Job Description:
[Valkenburg | On site]
JOIN THE SURGE
At Surge Marine, we don't build PowerPoint programmes. We build the next generation of high-performance autonomous maritime systems, and we need a Programme Manager who wants to see their plans become hardware in the water—from day one.
We are a lean, agile team at the intersection of European defence technology and deep-sea autonomy. If you are tired of managing processes for their own sake and want to drive real-world development of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and long-range semi-submersible platforms, you belong here. You won't be a gate-keeper; you'll be the operational backbone of the team, working side-by-side with engineers and naval experts who live and breathe unmanned maritime systems.
THE MISSION
As our Programme Manager for Unmanned Maritime Systems, you are the connective tissue between strategy and delivery. You will own the end-to-end programme lifecycle for our autonomous underwater and surface platforms—from milestone planning and contractual governance through system integration, sea trials, and customer acceptance.
This isn't a status-update role. You will shape programme architectures, negotiate with prime contractors, steer EU and national defence funding bids, and make real-time trade-off decisions that directly affect what gets delivered, when, and at what cost. You are the single accountable voice for programme performance to our customers and partners.
YOUR IMPACT
- Own the Lifecycle: End-to-end planning, scheduling, and delivery across our autonomous maritime systems portfolio—from early design through integration, test, and customer acceptance.
- Technical Ownership: Drive outcomes through meticulous understanding of system performance. Manage incident response, own the IMS, and maintain a credible programme health narrative for engineers and customers alike.
- Contractual Governance: Manage SOWs, change orders, milestone payments, and deliverables with prime contractors and subcontractors. Protect the company's IP and commercial position.
- Funding & Bids: Lead participation in EDF, PESCO, and national MoD bids. Own bid schedules, consortium coordination, and submission quality. Translate strategic opportunity into fundable, executable proposals.
- Stakeholder Command: Single interface to defence customers and institutional partners. Build trust through consistency and rigorous follow-through. Brief board, ministry, and operational-level audiences with equal credibility.
- Culture Building: Define what done looks like. Build the governance frameworks and lessons-learned discipline that scale with Surge Marine from startup to serious defence prime.
WHO YOU ARE
You are a field-grade programme manager. You understand that in the maritime defence world a slipped milestone doesn't just affect a Gantt chart—it affects operational capability and funding cycles worth tens of millions of euros. You prefer outcomes over optics, hold startup agility and programme rigour in tension simultaneously, and you're as comfortable in a Brussels procurement meeting as you are standing at a quayside test event watching your work enter the water.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Experience: 7+ years in programme or project management within defence, aerospace, or maritime technology, with at least 3 years managing complex multi-stakeholder programmes with significant contractual obligations.
- Domain Fluency: Direct experience with unmanned systems, autonomous vehicles, or maritime platforms operating in GPS-degraded or contested environments.
- Technical Depth: Able to engage at system architecture level—enough to evaluate risk, catch integration gaps, and earn the trust of your engineering team.
- Procurement & Contracts: Proven ability to navigate EU (EDF, PESCO), NATO, or national MoD frameworks and manage prime/subcontractor relationships, including EVM and government reporting.
- Communication: English is the working language—fluency is a must. Dutch is strongly preferred. Any additional EU language (French, German, Spanish, Italian, etc.) is a plus. Able to translate engineering complexity into compelling executive and customer briefings. Travel 25–40% of the time for customer engagements and field test events.
- Nationality: Dutch nationality is preferred; any other NATO-country national is equally welcome to apply. Existing security clearance or eligibility for national vetting (e.g. Veiligheidsonderzoek) / NATO SECRET is strongly preferred.
Nice to have: Naval or military background EU consortium experience (EDF, Horizon) MBSE or V-model familiarity AUV/USV field operations PMP or PRINCE2
THE SURGE OFFER
We don't offer corporate fluff. We offer a defining programme that will shape European maritime autonomy for the next decade. Additionally:
- Competitive Salary: Benchmarked against senior defence programme roles in the Netherlands.
- Equity / Options: Own a piece of the capability you help build.
- True Flexibility: Unmanned Valley home base with remote flexibility. We measure outcomes, not clock-in times.
- Unlimited Growth: As our platform portfolio scales, so does this role. Head of Programmes is yours to build.
- Adventure: Sea trials are your milestone. When we put systems in the water, you're standing on the pier.
Ready to take command?
Skip the cover letter. Send us your programme portfolio, the toughest trade-off youve made on a live programme, and what you'd do in your first 90 days.
Contact: career@surgemarine.eu
Surge Marine is an equal opportunity employer. We value grit, talent, and the ability to get things done.