Program Manager, VBAT Sustainment (R4048)
Shield AI
Operations
Dallas County, TX, USA
Posted on Nov 5, 2025
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
We are seeking to hire a Program Manager to lead Sustainment Programs supporting transformative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems.
What you'll do:
- Deliver proven, exceptional, and reliable performance in support of customer/end-user’s mission through flawless program management.
- Effectively collaborate, motivate, and lead relevant stakeholders to successfully deliver early, under budget, and with exceptional technical performance.
- Manage customer relationships and act as the key point of contact for the sustainment portion of the program
- Drive program execution of Engineering Change Order (ECO) implementation tasks in the company’s Product Lifecycle Management Software
- Ensure Service Bulletins are released and disseminated to customers, and track their incorporation into fielded hardware.
- Provide continuous, real-time readiness tracking of customer hardware (aircraft, payloads, ground support equipment, etc)
- Serve as the programmatic point of contact for customer requested warranty and non-warranty repairs, to include RMAs to vendors.
- Analyze existing data, and solicit additional data to support engineering decisions regarding Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System (FRACAS)
- Use MTBF and FRACAS data to inform program sparing and sustainment program planning.
- Serve as Deployed Operations Field Service Representatives primary point of contact within the program office
- Represent customer programs in managing Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortage issues.
- Maintain real-time awareness of customer hardware inventory levels, both within Shield AI’s facilities as well as at customer sites. Coordinate replenishment at intervals appropriate to customer usage rates.
- Ensure all customers have access to the most up-to-date technical manuals and bulletins applicable to their hardware configuration.
- Provide customer feedback to internal teams regarding maintainability and sustainability issues.
- Provide guidance to customers regarding long term storage (preservation) and disposal of obsolete / excess material
- Astutely balance and rebalance shifting customer priories related to cost, schedule, and technical parameters of programs.
- Provide hands-on management of all aspects of sustainment programs
- Drive the accurate and timely tracking and reporting of budget, resource, and project management standard metrics
- Complete critical path analyses including the evaluation of potential means to accelerate the pace or mitigate identified risks
- Identify potential bottlenecks or delays in programs and drive efforts to ensure projects stay on schedule
- Partner with leadership to guide prioritization of projects and utilization of resources
- Establish and lead a consistent cadence of well-organized, well-facilitated, and effective meetings, including driving all preparation and follow up activities
- Support an environment where accountability and program execution excellence are core.
- Must be a self-led individual desiring to make immediate impacts to the business.
- Report directly to Shield AI’s Senior Director of Program Management
Required qualifications:
- 15+ years of U.S. Department of Defense aircraft maintenance experience.
- Willingness and ability to travel internationally as needed (< 25% of the time)
- Ability to focus on long-term business objectives
- Ability to run advanced projects consisting of multiple interrelated projects, in a manner that is largely self-directed
- Significant experience and excellent skills with Microsoft Office Suite
- Excellent skills in leadership, time management, organization, team management
- Excellent interpersonal skills and verbal and written ability
- A demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience in the field of unmanned aviation
- Familiarity with aviation product delivery, maintenance, sustainment, and field support
- Undergraduate degree in aviation, engineering or business
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
#LD
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
