Program Manager

Position Purpose

To define the company’s product and technology roadmap; build, grow, and technically lead the engineering organization; and ensure that the systems we develop are brought from concept through qualification and mass production in a technically sound, manufacturable, and cost-effective manner.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the company’s medium- and long-term product and technology roadmap and present it to senior management.
• Make architectural and critical design decisions for products and subsystems; lead make-or-buy decisions.
• Monitor technology and competitive developments in the industry and incorporate relevant insights into product development priorities.
• Manage Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-based technology and product maturation plans.
• Lead technical recruitment processes.
• Establish discipline-based engineering teams (mechanical, electronics, embedded software, systems, and test) and define roles, responsibilities, and interfaces.
• Provide technical mentorship, competency development, and performance management; implement initiatives to retain key engineering talent.
• Plan and lead technical design reviews, including PDR, CDR, TRR, and similar review processes.
• Establish and standardize systems engineering processes appropriate to the scale of the company, including requirements analysis, verification and validation (V&V), and requirements traceability.
• Plan and execute qualification and testing activities, including MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, environmental, EMI/EMC, and vibration testing.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks at an early stage; actively participate in resolving critical design and engineering issues.
• Lead the transition from prototyping to mass production.
• Drive design-to-manufacturing, design for manufacturability (DFM), and cost optimization activities.
• Oversee configuration management and technical documentation standards.
• Ensure technical coordination with manufacturing, quality, and procurement functions.
• Manage project applications and technical reporting for TÜBİTAK, KOSGEB, and Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) support and funding programs.
• Establish and manage collaborations with universities, research institutions, and technology partners.
• Lead the company’s intellectual property strategy and manage patent and utility model applications.
• Contribute to proposal and tender processes through technical solution development, system architecture, and effort estimation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of experience in defense, aerospace, UAV, or advanced technology product development, including at least 3 years in a technical management or engineering leadership role.
• Proven experience taking at least one product from the concept stage through qualification and/or mass production.
• Experience in multidisciplinary system development projects involving electronics, mechanical engineering, and embedded software.
• Strong knowledge of systems engineering and requirements management processes.
• Hands-on experience with military qualification and testing processes, including MIL-STD standards.
• Ability to provide both technical leadership and hands-on design and problem-solving support within a growing organization.
• Experience in technical recruitment and team building, or a strong willingness to take ownership of these responsibilities.
• Advanced proficiency in English, with the ability to work with technical documentation and communicate effectively with international partners and customers.
• Willingness and availability to travel domestically and internationally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD degree in a relevant field.
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas: embedded systems, RF/microwave, radar, electro-optics, guidance and control, image processing, artificial intelligence, or autonomous systems.
• Direct development experience with UAV or C-UAS systems.
• Familiarity with requirements and model-based engineering tools such as DOORS, Polarion, MBSE/SysML, etc.
• Development experience with standards such as AS9100, AQAP series, DO-178C, and/or DO-254.
• Proficiency in a second foreign language, such as Arabic, French, Russian, or Spanish.
• Experience building an engineering team or engineering organization from the ground up.
• Experience with publications, patents, or international projects, such as Horizon Europe or NATO working groups.