Job Title: Technical Program Manager
Department: Program Management
Reports To: Director of Program Management
Location: Irvine, CA
Employment Type: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Exempt
POSITION SUMMARY
The Technical Program Manager (TPM) leads internally funded Product Development and Independent Research and Development (IRAD) programs from proof-of-concept through prototype, validation, qualification, launch, and transition into complete, mature products or customer-funded development. The role serves as the primary execution and coordination point across Engineering, Product Line Management, Business Development, Operations, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Finance, and other stakeholders.
The TPM translates strategic, business, product, and technical objectives into executable plans and provides the structure, urgency, communication, and accountability needed to deliver programs on time, within scope and budget, and in alignment with technical and business objectives. The role balances technical performance, cost, schedule, quality, risk, resource constraints, and organizational readiness.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Own overall execution of assigned Product Development and IRAD programs, including scope, schedule, budget, milestones, deliverables, resource requirements, and success criteria.
- Develop and maintain integrated program plans and schedules spanning requirements, design, procurement, prototype builds, software and firmware, integration, test, verification, qualification, demonstration, launch, and post-launch activities.
- Manage financial performance, including budgets, actuals, estimates to complete (ETC), and estimates at completion (EAC), and maintain accurate reporting to support timely leadership decisions.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, FPGA/Firmware, Software, Integration & Test, Product Management, Operations, Quality, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Finance, Business Development, and Product Line Management.
- Partner with Chief Engineers, engineering leadership, and technical leads to translate requirements into executable plans; identify risks, trades, dependencies, and resource constraints; and drive technical and program decisions to closure.
- Lead risk and opportunity management, prioritizing early retirement of high-impact technical risks and maintaining mitigation and contingency plans to prevent late-cycle redesign or execution delays.
- Drive iterative build-test-learn development with clear prototype and test objectives, entry and exit criteria, documented results, and timely follow-through.
- Lead program reviews and maintain clear records of decisions, action items, risks, dependencies, changes, and accountable owners; escalate unresolved issues appropriately.
- Monitor performance against schedule, scope, cost, technical performance, quality, and other defined objectives; provide concise status updates to leadership on progress, risks, key decisions, and required actions.
- Manage changes to priorities, scope, schedules, requirements, and resources, clearly communicating impacts and obtaining alignment from affected stakeholders.
- Support demonstrations, customer and partner discussions, ROMs, proposals, product launches, and organizational readiness for transition to mature products, production, or customer-funded development.
- Capture lessons learned, improve program-management tools and operating practices, and establish reusable technical and program foundations for future efforts.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Systems, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Physics; or a related technical field. An advanced degree is a plus.
- 7-12 years of experience in engineering, technical program management, engineering program management, systems engineering, project management, or product development within aerospace, defense, space, or another complex technology environment.
- Demonstrated success leading complex, multidisciplinary technical development programs and coordinating multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong understanding of the full product-development lifecycle, including requirements, architecture and design, prototype, integration, verification, qualification, launch, and production transition.
- Proven ability to manage integrated schedules, budgets, dependencies, priorities, risks, scope, and resource requirements.
- Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills, sound judgment, organizational discipline, and attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to translate complex technical issues for engineering teams, senior leadership, and business stakeholders.
- Ability to operate effectively amid evolving requirements, technical uncertainty, changing priorities, and incomplete information.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with hardware electronics, embedded systems, software/firmware, systems engineering, manufacturing, or integrated electromechanical products.
- Experience with rapid prototyping, new product introduction (NPI), and iterative product-development practices.
- Experience supporting government or prime-contractor programs, customer demonstrations, ROMs, proposals, suppliers, or geographically distributed teams.
- Familiarity with AS9100 and aerospace/defense quality and product-realization practices.
- PMP, PgMP, Scrum, or a comparable program/project-management certification.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
- Strong ownership and accountability.
- Technical curiosity and ability to collaborate effectively across engineering and business functions.
- Ability to drive teams toward decisions in ambiguous or evolving situations.
- Ability to challenge assumptions constructively and exercise sound judgment with urgency.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Concise and effective written and verbal communication skills.
- Self-motivated with a commitment to continuous growth and improvement.
WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
Travel: Approximately 10-15% travel is required.
SECURITY / EXPORT CONTROL REQUIREMENTS
- U.S. Person or U.S. Permanent Resident required.
- Iris Technology Corporation does not provide visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.
COMPENSATION
Salary Range: $130,000 - $160,000 annually
BENEFITS
- Flexible education benefits
- 12 paid holidays per year
- 401(k) retirement plan offered after eligibility (see 401(k) Summary Plan Description)
- Paid Time Off (vacation and personal) accrues at the rate of 80 hours per year (3.08 hours per biweekly pay period), with accrual at higher rates according to the length of service matrix (see employee handbook addendum)
- Five (5) sick days per year, prorated by the quarter hired in
- Long Term Disability, paid by employer after eligibility
- Life Insurance, paid by employer after eligibility. Supplemental Life Insurance offered after eligibility
- Dental care, group plan offered after eligibility
- Vision care, group plan offered after eligibility
- Health care, 80% of the premium HMO plan allowed towards plan of your choosing after eligibility
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) offered after eligibility
- Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus based on company performance and the achievement of revenue goals. This bonus reflects our commitment to rewarding team contributions when we meet our business objectives.
