Software Engineering Manager

The ideal candidate for this position will have:

• 5+ years of post-baccalaureate experience in a technical or technology-adjacent field, with demonstrated technical curiosity and the ability to understand, engage with, and constructively challenge software engineering teams.

• Familiarity with DO-178C and/or DO-278A certification processes.

• Demonstrated experience managing client relationships, including day-to-day communication and expectation setting.

• Experience owning and reporting against a project budget.

• Proven ability to write and manage a product backlog including user stories.

• Experience producing written status reports and executive-level summaries.

• Familiarity with avionics or defense software development lifecycles.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills for internal team leadership and client interaction.

Skills we consider a plus include:

• Prior experience managing a platform migration or architecture transition effort.

• Familiarity with IFF systems or similar identification/interrogation technologies.

• Any DO-178C or DO-278A certification experience, with AL2 (DAL B) or higher being ideal.

• Sufficient technical familiarity with RTOS environments (e.g., LynxOS, QNX, VxWorks) to effectively lead and communicate with the engineering team.

• Exposure to DO-254 hardware/software integration considerations.

• Experience working in a Scrum environment as a Product Owner or Scrum Master.

• Familiarity with tools such as JAMA or Rational DOORS.

• Leading and managing the software engineering team, supervising 2-5 direct reports.

• Serving as the primary point of contact between the project team and the client for day-to-day relationship management, including backlog prioritization and tactical decision making.

• Assisting the COO with strategic client relationship management as needed.

• Acting as Product Owner and Voice of the Customer within the Scrum team, translating client needs into actionable work.

• Writing and maintaining user stories to guide development activities.

• Ensuring all project documentation is complete, accurate, and meets contractual and certification requirements.

• Supporting planning, scheduling, and execution of software development activities in alignment with the broader DO-278A certification effort.

• Collaborating with outside client’s hardware certification team to ensure software deliverables are consistent with overall certification goals.

• Monitoring developer spend against the client’s project budget, projecting remaining scope against available budget, and providing weekly budget and status reports to the client.

• Preparing and delivering a monthly executive summary to internal leadership assessing overall project health.

• Providing career guidance and supporting the personal and professional growth of direct reports.

• Managing technical risks and escalating issues as appropriate to internal leadership.

• Participating in and supporting technical interviews and onboarding of additional team members as the project grows.