Program Manager, Special Projects

Hadrian - Manufacturing the Future

Hadrian is building autonomous factories that help aerospace and defense companies manufacture rockets, satellites, jets, and ships up to 10x faster and up to 2x cheaper. By combining advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we are reinventing how America produces its most critical parts.

We’re accelerating our mission with the launch of Factory 3 in Mesa, Arizona, a 290,000-square-foot facility creating 350 new jobs. We are expanding rapidly to support thousands of future hires, launching Hadrian Maritime to expand into naval production, and introducing a Factory-as-a-Service model that delivers complete systems instead of individual parts.

Hadrian is backed by leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Lux Capital, Founders Fund, and Andreessen Horowitz, our fast-growing team is united around reindustrializing American manufacturing for the 21st century and beyond

The Role:
Hadrian is building autonomous factories to support the defense industrial base. As we scale delivery across programs in aerospace, national security, and advanced manufacturing, we’re looking for program managers to lead customer-facing execution and manage infrastructure delivery across new and existing factory footprints.

This is a customer-facing execution role focused on driving outcomes across technical, complex, cross-functional programs. Programs can span both internal and external efforts; for example, leading an R&D capability buildout internally or partnering with a defense customer to scope a greenfield factory. You’ll spend your time communicating with stakeholders, managing timelines, coordinating delivery, and maintaining accountability across both internal and external teams. The strongest candidates will bring experience in high-complexity, customer-facing environments, whether from management consulting, industrial programs, or defense delivery. They should have a track record of owning execution and leading from the front in ambiguous or high-stakes settings. We are seeking multiple candidates at varying levels of experience and seniority to support parallel programs and delivery surfaces.

This role offers the opportunity to grow into program leadership across $100M+ delivery surfaces, spanning new factory sites, high-priority federal programs, and scaled technical infrastructure.

What You’ll Do:

• Own delivery across cross-functional programs from early-stage scoping through execution and milestone tracking

• Drive coordination across internal teams (e.g. engineering, supply chain, software, operations) to unblock execution and maintain delivery momentum

• Lead execution governance by establishing clear cadences for cross-functional coordination, executive reporting, and delivery accountability

• Maintain external-facing timelines, program dashboards, and milestone definitions in partnership with program leadership

• Support internal and external communication including risk tracking, status updates, executive reporting, and program reviews

• Oversee and manage program budgets, including spend visibility, burn rate, and alignment with delivery milestones

• Partner with project managers to ensure tactical deliverables roll up into clear milestones and customer expectations

• Monitor program scope and deliverables to track changes and clarify owner responsibilities

• Operate as a program lead and primary point of contact for both internal and external stakeholders

Preferred Background:

• 5+ years in a program, operations, or project execution role within aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or adjacent high-complexity fields

• Candidates with a background in managem