Program Manager

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Execution

• Lead end-to-end execution of UAV and defence technology development programs (NPD, prototyping, testing, and productionisation).
• Own program schedules, deliverables, cost tracking, and risk management across multiple concurrent projects.
• Drive milestone adherence for government-funded programs (iDEX, DRDO, etc.) and internal strategic initiatives.
• Ensure preparation and submission of milestone related documentation to external stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Ensure alignment of engineering, testing, and production teams with program timelines and objectives.

PMO Setup & Governance

• Establish and institutionalise a Program Management Office (PMO) framework within the organization.
• Develop standardized processes for:
• Project planning and tracking
• Risk management (FMEA/FMECA frameworks)
• Change management
• Documentation and reporting
• Implement dashboards, KPIs, and governance mechanisms for leadership visibility.
• Drive adoption of project management tools across teams.

Government & Customer Interface

• Act as a key interface with defence customers, government agencies, and program authorities.
• Lead preparation and submission of:
• Technical reports
• Milestone documentation
• Program review presentations
• Support and participate in program reviews, audits, and compliance evaluations.

Business Development & Strategic Support

• Work closely with the Business Development team on:
• RFI / RFP / RFQ responses
• Technical requirement analysis
• Program costing, budgeting, and business case development
• Contribute to bid strategy, project feasibility, and execution planning for new opportunities.
• Support customer discussions, technical demos, and proposal presentations.

Program Monitoring, Analytics & Risk Management

• Drive program performance tracking against schedule, cost, and technical objectives.
• Develop and maintain program dashboards, MIS reports, and executive summaries.
• Identify risks proactively and implement mitigation strategies across engineering, supply chain, and operations.
• Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) and continuous improvement initiatives.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead cross-functional teams (Engineering, SCM, Quality, Finance, Operations) for program success.
• Facilitate technical discussions across subsystems (avionics, structures, propulsion, payloads, etc.).
• Support planning and execution of testing, trials, validation, and certification activities.