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REGENT · 1 day ago

Director of Program Management

North Kingstown, Rhode Island, USA

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

REGENT is on a mission to revolutionize regional transportation between coastal cities with their innovative seaglider technology. The Director of Program Management will lead the program management function to drive vehicle development programs, ensuring timely and budget-compliant delivery of production-ready vehicles.

Electric VehicleManufacturingMarine TransportationTransportation

Responsibilities

Build and Lead the PMO Function: Architect REGENT’s Program Management Office, building from our early stage foundation. Hire, mentor, and grow a high-caliber team of program and project managers who can own scope, schedule, and execution across multiple vehicle programs

Establish a Scalable Program Culture: Define the operating rhythms, reviews, and cadences that bring structure, focus, and accountability across engineering and manufacturing functions

Mentor and Develop Future Leaders: Invest in your team’s growth. Coach program managers and technical leads to be more effective planners, communicators, and cross-functional leaders

Drive Execution Across Programs: Own the delivery of REGENT’s major vehicle programs - ensuring execution aligns with business objectives, technical milestones, certification timelines, and production readiness

Unify Planning and Forecasting: Partner with finance, People, and executive leadership to align program execution with company-level forecasts and headcount planning. Translate technical plans into capital requirements, hiring needs, and runway projections

Implement Smart, Flexible Process: Introduce the minimum required engineering and program management processes to support speed without sacrificing quality. Ensure repeatability and rigor across programs without slowing teams down

Own Program Risk and Change Control: Manage and communicate key schedule risks and tradeoffs. Implement change control processes and ensure cross-functional alignment when scope or priorities shift

Collaborate Across Domains: Work with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and commercial teams to ensure tight coordination and successful delivery from design through sea trials and customer handoff

Qualification

Program LeadershipEnd-to-End Product DevelopmentPMO Best PracticesTechnical AcumenCross-Functional PlanningAdaptable & AgileInnovative MindsetClear CommunicationCollaborative Team PlayerCreative Problem Solver

Required

Proven Program Leadership in Complex Vehicle Programs: Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional hardware development programs in aerospace, defense, maritime, or other advanced hardware environments. Direct ownership of $50 M+ programs and leadership of teams 50+ strong

Track Record of Building Teams: Demonstrated success in building and mentoring high-performing program management teams. You've hired, coached, and developed PMs and technical leads who thrive in fast-paced, technical environments

End-to-End Product Development Experience: Demonstrated success taking multiple hardware+software systems through design, build, integration, and test - especially in regulated or certified environments

Expertise in PMO Best Practices: Track record of standing up and leading PMO organizations in high-growth or high-complexity settings

Strong Technical Acumen: Comfort engaging with engineers on everything from system architecture to build schedules and integration risks. Familiarity with disciplines across software, electrical, composites, propulsion, and embedded systems

Cross-Functional Planning Experience: Ability to align technical milestones with financial forecasting, capital planning, headcount modeling, and organizational growth

Clear, Empathetic Communication: Able to drive accountability and alignment while earning trust through clarity, empathy, and delivery

Calm in Complexity: Comfortable operating in ambiguity and rolling up your sleeves in a startup environment. Able to create clarity and structure where none exists - without slowing things down

Preferred

Collaborative Team Player: You believe that great things happen when teams work together. You communicate effectively and collaborate with engineers, stakeholders, and other cross-functional teams to align on goals and move projects forward. You bring people together, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and moving towards a shared vision

Creative Problem Solver: You thrive on tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions. Whether it's unblocking critical path items, navigating cross-functional misalignment, or refining program execution frameworks, you approach every challenge with creativity and determination. You're able to address immediate needs while also planning for future scalability and efficiency

Adaptable & Agile: In a fast-paced, ever-evolving startup environment, you quickly adapt to changing priorities and requirements. You approach challenges with a calm, resilient mindset, and know how to pivot and adjust your approach as needed, ensuring that progress continues without missing a beat

Innovative Mindset: You're driven by curiosity and a passion for technology. You're passionate about driving continuous improvement, embracing new technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency, quality, and team performance