WingXpand · 4 hours ago
Senior Program Manager – Robotics Hardware & Software
Greater Chicago Area
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
8+ years expWingXpand is Expanding What’s Possible™ with Autonomous Systems, building long-endurance, backpackable smart plane drones and robotics systems. The Senior Program Manager will lead execution across multi-disciplinary engineering teams, manage project plans, and engage with customers to ensure successful product delivery and alignment with strategic goals.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)AerospaceSoftwareManufacturingMachine Learning
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Lead multi-disciplinary product development across hardware, software, and electrical engineering teams, driving execution from concept to deployment
Manage scrum and agile processes using ClickUp (or similar tools) to ensure projects are organized, on-time, and aligned with strategic goals
Own and deliver on complex contract execution plans —tracking milestones, deliverables, and new product roadmaps across multiple customers
Serve as the primary conduit between C-suite and engineering, translating strategy into actionable tasks and ensuring engineers are aligned with business priorities
Engage directly with customers, translating their needs into technical requirements and MVP strategies to rapidly deliver feedback-driven results
Support business development by crafting technically-grounded proposal content and collaborating on customer engagement strategies
Brief senior leadership with crisp, technical summaries and timeline updates while diving deep with engineers to resolve execution challenges
Rapidly build trust with technical teams by demonstrating a hands-on, self-starting approach to understanding the full product ecosystem
Qualification
Required
8+ years of direct program / project management experience with demonstrated success managing hardware and software development in tandem
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering or a related discipline, MBA, or certifications in scrum, agile, or systems engineering are a strong plus
Led projects using Agile/Scrum frameworks, facilitating sprint planning, standups, retrospectives, and backlog prioritization
Expertise with agile tools like ClickUp, Jira, or Asana for managing complex engineering workflows
Proven ability to lead without micromanaging, ensuring teams are unblocked and timelines are met—or exceeded
Comfortable getting into the weeds with technical contributors while presenting clear takeaways to non-technical stakeholders
Passionate about building solutions that deliver real-world impact and shape the future of robotics
Preferred
Personal or professional experience with robotics, drones, RC aircraft, or maker projects (e.g., hackathons, DIY builds, hobby flying)
Experience working at high-growth startups where speed, autonomy, and clarity of communication are critical
Technical background in aerospace, robotics, AI, defense, or a related engineering field
Familiarity with hardware prototyping
Experience with field testing autonomous or edge AI systems in real-world environments
Passion for emerging tech and a track record of exploring new tools, platforms, or frameworks for fun or innovation
Company
WingXpand
WingXpand is a U.S. aerospace and AI software company that is expanding what’s possible with aerial intelligence
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
unknownKey Investors
Techstars
2022-09-19Undisclosed
Leadership Team
James Barbieri
CEO & Co-Founder
Michelle Madaras
President & Co-Founder
Recent News
Seattle TechFlash
2025-09-13
Missouri Business Alert
2025-08-04
commercialuavnews.com
2025-07-29
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