Program Manager (UAS)

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

About Us:

We’re a mission-driven company building software that safely integrates drones into the national airspace. Our platform helps enable complex drone operations across urban and rural environments, partnering with transportation departments, municipalities, and enterprise customers to support the future of uncrewed aviation.

We’re currently a key partner in the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region project in Detroit—a bold, collaborative initiative to accelerate urban drone deployment and shape the aerial mobility landscape of the future.

About the Role:
We are seeking a highly capable Program Manager to lead our company's efforts in the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region project. In this role, you will oversee program execution, coordinate with strategic partners—including Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), Michigan Central, Newlab, and other stakeholders—and ensure that our software, data, and sensor infrastructure are supporting safe, scalable, and impactful drone operations in an urban environment.

You’ll sit at the intersection of public-private partnerships, aviation innovation, software and hardware integration, and local economic development.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Program Leadership: Drive planning, execution, and monitoring of the program to ensure alignment with partner expectations and project milestones.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Serve as primary point of contact for local and state stakeholders, including government officials, transportation departments, and project collaborators.
• Reporting & Communication: Prepare and deliver clear, high-level reports, updates, and presentations for both internal leadership and external partners.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with internal teams (engineering, product, operations) to ensure delivery of software and sensor systems that meet regulatory, safety, and operational needs.
• Hardware & Infrastructure Oversight: Oversee the installation, maintenance, and performance monitoring of sensor infrastructure critical to safe drone operations.
• Regulatory Awareness: Monitor relevant FAA regulations and local ordinances to ensure program compliance and contribute to a safe, scalable urban drone ecosystem.

You’d be a great fit if you…

• Thrive in fast-paced, mission-oriented work.
• Are comfortable managing both strategy and detail.
• Have a collaborative mindset and public service orientation.
• Are excited about shaping the future of urban air mobility.

Compensation & Benefits:
We offer stock options, a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package, flexible work schedule, and the opportunity to work on groundbreaking projects at the forefront of drone and aviation innovation.

Position Type: Full-Time, 40 hours per week

Location: Hybrid, with regular onsite presence at Michigan Central / Newlab HQ)

• 5+ years of experience in program management in a high-complexity, cross-sector environment (e.g. transportation, urban tech, smart city, aerospace, mobility, government tech). Prior Project Management experience highly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in technical domains, with the capacity to quickly learn and apply complex concepts (e.g., airspace, aviation systems, UAS/UTM)
• Strong relationship-building and verbal communication skills; able to navigate high-profile and bureaucratic settings diplomatically.
• Strong written communication skills, with the ability to craft clear reports, create visually compelling presentations, and contribute to marketing or support materials that align with brand and product messaging.
• Track record of successfully engaging diverse stakeholders - public, private, and internal - to lead and execute innovative, future-oriented initiatives.
• Proven ability to manage ambiguity, multitask, and drive programs forward in a dynamic environment; ability to roll us the sleeves and scale up and down from strategic to tactical.
• Experience coordinating with engineering, product, and hardware teams; technical fluency is a plus.
• Knowledge of FAA drone regulations or UTM (uncrewed traffic management) systems is highly desirable.
• Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering or another technical field; MBA preferred