About this Program Manager role at Swarmer
Why we exist:
Swarmer develops software that makes drones autonomous and allows them to operate together, in large, coordinated teams — no pilots needed. Our technology has been battle-tested in Ukraine— the world’s most intense proving ground for drone warfare.
In March 2026, we became the first Ukrainian defense startup to go public on NASDAQ, following a $15M Series A —one of the largest investments in a Ukrainian defense tech company since the start of the war.
Working at Swarmer means operating at the intersection of engineering rigor and frontline reality. The problems and environments are complex, and the stakes are very real. We built this software to enable democratic nations to defend themselves.
If you are motivated by building resilient systems that matter and by seeing the direct impact of your work, you’ll find purpose here.
Who we’re looking for:
We are looking for a Program Manager who can drive complex product and engineering initiatives across multiple teams, domains, vendors, and stakeholders.
This is not a passive coordination role. We need someone who can bring structure into ambiguity, turn strategic goals into executable plans, detect risks early, unblock teams, and keep critical initiatives moving in a high-pressure defense-tech environment.
You will work closely with Product, Engineering, Field Operations, Business Development, and external partners to ensure that key initiatives are delivered with clarity, discipline, and operational realism.
The right person is comfortable with imperfect information, changing priorities, technical complexity, and real-world constraints. You do not need to be a drone engineer, but you do need to understand engineering delivery, system dependencies, and how to manage programs where software, hardware, field testing, customers, and production intersect.
What you’ll do:
Own delivery planning and execution for cross-functional initiatives across product, engineering, field, sales, and external partners.
Translate strategic goals into clear milestones, workstreams, owners, timelines, risks, and decision points.
Coordinate dependencies between product managers, engineering teams, integration teams, field teams, vendors, and leadership.
Create and maintain transparent program reporting: status, progress, blockers, risks, trade-offs, and decisions needed.
Drive regular syncs, reviews, and escalation routines for critical initiatives.
Help teams clarify scope, success criteria, acceptance criteria, delivery risks, and readiness for field testing or release.
Identify bottlenecks early and push for resolution before they become delivery failures.
Support planning for demos, integrations, customer commitments, field tests, provisioning, licensing, updates, and production-readiness activities.
Ensure that commitments made to customers, partners, and internal stakeholders are realistic, tracked, and actively managed.
Build/evolve lightweight but disciplined project/program management practices suitable for a fast-moving defense-tech startup.
Help leadership see the real picture: what is on track, what is blocked, what is unclear, and where decisions are required.
What we need:
4+ years of experience in project management, program management, delivery management, technical program management, or similar roles.
Experience managing complex cross-functional initiatives involving engineering teams.
Strong ability to structure chaos: define plans, owners, dependencies, timelines, risks, and follow-up mechanisms.
Proven ability to work with technical teams without turning into a process bottleneck.
Excellent stakeholder management skills: you can align product, engineering, business, operations, and leadership around one execution picture.
Strong written and verbal communication in English.
Ability to create clear executive-level reporting without hiding complexity or overloading people with noise.
Comfortable working in high-uncertainty environments where requirements, priorities, and constraints can change quickly.
High ownership, persistence, and operational discipline.
Strong risk-management mindset: you naturally ask what can fail, what is blocked, what is unverified, and what decision is missing.
Readiness to work with sensitive defense-related information and follow strict operational security practices.
Ukrainian language proficiency.
What would be an advantage:
Experience in defense tech, robotics, drones, aerospace, autonomous systems, embedded systems, hardware/software products, or complex B2B SaaS.
Experience in startups or fast-scaling product companies.
Experience managing programs involving external vendors, outsourcing partners, manufacturing, provisioning, licensing, or customer deployments.
Experience with field testing, pilot programs, demo preparation, customer trials, or production-readiness processes.
Experience working with military, government, security, or regulated customers.
Background in engineering, product management, operations, or business analysis.
What you’ll get:
A dynamic environment with a unique opportunity to directly influence and see the impact of your work.
A mission-driven role in a company building technology that directly supports Ukrainian and global defense capabilities.
The opportunity to work on one of the most advanced and practically tested autonomy products in the defense-tech market.
Direct exposure to real users, real operational constraints, and real product impact — not abstract corporate roadmaps.
A high-ownership culture where initiative, clarity, and execution matter more than bureaucracy.
Close collaboration with experienced founders, engineers, product leaders, and field teams.
Space to shape program management practices from the ground up as the company scales.
Competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including insurance, paid sick leave, and 20 paid days off per year.
Flexible remote work options where possible.
How the hiring process works:
✔️ Recruiter Screen → ✔️ Interview with Hiring Manager → ✔️ Test Task → ✔️ Final Interview → ✔️ Offer
Ready to Apply?
