Staff Technical Program Manager, Game Development
Anduril · Costa Mesa, United States · 1mo ago
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Sand Table team at Anduril develops our revolutionary platform for visualizing future defense scenarios. We transform massive amounts of data into an intuitive, interactive 3D command center, serving as the visual interface for mission simulations, a key business development tool, and a powerful demonstration of our advanced capabilities to government and military leaders. We take ambitious ideas from concept to completion, building the core with high-performance C++ and enabling rapid feature expansion through modern scripting and plugin frameworks. The Sand Table team manages the complex logistics for delivering flawless augmented reality demonstrations in headset to critical stakeholders. As a cross-functional group of builders, strategists, and operators, we combine the creative energy of a top game studio with the rigorous discipline of national security to shape how the future of defense is visualized and understood.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We're looking for a Technical Program Manager to own execution for the Sand Table team—someone who will maintain our timelines, resolve dependencies, and keep everything on the rails towards final delivery. This is a high-agency role for someone who moves on things before being asked, anticipates problems before they materialize, and drives relentlessly toward outcomes. You will be the connective tissue between design, engineering, product, and key stakeholders, ensuring that our team ships high-quality, consistent releases on cadence while protecting the team's focus and momentum.
You'll manage the full complexity of delivering a real-time 3D platform that spans C++ engine development, XR hardware integration, plugin frameworks, and live demonstrations to senior government and military leaders. This means coordinating across technical work-streams, managing the logistics of high-stakes demos, and ensuring that every release meets the bar our audience demands. You should be comfortable navigating ambiguity, operating with minimal direction, and building the processes and structures that allow a fast-moving team to scale without losing speed.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Own execution end-to-end. Drive the team's delivery cadence from planning through release. Maintain timelines, track milestones, and ensure the team consistently hits its commitments. You are the single point of accountability for "are we on track?"
- Resolve dependencies and remove blockers. Proactively identify cross-team dependencies, external blockers, and resource constraints. Move decisively to resolve them—escalating when necessary, negotiating when possible, and always keeping the team unblocked.
- Protect the team's time and focus. Clearly articulate blockers, risks, and work in progress to stakeholders so the team can stay heads-down on delivery. Serve as a shield against thrash and scope creep while ensuring legitimate priorities are addressed.
- Drive high-quality, consistent releases. Help establish and maintain release processes that ensure every build meets quality standards. Coordinate across engineering, QA, and integration efforts to deliver polished, demo-ready software on a reliable cadence.
- Manage stakeholders and communication. Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across business development, product, and leadership. Provide clear, concise program updates—surfacing risks early, setting expectations accurately, and translating technical complexity into business-impact language.
- Coordinate demonstration logistics. Partner with the team to manage the complex logistics of delivering flawless XR demonstrations to critical audiences. Track hardware readiness, software stability, content preparation, and venue requirements to ensure every demo is executed without a hitch.
- Build and improve processes. Implement lightweight, effective processes for planning, tracking, and delivery that match the team's pace. Leverage tools like Jira or similar to provide visibility without creating overhead. Continuously iterate on what works.
- Anticipate and mitigate risk. Maintain a living picture of technical, schedule, and integration risks. Develop mitigation plans proactively and adjust course as conditions change—never letting the team be surprised by something that was foreseeable.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 8+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager, Engineering Program Manager, or equivalent role delivering complex software products
- Demonstrated track record of owning execution for cross-functional technical teams and shipping on-time
- Strong technical literacy—ability to understand system architecture, software dependencies, build/release pipelines, and technical trade-offs without needing to write the code yourself
- High agency and intrinsic motivation; you move on problems before being asked and operate effectively with minimal direction
- Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple parallel work-streams, competing priorities, and shifting timelines
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills—able to build trust, set expectations, and clearly articulate status, risks, and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Experience with project management tooling (Jira, Confluence, Linear, or equivalent) and establishing delivery processes for engineering teams
- Willingness to travel as needed for demonstrations and events (up to 25%)
- Must be a U.S. person eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience in real-time 3D applications, game engines, XR, or graphics-intensive software development environments
- Background in defense, aerospace, or national security—understanding of the stakeholder landscape and demonstration culture
- Experience managing release processes for software with hardware-in-the-loop dependencies (XR headsets, specialized display systems, etc.)
- Familiarity with C++ development workflows, plugin architectures, or game studio production pipelines
- Experience coordinating live demonstrations or events with high-profile audiences with high-profile audiences and very-high stakes
- Track record of building program management processes from scratch in fast-moving, early-stage, or startup environments
- Experience managing programs with both software delivery and physical logistics components
- Active U.S. Secret (or higher) security clearance
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
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