Technical Program Manager Job at Merlin Labs (Boston)

Job Description

You are a mission-driven builder who thrives at the intersection of technology, execution, and impact. As a Technical Program Manager at Merlin Labs, you’ll play a central role in bringing our autonomy technology to life—delivering the Merlin Pilot into operational service on military aircraft and driving execution across some of the most ambitious programs in aerospace. Embedded within our fast-moving autonomy and flight systems teams, you’ll work side-by-side with engineers, business stakeholders, and customer teams to ensure technical momentum and cross-functional alignment. You bring technical fluency, structured thinking, and the ability to bring clarity to complexity. You’re energized by hard problems, unafraid of ambiguity, and relentless about delivering results. This role sits at the heart of Merlin’s mission and next stage of growth. You’ll support a dynamic portfolio that spans internally funded R&D and customer programs. Above all, you believe in the mission: to accelerate autonomy, support the warfighter, and redefine what’s possible in aviation.

Job Responsibility

Own delivery of complex, cross-functional aerospace and defense programs—spanning autonomy development, flight test, integration, and certification
Drive technical execution rhythms across engineering, systems integration, certification, flight test, and business stakeholders
Serve as the central point of coordination for internal teams, subcontractors, and government customers—ensuring alignment, transparency, and trust
Define and maintain detailed program plans, including scope, milestones, dependencies, and risk mitigation strategies
Identify blockers early and drive resolution through structured problem-solving and escalation
Shape and manage program scopes and deliverables in alignment with contractual, technical, and business objectives
Support capture and proposal efforts by developing cost estimates, technical inputs, and schedules
Lead stakeholder communications—from internal reviews to formal customer engagements and milestone briefings
Build scalable processes and tools that improve execution velocity and visibility across projects
Travel up to 25% to support key integration events, flight test campaigns, and customer engagements

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field
5+ years of experience managing complex technical programs—ideally within aerospace, defense, or autonomy
Demonstrated success delivering integrated hardware-software systems under high accountability
Technical fluency—you can engage deeply with engineers and recognize risks and tradeoffs
Expert-level project management skills—tools, methods, and the ability to bring order to chaos
Strong communicator—able to engage diverse technical and non-technical audiences
Proven ability to work within dynamic environments and adapt to evolving priorities
Ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance

Nice to have

Active U.S. Security Clearance
Experience leading defense programs with DoD and/or FAA certification elements
Background in autonomous systems, flight control, or avionics integration
Familiarity with U.S. DoD airworthiness, flight test planning, and acquisition processes

What we offer

Catered lunches
Snacks
Beverages including coffee and tea
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Life insurance
Unlimited vacation
401k with match

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Technical Program Manager

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