stakeholders on status, risks, blockers, and timeline changes. - Establish and enforce governance processes that prevent scope creep, ensure accountability, and maintain discipline around project closure and handoff. - Build and maintain a portfolio view of all active special projects, tracking status, resource allocation, and capacity to take on new requests. - Facilitate kickoff meetings, status reviews, and retrospectives for special projects, ensuring clear communication and alignment across MDP and ManTech teams. - Identify patterns in incoming requests that indicate opportunities for platform capabilities, standardized solutions, or process improvements that reduce future special project volume. - Work with MDP leadership to balance special project demand against standing initiative roadmaps, escalating conflicts and recommending prioritization decisions. - Document and communicate handoff criteria, transition plans, and ongoing support expectations for completed special projects. - Build strong working relationships with ManTech stakeholders, establishing trust and credibility as a reliable partner who delivers on commitments. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS - 5+ years of experience in program management, project management, or technical program management roles, ideally in fast-paced technology or manufacturing environments. - Demonstrated ability to scope ambiguous requests into well-defined projects with clear deliverables, timelines, and success criteria. - Strong stakeholder management skills with proven experience managing expectations, negotiating scope, and saying "no" diplomatically when necessary. - Experience coordinating cross-functional execution across engineering, manufacturing, operations, and business teams without direct management authority. - Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing priorities and limited resources. - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical and non-technical audiences. - Strong organizational skills with experience building and maintaining intake processes, governance frameworks, and project tracking systems. - Ability to operate with high autonomy in ambiguous environments, making judgment calls on prioritization and escalation. - Demonstrated success setting boundaries, preventing scope creep, and driving projects to closure with clear handoffs. - Degree in Engineering, Business, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent practical experience. - U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export controlled data. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - Experience in manufacturing, industrial, or production environments working with manufacturing technology or engineering teams. - Background in software development, data engineering, or technical domains with enough fluency to scope technical work accurately. - Experience building intake processes, triage frameworks, or governance mechanisms for engineering or IT organizations. - Familiarity with manufacturing systems such as MES, ERP, PLM, or digital manufacturing tools. - PMP, Scrum Master, or equivalent project/program management certification. - Experience in hyper-growth startup-like environments with demonstrated success managing ambiguity and changing priorities. - Proficiency with project management tools (JIRA, Confluence, MS Project, Asana,) and building repeatable processes. - Experience managing vendor relationships, external integrations, or third-party technology implementations. - Background in customer-facing or internal consulting roles requiring strong negotiation and influence skills. - Understanding of software development lifecycle, agile methodologies, and how engineering teams operate. - Experience in regulated industries (defense, aerospace) with understanding of compliance, traceability, and documentation requirements. - Ability to travel occasionally to manufacturing sites to understand stakeholder needs firsthand (up to 25% travel). - Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance. US Salary Range $147,000—$196,000 USD The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: Benefits At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits. Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. 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