Senior Engineering Program Manager II - New Ventures
Axon · Scottsdale, United States · 6mo ago
Join Axon and be a Force for Good.
At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.
Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.
Your Impact
Axon's Robotics & New Ventures division is building the next generation of autonomous public safety technology -- TASER-enabled drones, ground control stations, ground robots, and the command-and-control ecosystem that connects them. These are complex, multi-disciplinary hardware-software-firmware systems designed, manufactured, certified, and launched for law enforcement agencies across three continents.
You will own the integrated execution of the hardware portfolio for our flagship robotics platform -- spanning drone hardware, ground control station hardware, radio integration, international contract manufacturing, regulatory certification, and product launch. The work crosses multiple engineering disciplines, multiple build phases, multiple countries, and multiple vendor relationships simultaneously. Your job is to hold all of it together, see around corners, and drive outcomes that no single team could deliver alone.
You will report directly to the Director of PMO and operate as the single-threaded hardware execution leader -- owning the integrated master schedule, the risk register, vendor and manufacturing relationships across 3 countries, phase gate governance, and executive communication. You are stepping into a live, complex program mid-flight. There is no ramp-up runway. You must be someone who has walked into ambiguity before, built situational awareness fast, and started driving outcomes within weeks.
What You'll Do
Location: Onsite in Scottsdale, AZ (travel 20-30% -- Taiwan, Belgium, Poland, vendor sites)
Reports to: Director, PMO - Robotics & New Ventures
Direct Reports: None initially; potential to build hardware program operations team
INTEGRATED SCHEDULE & EXECUTION
- Own the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) across drone, GCS, radio, and supporting subsystems -- from SP2 design through EVT, PVT, and mass production -- ensuring all workstreams are synchronized, dependency-mapped, and resource-loaded
- Manage the cross-functional integration points where design, manufacturing, firmware, test, and certification converge -- these are where execution breaks down, and your job is to see it before it happens
- Drive formal change control: evaluate scope, schedule, and cost impacts of proposed changes before they are accepted; maintain a change log with full traceability
- Ensure configuration management discipline across hardware revisions, BOM versions, ECOs, and firmware builds so that every unit in every location is on a known, controlled configuration
GOVERNANCE & PHASE GATES
- Own phase gate execution (Concept, SP, EVT, DVT/PVT, Mass Production) with formally defined entry/exit criteria, evidence packages, and readiness reviews
- Prepare and present gate readiness assessments to leadership -- evidence-based arguments for why the program is or is not ready to proceed, not status slides
- Establish and enforce governance cadence: weekly execution reviews, bi-weekly risk reviews, monthly executive briefings, and ad-hoc decision forums when issues demand rapid resolution
- Maintain the decision log -- every material decision, who made it, what alternatives were considered, what evidence supported it, and what constraints applied
RISK MANAGEMENT
- Own the risk register end-to-end: identification, qualitative and quantitative assessment (likelihood, severity, detectability, schedule/cost impact), response planning, and active monitoring
- Conduct structured risk analysis using FMEA methodology for hardware and manufacturing processes
- Drive risk response strategies (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept) with assigned owners, funded mitigations, and measurable triggers
- Quantify schedule confidence on key milestones -- probabilistic assessment, not single-point estimates
- Track risk velocity and trending: which risks are heating up, which are cooling down, and what the aggregate posture looks like week over week
STAKEHOLDER & EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION
- Serve as the primary hardware execution voice to VP-level and C-level leadership -- milestone readiness, risk posture, budget health, and critical path
- Translate complex technical situations into decision frameworks: options, tradeoffs, recommendation, and rationale
- Represent the hardware program in cross-program reviews, QBRs, MBRs, and customer trial readiness assessments
- Manage expectations proactively -- bad news delivered early with a mitigation plan is always better than surprises at the gate
VENDOR & SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
- Manage contract manufacturer relationships across multiple international sites (Taiwan, Belgium, Poland) -- accountability, delivery performance, quality, and cost
- Own PCB/PCBA supply chain execution: fab house qualification, dual-sourcing strategy, yield tracking, root cause analysis on quality escapes, and supplier corrective actions
- Drive factory readiness for each build phase: test fixtures, assembly stations, calibration equipment, operator training, SOPs, production line layout, and throughput validation
- Lead hardware build execution at contract manufacturers -- on-site during critical builds
- Manage vendor budgets, purchase order tracking, and statement-of-work execution within approved spend envelopes
- Drive procurement planning aligned to the IMS: long-lead item identification, vendor lead time management, and material availability gates
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP
- Lead design reviews (CDR, TRR, MRR) and drive engineering closure on open items with assigned owners and due dates
- Partner with EE, ME, FW, and test engineering to ensure design intent translates into manufacturable, testable, certifiable hardware
- Drive DFM/DFA/DFT reviews at the design stage -- before parts are ordered, not after
- Manage the BOM lifecycle from prototype through production: ECO processes, alternate part qualification, and design-to-cost optimization
CERTIFICATION & COMPLIANCE
- Coordinate hardware certification activities (FCC, CE, radio type approval) with test labs and regulatory agencies, ensuring certification milestones are integrated into the IMS
- Ensure export control compliance (ITAR/EAR) for international hardware shipments and controlled technical data access at contract manufacturer sites
- Drive product safety and reliability requirements through design, manufacturing, and field operations
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
- Ensure execution is aligned to the division's strategic objectives: international GA by EOY 2026, customer trials mid-year, and next-gen product announcements at key industry events
- Track and report program-level KPIs: schedule performance, cost performance, risk burn-down, milestone completion rate, and build yield
- Drive lessons learned capture at each phase gate as a living input to the next build cycle and to next-generation products
- Identify and champion process improvements across program execution, tools, and cross-functional interfaces
What You Bring
Required:
- 10+ years of engineering program management in hardware product development (aerospace, defense, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or complex consumer electronics)
- Track record of owning and delivering complex multi-disciplinary hardware products from prototype through mass production at scale (10K+ units), managing the interdependencies across hardware, firmware, test, manufacturing, certification, and supply chain simultaneously
- Direct experience managing contract manufacturers in Asia (Taiwan, China, Korea, or Japan) including on-site build oversight and supplier quality management
- Integrated Master Schedule ownership: building, maintaining, and defending schedules with 500+ tasks, cross-functional dependency chains, and critical path analysis
- Formal risk management practice: risk registers, quantitative scoring, FMEA, response planning, risk trending, and executive risk communication
- Phase gate process ownership: defining entry/exit criteria, assembling evidence packages, and presenting readiness arguments to senior leadership
- Change control and configuration management discipline across hardware revisions and multi-site builds
- Deep understanding of PCB/PCBA manufacturing, supply chain management, yield optimization, and supplier corrective action processes
- Strong technical foundation: ability to read schematics, understand mechanical tolerances, and engage credibly with EE, ME, and FW engineers on design and manufacturing tradeoffs
- Excellent written and verbal communication: executive-ready briefings, vendor negotiations, and the ability to translate technical complexity into leadership decision frameworks
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or related technical field
- Must be able to qualify for an export control license (ITAR)
Preferred:
- PgMP (Program Management Professional) or PMP certification
- Experience with autonomous systems, UAS/drones, or robotics hardware
- Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM) principles applied to hardware programs
- Experience with schedule risk analysis (Monte Carlo simulation or equivalent probabilistic methods)
- Experience managing programs with $5M+ annual budgets and 5+ active vendors simultaneously
- MS Project, Jira, Confluence, or equivalent integrated scheduling and tracking toolsets
- Lean/Six Sigma methodology, PFMEA, or structured quality framework experience
- Experience with ITAR/EAR-controlled hardware programs and international shipment compliance
- Multi-lingual or experience working across culturally diverse international teams
What Success Looks Like
Within 90 days:
- Own the integrated hardware schedule, present critical path posture and top 5 risks to leadership with confidence
- Establish direct relationships with all contract manufacturers and key component vendors
- Complete a full risk register review and present aggregate risk posture with current evidence
- Absorb current program state mid-flight: every open risk, every pending build, every vendor dependency, every certification milestone
Within 6 months:
- Successfully execute at least one major hardware build milestone (EVT or PVT) with formal phase gate review
- Reduce hardware-related schedule variance through proactive vendor management and early-warning systems
- Be the recognized single-threaded owner for all hardware execution decisions -- engineering, manufacturing, and leadership know you are the person
- Establish governance rhythm that the entire cross-functional team relies on
Within 12 months:
- Ship certified hardware for international customer trials on schedule
- Build and execute the production ramp plan for international launch
- Deliver a lessons-learned package that feeds the playbook for next-generation products
- Demonstrate measurable improvement in schedule predictability and risk response effectiveness vs. the baseline you inherited
Benefits that Benefit You
- Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
- Discretionary paid time off
- Paid parental leave for all
- Medical, Dental, Vision plans
- Fitness Programs
- Emotional & Mental Wellness support
- Learning & Development programs
- And yes, we have snacks in our offices
Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.
Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Important Notes
The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.
Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.
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Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.
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