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Software Program Manager Jobs in Santa Monica, CA

Sphinx Defense

Senior Program Manager

El Segundo, CA · On-site

$275K - $312K/yr

ABOUT THE ROLE Sphinx is hiring a Senior Program Manager to lead our teams building the next generation of mission planning software for satellite communications programs. This team is charged with ...

Sphinx Defense

Senior Program Manager

El Segundo, CA · On-site

$275K - $312K/yr

ABOUT SPHINX Sphinx builds software to solve complex national security problems in Space. Founded ... ABOUT THE ROLE Sphinx is hiring a Senior Program Manager to lead our teams building the next ...

LIDD Consultants Inc.

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Lead complex enterprise software and supply chain transformation programs from initiation through post-go-live stabilization. * Manage multiple interconnected projects and workstreams simultaneously.

LIDD Consultants Inc.

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Lead complex enterprise software and supply chain transformation programs from initiation through post-go-live stabilization. * Manage multiple interconnected projects and workstreams simultaneously.

LIDD Consultants Inc.

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Lead complex enterprise software and supply chain transformation programs from initiation through post-go-live stabilization. * Manage multiple interconnected projects and workstreams simultaneously.

LIDD Consultants Inc.

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Lead complex enterprise software and supply chain transformation programs from initiation through post-go-live stabilization. * Manage multiple interconnected projects and workstreams simultaneously.

CHAOS Industries

Program Manager

El Segundo, CA · On-site

The Program Manager will report to the (Acting) Director the Program Execution Office (PEO ... Prior systems engineering or software integration experience * Advanced degree in a technical field ...

CHAOS Industries

Program Manager

El Segundo, CA · On-site

The Program Manager will report to the (Acting) Director the Program Execution Office (PEO ... Prior systems engineering or software integration experience * Advanced degree in a technical field ...

AMS Group, Inc.

Program Manager

Torrance, CA · On-site

$110K - $160K/yr

Experience using project management software such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or a similar ... affect program cost, margin, and overall project health. Preferred Capabilities Background ...

AMS Group, Inc

Program Manager

Torrance, CA · On-site

$110K - $160K/yr

... project management software such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or a similar tool. · ... affect program cost, margin, and overall project health. Preferred Capabilities · Background ...

AMS Group, Inc.

Program Manager

Torrance, CA · On-site

$110K - $160K/yr

... project management software such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or a similar tool. • ... program cost, margin, and overall project health. Preferred Capabilities • Background ...

Front Door Defense

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Program Manager Launch and oversee a defense/aerospace customer program from scope to production ... By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and ...

Hadrian Automation

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and ... As Program Manager, customer deployments, you'll scope, execute, and ultimately own the high-impact ...

Hadrian Automation

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and ... As Program Manager, customer deployments, you'll scope, execute, and ultimately own the high-impact ...

Multicoin

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and ... As Program Manager, customer deployments, you'll scope, execute, and ultimately own the high-impact ...

Hadrian Automation, Inc

Program Manager

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and ... As Program Manager, customer deployments, you'll scope, execute, and ultimately own the high-impact ...

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All JobsSoftware Program JobsSoftware Program Manager JobsSoftware Program Manager Jobs in Santa Monica, CA

Software Program Manager information

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How much do software program manager jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 12, 2026, the average hourly pay for software program manager in Santa Monica, CA is $69.35, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $63.41 and $76.35 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a software program manager?

Software Program Managers are professionals who oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of software projects within an organization. They coordinate cross-functional teams, manage project timelines and budgets, and ensure that software products meet business goals and quality standards. Their role involves risk management, stakeholder communication, and resolving any issues that could impact project success. Software Program Managers act as a bridge between technical teams and business leaders to ensure alignment throughout the software development lifecycle.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a software program manager?

To thrive as a Software Program Manager, you need expertise in project management, software development life cycles, and a relevant degree, often complemented by experience in leading technical teams. Familiarity with tools such as Jira, Microsoft Project, and Agile or Scrum certifications is typically required for planning and tracking progress. Strong communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving abilities are crucial soft skills for aligning teams and managing expectations. These competencies are vital to deliver projects on time, within scope, and to ensure effective collaboration among cross-functional teams.

How does a software program manager typically collaborate with development and QA teams to ensure project success?

A Software Program Manager works closely with both development and QA teams to align project timelines, clarify requirements, and address roadblocks as they arise. They facilitate regular meetings, such as stand-ups or sprint reviews, to ensure everyone is on the same page and that priorities are being met. By acting as a bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders, Program Managers help ensure that quality standards are maintained while deadlines are achieved. Effective communication and proactive issue resolution are key aspects of their collaboration with these teams.

What is the difference between Software Program Manager vs Software Project Manager?

AspectSoftware Program ManagerSoftware Project Manager
ResponsibilitiesOversees multiple related projects, aligns them with business goals, manages interdependenciesManages individual software projects, focuses on scope, schedule, and deliverables
CertificationsPMI-ACP, PMP, Agile certifications often preferredPMP, Scrum Master, Agile certifications
Work EnvironmentStrategic planning, cross-project coordination, stakeholder communicationDay-to-day project execution, team management, task tracking
Industry UsageCommon in large organizations managing multiple projectsCommon in both small and large teams focusing on specific projects

While both roles involve project management skills, a Software Program Manager oversees multiple related projects to ensure strategic alignment, whereas a Software Project Manager focuses on the successful delivery of individual projects. The Program Manager handles broader coordination and stakeholder communication, often requiring similar certifications but with a focus on program-level objectives.

Are software program managers in high demand?

Software program managers are in high demand due to the growth of technology companies and the need for effective project coordination. They often require strong leadership, technical knowledge, and experience with project management tools like Agile or Scrum. The role is expected to grow as organizations increasingly rely on software development and digital transformation.

What does a software program manager do?

A software program manager oversees the planning, execution, and delivery of software projects, coordinating teams, managing schedules, and ensuring project goals are met. They often work with cross-functional teams, utilize project management tools, and require strong communication and organizational skills.

What job categories do people searching Software Program Manager jobs in Santa Monica, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Software Program Manager jobs in Santa Monica, CA are:

What cities near Santa Monica, CA are hiring for Software Program Manager jobs?

Cities near Santa Monica, CA with the most Software Program Manager job openings:

Software Program Manager jobs near you

Software Technical Program Manager - L4

Pasadena, CA • On-site

Sophia Space
See more jobs at Sophia Spaceexternal

$125K - $191K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 20 days ago

Job description

Sophia Space is a venture-backed deep technology company building high-performance, energy-efficient computing systems designed to operate in orbit. Our work sits at the intersection of aerospace systems, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and applied physics, enabling a new generation of distributed edge computing capabilities in space.
Having successfully completed our Seed financing, Sophia is focused on scaling its team, products, and capabilities as we prepare for the next stage of growth. We are building a world-class engineering organization that combines expertise from aerospace, cloud computing, robotics, and AI to solve some of the most challenging problems in space infrastructure. As both a product company and an engineering-driven organization, we actively leverage modern AI tools throughout our development process to accelerate learning, improve productivity, and help deliver innovative, environmentally responsible computing platforms for the future.
Job Description
Sophia Space builds the full software stack for orbital edge computing, including operating systems, firmware, platform infrastructure, runtime services, automation, and mission workloads deployed on NVIDIA Jetson hardware in low Earth orbit.
The Technical Program Manager (TPM) owns the execution system that turns milestone goals, technical plans, release commitments, and cross-functional dependencies into a coherent program flow. This role partners with software leadership to define program plans, milestone success criteria, measurable outcomes, capacity constraints, and clear scope, schedule, risk, and quality trade-offs.
The Software Technical Program Manager is a required participant in software release decisions and may recommend holding a release when dependencies, risks, validation evidence, or operational readiness are incomplete. Engineering leads remain accountable for technical correctness within their domains, the Senior Technical Program Manager presents the integrated program-readiness assessment, and software leadership retains final release authority.
Location & Eligibility
This position is based in Pasadena, California, with hybrid work preferred and remote arrangements considered based on candidate qualifications and business needs.
This position may require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control laws. To comply with applicable ITAR and EAR regulations, applicants must qualify as a U.S. Person, as defined under those regulations. U.S. Persons generally include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and certain protected individuals as defined by applicable law.
Primary Responsibilities
  1. Own the software milestone execution rhythm from planning through release, including scope, success criteria, feature decomposition, dependency tracking, readiness reviews, carry-forward work, and retrospectives.
  2. Partner with software leadership and engineering leads to define integrated program plans, measurable outcomes, sequencing assumptions, capacity constraints, and clear scope, schedule, risk, and quality trade-offs.
  3. Translate milestone goals into coordinated execution plans across platform infrastructure, runtime services, mission workloads, operating systems, firmware, automation, observability, and operations.
  4. Maintain an accurate execution record covering milestone progress, ownership, dependencies, risks, decisions, carry-forward work, and release status without centralizing routine ticket administration.
  5. Establish intake, triage, and risk-management practices that protect engineering focus while ensuring requests, assumptions, issues, and unresolved decisions have clear owners and next actions.
  6. Coordinate software release readiness by defining readiness criteria with engineering leads, identifying gaps, presenting an integrated assessment, and recommending that releases be held when material risk remains unresolved.
  7. Coordinate with business development and product teams on capability needs, feature releases, schedules and scope.

Required Skills
  1. Seven or more years of combined professional experience, including at least five years as a hands-on individual contributor in software engineering, infrastructure engineering, DevOps, platform engineering, embedded software, or a comparable technical discipline.
  2. Two or more years of technical program management, engineering program management, technical project leadership, release management, or equivalent cross-functional execution ownership, which may overlap with an individual-contributor or technical-lead role.
  3. Ability to engage credibly with senior engineers on architecture, interfaces, dependencies, failure modes, validation strategy, and operational trade-offs while respecting engineering ownership of technical decisions.
  4. Experience managing complex software programs involving multiple engineering owners, integration boundaries, technical dependencies, and cross-functional stakeholders.
  5. Strong understanding of software planning, integration, validation, release readiness, risk management, retrospectives, and operational support.
  6. Experience establishing lightweight engineering execution systems that support milestone planning, dependency tracking, decision management, risk visibility, and release coordination without creating unnecessary process overhead.
  7. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to distinguish ticket completion from integration readiness, demonstrated system behavior, and defensible release confidence.

Desired Skills
  1. Experience supporting aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, embedded systems, distributed platforms, or other mission-critical engineering environments.
  2. Experience coordinating hardware and software integration where delivery depends on laboratory assets, firmware readiness, vendor inputs, or physical-system availability.
  3. Familiarity with modern software delivery, infrastructure automation, container orchestration, observability, deployment automation, and production operations.
  4. Experience with milestone-based engineering programs, release gates, integration events, operational-readiness reviews, or customer-facing technical demonstrations.
  5. Experience building or improving intake, planning, dependency tracking, risk management, and release-readiness practices for a growing engineering organization.
  6. Familiarity with engineering design reviews, decision records, architecture governance, difficult-to-reverse technical decisions, and small teams whose engineering leads own broad technical surfaces.

The pay range for this role is:
125,000 - 191,000 USD per year (Pasadena, CA)

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