Senior Technical Project/Program Manager — Defense and Public Programs
About this role
Apex.AI is building the software foundation for a new generation of sovereign, software-defined defense systems.
We are looking for a Senior Technical Project Manager to lead software projects with the German Armed Forces, public-sector defense organizations, and industrial partners, while supporting the expansion of our activities into NATO and allied European programs.
You will work at the intersection of customer, technical sales, engineering, and external partners. Your role is to continuously shape and prioritize project scope, align operational needs with technical feasibility, and keep delivery moving across multiple organizations.
Our projects focus on Software-Defined Defense, C2/C4ISR/MDO, autonomous systems, and collaborative software development environments — contributing directly to stronger European technological sovereignty and interoperability across allied defense ecosystems.
The position is based in Munich and includes regular travel within Europe.
\nWhat You’ll Do-
Lead defense and public-sector software projects from project initiation through iterative delivery
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Define and continuously refine project scope together with customers and engineering teams
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Translate operational needs into actionable technical work packages and delivery priorities
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Balance customer value, technical feasibility, budget, timing and engineering capacity
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Coordinate engineering execution across internal teams and external partners
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Manage schedules, budgets, risks, dependencies and contractual commitments
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Translate operational requirements into actionable technical priorities
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Represent Apex.AI in customer reviews, demonstrations and steering committees
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Several years of experience leading technically complex, iterative projects
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Diplomatic and collaborative working style, combined with the confidence to challenge assumptions and drive decisions
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Proven experience in defense, public-sector technology, robotics, embedded software, aerospace, or comparable environments
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Proven experience working with the Bundeswehr ecosystem or NATO / allied defense customers
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Strong technical understanding of distributed software systems spanning embedded, edge, networking and cloud environments
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Ability to work effectively with software architects, system engineers, developers and integration teams
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Sound judgment when balancing scope, technical complexity, budget, timing and customer priorities
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Experience coordinating multiple projects, organizations and technical disciplines
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Comfortable driving projects forward despite evolving requirements and technical uncertainty.
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Fluent German and English; willingness to travel
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Eligibility to obtain security clearance (existing clearance is a plus).
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Existing German security clearance
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Experience working in classified environments
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Familiarity with Software-Defined Defense, C2/C4ISR, Multi-Domain Operations, tactical communications or AI-enabled defense systems
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Familiarity with DevSecOps, CI/CD, software integration, verification & validation or distributed systems
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Experience with public procurement or multi-partner defense projects
You will help build the software foundations that allow NATO and allied nations to develop and field defense capabilities faster, with greater technological sovereignty and control over their systems.
You will work directly with customers, engineers, public-sector organizations and industrial partners on technically demanding programs with operational relevance.
Apex.AI brings modern software engineering, deterministic middleware, safety-critical AI systems, continuous integration, verification and validation into defense — shortening the path from requirement to deployable capability.
If you want to work on technically demanding programs with direct relevance for our security and resilience — and help change how defense software is developed and delivered — this is the place to do it.
Company at a glance
Apex.AI is an international software company specializing in safety-certified, developer-friendly, and scalable software for mobility systems. Its mission is to accelerate the transition to software-defined vehicles and mobility. Founded in 2017 by Jan Becker and Dejan Pangercic, Apex.AI is headquartered in Palo Alto with offices in Munich, Stuttgart, Gothenburg, Tokyo, and Pangyo. The company has raised over $75 million from venture, financial and strategic investors, including AGCO, Airbus Ventures, Canaan, Continental AG, Daimler Truck, HELLA Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion Ventures, LG Electronics, Lightspeed, Orillion, Toyota Ventures, Volvo Group Venture Capital, and ZF. Apex.AI bases its software on proven open-source platforms such as ROS and Eclipse iceoryx, forks them to add functional safety and performance for commercial and safety-critical applications, and has developed a proprietary process to rework open-source software to meet the highest functional-safety standards. The company emphasizes an experienced, agile team with twenty-plus years of experience building autonomous systems and software functional safety, enabling software-defined vehicles.
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