Technical Program Manager

To drive our growth strategy in the dynamic market of autonomous robotic systems in defense we’re looking for a Technical Program Manager who will be responsible for the delivery of customer program deliverables to include hardware, software, and all product demonstrations. In this position you will have a significant contribution to the growth of the company. You will manage a portfolio of projects and will be accountable for delivering customer projects on-time, in-cost and to full customer satisfaction. This requires a holistic approach to project management covering all major disciplines tailored to the respective project sizes. In this role you will be customer facing and lead internal, cross-organizational project teams.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Manage a portfolio of medium to large customer programs focused on autonomous robotic systems, from contract award through delivery and sustainment.
• Lead cross-functional teams across engineering, integration, manufacturing, and testing to deliver complex HW/SW systems on time and within budget.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans, schedules, budgets, and risk registers using agile and traditional PM methodologies.
• Coordinate with internal teams, OEM partners, and customers to align program goals, resolve issues, and ensure high-quality outcomes.
• Oversee program financials including cost estimation, budgeting, forecasting, and tracking of financial performance.
• Support proposal responses to customer RFIs and RFPs, ensuring technical accuracy, strategic alignment, and competitive positioning.
• Ensure compliance with defense and aerospace standards, including export controls and cybersecurity requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement and contribute to the product and technology roadmap with feedback from program execution.
• Support logistics planning for hardware deliveries, field trials, and system deployments

Qualifications and Skills

• 5+ years of product and program management experience, with at least 2 years in a startup or scale-up environment where you owned outcomes, not just coordination
• Track record of shipping a product or major capability from kickoff to customer hands in under 6 months. You will be asked for specifics: what, how long, what you cut to make the date
• Experience managing development of complex hardware/software systems (robotics, automotive, aerospace, industrial, consumer electronics)
• Customer-facing experience with demanding enterprise or government customers
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions with incomplete information and own the consequences. Examples of calls you made without escalation, including ones that went wrong
• Comfort operating without established process: you build the minimum structure a program needs and delete process that slows delivery
• Hands-on technical fluency: you can read an architecture diagram, sit in an engineering standup, and challenge an estimate without a translator
• Fluency in English; German strongly preferred
• German or EU citizenship required

Benefits

• Flexible working hours
• Stock Options
• Generous holiday allowance
• Pension plan
• Extended social security package
• Enhanced maternity & paternity leave
• Wellpass membership

About Auterion

We are building the leading software platform for AI-powered autonomous systems for enterprise and government customers. Our team is supporting the most important missions and solving the most challenging problems.

At Auterion, we bring together the sharpest minds who love to solve the hardest problems. Join a vibrant team built on innovation, openness, and excellence, where you’ll be empowered to develop ideas, collaborate across all levels, and make an impact that matters.