Technical Program Manager - DOD/IC

The Mission

At Kestrel, we are building the future of scalable autonomy across domains. Our systems enable commercial and national security customers to sense and act in support of complex missions without significant autonomous system expertise. This technology bridges domains (e.g., space, air, land, sea) and fields (e.g., AI, orbital dynamics, geospatial), so it requires a team with both breadth and depth in these related topics.

The Role

As a Technical Program Manager at Kestrel, you will drive the execution of our government contracts, pilots, and prototype efforts from kickoff through delivery. You will coordinate engineering, product, business development, and customer stakeholders to ensure Kestrel meets its technical milestones, contract deliverables, and mission commitments. You will understand the technology well enough to spot risks early, make informed tradeoffs, and communicate progress with credibility. This role requires organization, technical fluency, and a deep respect for the mission.

Core Responsibilities:

• Lead the execution of DoD and IC programs, including SBIR, OTA, and pilot efforts, from contract award through final delivery.
• Build and maintain integrated master schedules, work breakdown structures, and delivery plans that align engineering work with contract milestones.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day point of contact for government program managers, contracting officer representatives, and technical leads.
• Track contract deliverables, such as monthly status reports, technical reports, demos, and final reports, and ensure the team delivers them on time and at high quality.
• Partner with engineering managers and technical leads to scope work, estimate effort, and sequence development across data pipelines, APIs, agentic AI components, and user interfaces.
• Identify, track, and mitigate technical, schedule, cost, and compliance risks, and escalate issues to leadership with clear options.
• Coordinate customer engagements, including kickoff meetings, technical interchange meetings, demos, and site visits.
• Manage program budgets and burn rates in coordination with finance, and support invoicing against contract milestones.
• Support security and compliance activities, such as ATO preparation, RMF documentation, and facility or personnel security coordination.
• Help business development and proposal teams build realistic technical approaches, schedules, and cost estimates for new pursuits.
• Capture lessons learned and continuously improve Kestrel’s program delivery processes, including the Pilot Playbook.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience managing technical programs or projects, with at least 3 years supporting DoD or IC customers.
• Direct experience executing government contracts, such as SBIRs, OTAs, or other federal R&D or prototype agreements.
• Enough technical background to engage credibly with software engineers on architecture, scope, and delivery tradeoffs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief government stakeholders and company leadership.
• Proficiency with program management and tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, MS Project).

Bonus:

• PMP, PgMP, or DAWIA Program Management certification.
• Prior experience in ISR, collection management, GEOINT, or space programs.
• Familiarity with agile delivery for software and AI programs.
• Experience transitioning prototypes or pilots into follow-on production contracts or programs of record.
• Experience at a startup or venture-backed defense technology company.
• Location near Colorado Springs, CO, or Washington, DC (with work at customer sites in Crystal City, VA, and Herndon, VA).
• Active Top Secret // Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS//SCI) clearance with a counterintelligence-scope polygraph (CSP) or full-scope polygraph (FSP).
• Must be a US Citizen.