Delivery Manager

Orbis Operations is looking for a Delivery Manager to run a technically complex, multi-phase program for an international government defense client. This isn't a traditional project management position. You'll be the operational backbone of the program-the person who enforces cadence, drives accountability, and ensures commitments move from decision to execution to proof.

You'll sit at the intersection of engineering, business development, and the client. You will bridge the gap between what the technical team is building and the client's expectations, while keeping everyone across our geographically dispersed organization operating from a shared picture. You'll track deliverables against tight contractual timelines, manage bilateral obligations, and surface risks before they become problems. You will be a key partner to our business development team and maintain an understanding of the broader business context.

The right person for this role combines structural rigor with comfort in ambiguity. You turn high-level ambitions into concrete tasks, force clarity of ownership, and close loops-including with peers and those seniors to you. You're energized by order, comfortable with discomfort, and more interested in outcomes than credit.

• Drive delivery operations - Own the project plan, milestone cadence, and documentation. Capture engineering requirements, organize them into actionable work, and enforce clear ownership with real deadlines. Minimize untested assumptions and undefined requirements.
• Manage contract milestones - Track milestone-based deliverables against contractual acceptance criteria. Manage acceptance windows, coordinate invoice triggers, and document the full chain from delivery to payment.
• Track bilateral obligations - Monitor client readiness and responsibilities as rigorously as internal deliverables. Document challenges and drive clarity on contractual fulfillment criteria.
• Surface risk early - Escalate potential issues early and clearly. Ensure engineering, delivery, operations, compliance, and finance are fully aligned.
• Own client communication - Serve as the primary interlocutor between engineering, business development, and the client. Translate technical details into clear, professional materials for non-technical and senior audiences.
• Oversee technical conformance - Verify that deployment packages, validation artifacts, and documentation meet contractual specifications. Challenge the engineering team when evidence is insufficient or unclear.
• Report to leadership - Provide routine reporting to the Head of Delivery Assurance. Stress test plans, risks, and mitigations. Maintain tightly focused documentation that enables leadership to make decisions.
• Build the culture - Be a role model of delivery excellence. Push back constructively when teams drift. Make the benefits of rigorous project management visible across the organization.

Requirements

• 10 years' experience working on and delivering projects.
• 5 years' experience leading teams to deliver successfully.
• PMP or equivalent qualification in project management.
• Experience managing milestone-based or outcomes-based contracts with defined acceptance criteria and payment triggers.
• Track record of successful project completion, on time and on budget.
• Experience leading large, complex projects with internal and external dependencies.
• Experience tracking and enforcing bilateral obligations-holding clients to their commitments as firmly as your own team.
• Comfort with complex technical concepts, particularly in software deployment or systems integration.
• Strong communication skills with experience briefing senior leaders and working directly with clients.
• Experience working with international clients, with demonstrated cross-cultural competence in professional settings.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Level security clearance
• Up to 50% overseas travel

Desirable

• U.S. Federal, State, or International Government project or contract management experience, particularly with defense or national security institutions.
• Experience working in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Familiarity with defense capability maturity models (IOC/FMC) and associated documentation.
• Experience managing software deployment programs involving containerized systems, data pipelines, or distributed site-based rollouts.
• Experience managing dispersed teams across significant time zone differentials (8+ hours).
• Understanding of IP licensing models and the distinction between software licensing and ownership.
• Mandarin language skills (not required but advantageous).

This is not a software engineering role. However, the ideal candidate is technically fluent, comfortable navigating AI-assisted tools, and confident operating in environments where cloud architecture, identity management, APIs, and data integrations are core to delivery.

• AI as a daily operating layer - You use tools like Cursor, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Claude to draft, analyze, and accelerate workflows. You know how to verify outputs, write clear prompts, and treat AI as a force multiplier-not a novelty.
• Technical environment comfort - You can read and navigate code repositories, review JSON, YAML, and API responses, and understand REST APIs, OAuth, SSO, JWT, and modern SaaS architecture without being a developer.
• Systems thinking - You understand how cloud-based systems operate. You're comfortable in environments including Microsoft 365, Azure AD, Cloudflare, SaaS platforms, and security controls. You can spot integration gaps and process breakdowns.
• Execution discipline - You turn ambiguous technical discussions into structured action plans. You track technical dependencies and cross-functional risks. You document architecture, decisions, and progress in a way executives understand.

Beyond the resume, we're looking for someone who brings:

• Backbone - You ask hard questions and hold people accountable, including people senior to you, with professionalism.
• Rigor - Your instinct is to turn ambiguity into actionable plans. Unclear requirements energize you, not paralyze you.
• Comfort with discomfort - You thrive in high-pressure, fast-moving, cross-cultural environments.
• Mission focus ---- on making the team and the mission succeed, not on personal visibility.
• Follow-through - You're relentless about closing loops. If something was committed, you track it until it's done.
• Commercial awareness - You understand that delivery discipline isn't just operational-it protects the contractual position and the company's bottom line.

• Dynamic, mission-driven team with access to a wide range of global clients.
• Opportunity to travel internationally, including regular engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Competitive compensation and benefits, such as unlimited PTO, and generous 401K match.
• Flexible work environment.
• A leadership team that will back you publicly and empower you to drive results.

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Routine video conference and/or in-person meetings.
• Up to 50% overseas travel
• Ability to travel internationally for extended periods, including long-haul flights.

Orbis Operations is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.