Program Manager (DoD & SBIR Projects)

Inhance Digital Corporation is a creative technology and immersive software company that brings complex ideas to life through interactive experiences, simulation, XR, AI-enabled platforms, and mission-focused training systems. We are seeking a mission-savvy SBIR / DoD Program Manager to lead federally funded R&D programs, starting with active and upcoming SBIR Phase I and Phase II contracts, and help guide high-potential technologies toward Phase III transition, operational adoption, and scalable deployment THE ROLE This is a hands-on program leadership role for someone who understands how small, fast-moving technology teams deliver for government customers. You will serve as the connective tissue between Inhance leadership, creative and technical teams, government sponsors, contracting stakeholders, technical points of contact, end users, and external partners. The right candidate will keep programs aligned, compliant, on schedule, financially visible, and focused on real-world impact. You should be comfortable managing ambiguity, translating government expectations into practical execution plans, and helping a creative technical team deliver high-quality work inside structured federal programs. This role may involve access to controlled technical data, sensitive government-related information, and/or restricted project materials. As a result, candidates must meet all applicable U.S. government, security, export-control, and contract eligibility requirements. U.S. citizenship is required where mandated by the applicable project, contract, or clearance requirement. WHAT YOU’LL DO • Own day-to-day management of DoD and federal SBIR/STTR Phase I and Phase II projects, including schedules, deliverables, meetings, risks, budgets, and communications. • Serve as a primary program point of contact for TPOCs, end users, prime/subcontract partners, and internal leadership. • Build and maintain integrated project schedules, milestone plans, action-item trackers, risk registers, decision logs, and recurring status reports. • Drive timely submission of contract deliverables, including monthly/quarterly reports, technical reports, final reports, demo materials, briefings, and other CDRL-style artifacts when applicable. • Track scope, budget, funding milestones, labor burn, subcontractor activity, invoicing inputs, and reporting obligations in coordination with company leadership and finance. • Prepare for and lead recurring customer meetings, internal standups, milestone reviews, demo planning sessions, and post-meeting follow-up. • Support Phase II execution strategy and Phase III transition planning, including stakeholder mapping, operational use-case validation, partner coordination, and next-step capture activities. • Help translate technical team progress into clear government-facing language, including status updates, slide decks, review narratives, and executive summaries. • Identify program risks early, escalate issues clearly, and help resolve cross-functional blockers across engineering, design, production, SMEs, and leadership. • Provide input on new SBIR/STTR, OTA, prototype, IDIQ, and related federal opportunities where program execution experience can strengthen capture and proposal strategy. WHAT YOU BRING • 5-10+ years of program or project management experience, preferably with DoD, federal R&D, defense innovation, SBIR/STTR, OTA, prototype, or small-business contracting environments. • Demonstrated ability to manage technical programs with multiple stakeholders, evolving requirements, fixed milestones, and high visibility. • Familiarity with SBIR/STTR program lifecycles, DoD acquisition pathways, transition planning, government reporting, and sponsor-facing communications. • Strong command of schedules, budgets, risk management, meeting facilitation, documentation, and executive-level follow-through. • Ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences, including engineers, designers, military users, contracting personnel, and senior decision-makers. • Comfort working in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment where the PM must create structure without slowing down innovation. • Excellent writing and presentation skills, with the ability to turn complex technical progress into clear, concise status updates and decision-ready materials. • U.S. citizenship is required. Active or prior clearance is preferred but not required. NICE TO HAVE • Experience managing SBIR Phase II programs through technical milestones, customer demos, final reporting, and transition planning. • Experience supporting Phase III commercialization, government adoption, prime contractor teaming, or transition into operational DoD environments. • Background in modeling and simulation, XR/VR/AR/MR, training systems, aerospace and defense, AI-enabled tools, or interactive/instructional media. • Familiarity with AFWERX/USAF, Army, Navy, Space Force, DARPA, DIU, SOCOM, or other defense innovation ecosystems. • Experience with tools such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Monday.com, Jira, Harvest, Microsoft 365, or similar PM/reporting systems. • Based in the Los Angeles area or able to travel for major client meetings, demos, test events, conferences, and internal planning sessions. WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS Inhance builds technology that is seen, felt, and used in critical environments, from warfighter training and aircraft maintenance to emergency response, medical simulation, and mission-focused decision support. This role helps ensure that promising R&D does not remain a prototype; it becomes a fieldable, fundable, and operationally useful capability. If you have been looking for a place where cutting-edge technology, creative execution, national defense, and real-world mission impact converge, this is it.