---
title: 'Manager - Special Programs at Saronic Technologies'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manager-special-programs-saronic-technologies-austin-1et20m2xggtk'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-17'
---

# Manager - Special Programs at Saronic Technologies

- **Company:** [Saronic Technologies](https://feeny.ai/companies/saronic-technologies)
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-06-05
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-17
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/saronic/90481fdd-4181-4071-a859-483e18756c2e/application

**Skills:** Defense acquisition, Export controls, Classified program management

> Serves as the administrative and operational backbone for the Special Programs team, managing budgets, resources, and prototype tracking. Partners with executive leadership to shape product direction while providing technical oversight for hardware development and field testing.

## Job description

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms.

Saronic Special Programs is a small pathfinding team chartered to rapidly prototype new ideas. Special Programs is responsible for generating new ideas, building and testing physical prototypes, and validating future products which continue Saronic's mission to redefine maritime superiority.

Job Overview We are seeking a Special Programs Manager to serve as the administrative and operational backbone of our team. You will be responsible for keeping projects on track, managing resources and budgets, and creating the conditions for a small, talented group of engineers to move quickly. While this is not a hands-on engineering role, you will provide high-level technical direction during prototype reviews and partner closely with the VP of Product and CTO to evaluate and shape the next wave of ideas the team will pursue.

## Responsibilities

- Provide day-to-day administrative management of the Special Programs team, including scheduling, staffing, budgets, procurement, vendor coordination, and progress reporting.
- Plan and track prototype builds, field testing, and demonstrations, ensuring milestones, deliverables, and resources stay aligned across electrical, mechanical, and software contributors.
- Offer focused technical input during design reviews and prototype check-ins — enough to challenge assumptions, unblock the team, and translate progress to non-engineering stakeholders
- Collaborate directly with the VP of Product and the CTO to surface, scope, and prioritize new ideas the team should consider pursuing, and keep Special Programs work synchronized with the broader product roadmap
- Represent Special Programs internally to functions such as Growth, Finance, and Engineering, and externally as needed to suppliers and Government or commercial customers.

## Qualifications

- Experience managing small, fast-moving engineering or R&D teams, ideally in robotics, aerospace, defense, or another hardware-intensive environment
- Working technical literacy across some combination of autonomy, embedded systems, robotics, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering — enough to lead substantive conversations with engineers without being the deepest expert in the room
- Demonstrated ability to plan and execute against budgets, schedules, and resource constraints with limited overhead
- Comfort partnering with senior technical and product leaders to evaluate new opportunities and translate ambiguous ideas into structured plans
- Experience supporting prototype hardware development, field testing, or Government demonstrations is strongly preferred
- Familiarity with defense acquisition, export controls, or classified program management is a plus
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to keep cross-functional stakeholders aligned
- High emotional intelligence, with the ability to keep teammates aligned
- Strong organizational instincts and a bias toward action in ambiguous, low-process environments
- Bachelors degree in engineering, or equivalent professional experience
- Comfort operating with high uncertainty, minimal resources, compressed timelines, and aggressive goals and schedules

Physical Demands

- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Occasional standing and walking within the office, lab, and prototype spaces.
- Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other office equipment.
- Visual acuity to read screens, documents, and reports.
- Occasional reaching, bending, or stooping to access file drawers, cabinets, or office supplies.
- Lifting and carrying items up to 20 pounds occasionally (e.g., office supplies, packages).
- Occasional travel to field test sites and Government demonstrations.

## Benefits

- Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans covering a range of services
- Dental and Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine dental check-ups, orthodontics, and vision care
- Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents
- Time Off: Generous PTO and Holidays
- Parental Leave: Paid maternity and paternity leave to support new parents
- Competitive Salary: Industry-standard salaries with opportunities for performance-based bonuses
- Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan
- Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company's success
- Life and Disability Insurance: Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage
- Additional Perks: Free lunch benefit and unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office

If this role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items that require “U.S. Person” status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a “U.S. Person”: (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/8/1324b.

Saronic does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

## About Saronic Technologies

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Saronic Technologies builds autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) that combine hardware, software, and artificial intelligence to deliver scalable maritime security and domain awareness for naval forces.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series D, total funding $2.6B)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Dino Mavrookas (CEO), Vibhav Altekar (CTO), Doug Lambert (COO), Rob Lehman (CCO)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Defense and Space Manufacturing – autonomous maritime systems
- **Target customers**: U.S. and allied naval forces, government defense agencies (B2G)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Redefine maritime superiority” by providing the most advanced and capable autonomous vessels to address emerging threats and revolutionize naval warfare.

## Products & Services
- **Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs)**: A family of unmanned vessels (including models like *Mirage*, *Cipher*, and the 150‑foot *Marauder*) designed for launch from small craft, fleet assets, or beachheads. Capabilities include adaptive path planning, passive sensor tracking, resilient multi‑channel communications, and diverse payload integration.
- **Echelon Platform**: A unified software suite for mission planning, simulation, and command‑and‑control of autonomous surface vessels.
- **Capabilities Suite**: Integrated hardware/software stack covering launch, maneuver, perceive, communicate, execute, enable, and recover.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (latest Series D at $1.8B implies a valuation well into the billions)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $2.6B (Seed, Series A, Series B, and Series D); annual revenue reported at $9.5M
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: 8VC (Seed lead), Caffeinated Capital (Series A lead), Andreessen Horowitz (Series B lead), Kleiner Perkins (Series D lead). Strategic acquisition of Gulf Craft (April 2025) to accelerate shipbuilding.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount of 785 employees (+218.7% YoY), 296 active job postings, awarded a $392M Navy contract, international offices in Australia, United Kingdom, and Japan.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Founder experience**: Co‑founder/CEO Dino Mavrookas is a former Navy SEAL with eight combat tours; the leadership team includes veterans and technologists who understand military needs firsthand.
- **Proven technology**: Autonomous vessels already deployed in contested environments, with a $392M Navy contract validating the platform.
- **Vertical integration**: In‑house manufacturing and software development, plus the acquisition of Gulf Craft for scaled shipbuilding.
- **Rapid scaling**: Massive funding and headcount growth signal strong investor and customer confidence.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling production of ASVs from prototype to full manufacturing lines (new Head of Manufacturing hired).
- Expanding vessel lineup with larger platforms (150‑foot *Marauder*) and international partnerships in the Indo‑Pacific and Europe.
- Deepening the software ecosystem (Echelon) for mission planning and manned‑unmanned teaming.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values include “United We Win” (teamwork, respect), “Trust Fuels Triumph” (transparency, integrity), “Solutions Driven” (creative problem‑solving), and “One Mission” (national security focus).
- **Work environment**: Primarily on‑site in Austin, TX, with additional offices in Australia, UK, and Japan. High‑growth startup pace with a mission‑driven defense focus.
- **Perks & ratings**: LinkedIn employer rating 4.2/5.0 (compensation 4.5, culture 4.0, career 4.3). Notable talent drawn from SpaceX, Tesla, Anduril, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin.
- **Engineering culture**: Heavy emphasis on cross‑disciplinary teams (perception, navigation, ML, C2, systems integration) and building “captainless” ships.

## Sources
1. [saronic.com](https://www.saronic.com/) – Homepage, capabilities, and news (Navy contract)
2. [saronic.com/team](https://www.saronic.com/team) – Founders, leadership, values
3. [saronic.com/mission](https://www.saronic.com/mission) – Mission statement
4. [linkedin.com/company/saronic-technologies](https://www.linkedin.com/company/saronic-technologies) – Financials, headcount, funding rounds, investors, reviews
5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/saronic](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/saronic) – Active job postings

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