Manager - Special Programs

The role

You will serve as the administrative and operational backbone for the Special Programs team. You will manage resources, budgets, and project tracking to support a team of engineers prototyping new ideas.

What you will do

• Provide day-to-day administrative management including scheduling, staffing, budgets, procurement, vendor coordination, and progress reporting
• Plan and track prototype builds, field testing, and demonstrations
• Offer technical input during design reviews and prototype check-ins
• Collaborate with the VP of Product and the CTO to surface, scope, and prioritize new ideas
• Represent Special Programs internally to Growth, Finance, and Engineering
• Represent Special Programs externally to suppliers and Government or commercial customers

Required qualifications

• Experience managing small, fast-moving engineering or R&D teams
• Working technical literacy across autonomy, embedded systems, robotics, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering
• Ability to plan and execute against budgets, schedules, and resource constraints
• Comfort partnering with senior technical and product leaders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• High emotional intelligence
• Strong organizational instincts and a bias toward action in ambiguous, low-process environments
• Bachelors degree in engineering, or equivalent professional experience
• Comfort operating with high uncertainty, minimal resources, compressed timelines, and aggressive goals and schedules
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Occasional standing and walking within the office, lab, and prototype spaces
• Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other office equipment

Nice to have

• Experience supporting prototype hardware development, field testing, or Government demonstrations
• Familiarity with defense acquisition, export controls, or classified program management

Benefits

• Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans
• Dental and Vision Insurance
• Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents
• Generous PTO and Holidays
• Paid maternity and paternity leave
• Competitive Salary with opportunities for performance-based bonuses
• 401(k) plan
• Stock Options
• Basic life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Free lunch benefit
• Unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office

Before you apply

• Requires access to export-controlled information or items that require U.S. Person status (U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, or certain protected classes of asylees and refugees)

About the company

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, developing solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms. Saronic Special Programs is a small pathfinding team chartered to rapidly prototype new ideas.