Technical Program Manager

Role

Hive Robotics is building Europe's first full-stack orchestration platform for unmanned systems — connecting, controlling, and commanding multi-vendor drone and robot swarms. Our RF communication systems are Made in Germany, deployed on active frontlines, and targeting a €5B European tactical communication market with zero sovereign alternatives today.

We are now looking for a Technical Program Manager who takes full technical ownership of our product delivery — from customer requirements to shipped product.

This is not only a coordination role. You drive. You decide. You deliver.

You will be the operational backbone of our engineering organization — owning the bridge between customer requirements, product definition, technical architecture, and development execution. Our current focus is our RF communication module family for unmanned systems, in serial production and scaling fast. You work directly with our Technical Architects, Head of Engineering and CTO, and serve as the primary technical interface to customer-facing stakeholders. You lead without disciplinary authority, which means your impact comes from clarity, credibility, and momentum.

Responsibilities

Own Customer-to-Product Alignment 

• Translate customer and business requirements into clear, structured, and actionable product and technical specifications.
• Eliminate ambiguity before development begins — challenge unclear requirements and proactively close gaps.
• Ensure full traceability from customer expectations to deliver features and acceptance criteria.
• Work directly with frontline-driven customer feedback to shape rapid product iterations.

Own Development Timelines & Production Planning 

• Maintain relentless focus on our primary revenue product while managing the parallel development of next-generation communication and swarm coordination products.
• Define realistic technical milestones in close collaboration with engineering and architecture.
• Own production planning in coordination with supply management — aligning development readiness with high-volume manufacturing timelines and customer demand.
• Identify risks early and mitigate them before they escalate into delivery issues.

Drive Technical Execution & Scope Control 

• Work closely with Technical Architects to ensure solid, timeline-aligned development planning across RF hardware, embedded software, firmware, and system software.
• Align architectural decisions with product objectives and delivery constraints.
• Own scope control — prevent feature creeping and maintain structured documentation throughout the product lifecycle.
• Ensure quality standards are upheld across the full development cycle, from concept through release and field deployment.

Lead Root Cause Resolution 

• Identify and address systemic issues, not just surface symptoms — especially critical in field-deployed, jamming-resistant communication systems.
• Resolve blockers within development timelines.
• Stay focused and composed under pressure; set the pace for the team.
• Create transparency for team and senior management.

Requirements

Experience

• 10+ years in engineering, systems engineering, technical program management, or a comparable technical product role.
• Background in RF systems, wireless communications, or embedded hardware/software products is strongly preferred — ideally including communication modules, modems, or tactical radio systems.
• Experience in consumer electronics product development — understanding of cost-optimized design, volume manufacturability, and fast development cycles.
• Solid understanding of software development processes — including embedded software, firmware, and system-level software — and the ability to manage SW-heavy development streams effectively.
• Exposure to unmanned systems, drone technology, or defense/dual-use markets is a strong differentiator.
• Proven track record of delivering technically complex hardware/software products on time — in startup or fast-scaling environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple parallel product development streams with clear priority discipline.
• Exposure to production planning and supply chain coordination, ideally in a high-volume context, is a strong plus.

Skills

• Strong systems thinking across RF hardware, firmware, and software.
• Solid grasp of software development methodologies (agile, iterative development, CI/CD awareness) and the ability to manage mixed hardware/software teams.
• Ability to translate complex, ambiguous needs — including frontline operational requirements — into structured technical specifications.
• Excellent prioritization, scope of management, and risk assessment across concurrent product lines.
• Deep understanding of hardware and software development lifecycles (NPI, DVT, PVT, etc.).
• Confident communicator across technical and business audiences.

Personality & Mindset

• Fast-thinking and driven — you push the pace without being pushed.
• Highly solution-oriented; root-cause driven.
• Strong ownership mentality — you treat delays and quality gaps as your problem to solve.
• Structured and clear under pressure.
• Able to lead and influence without formal authority.
• Direct and concise — clarity is a superpower.

About us

We at Hive Robotics democratize local and worldwide teaming and swarming solution in multiple domains