Job description
Location:
Amsterdam - Netherlands
Type:
Fulltime
Intelic builds the software that makes uncrewed systems work in contested environments. Our platform, Nexus, is a C2 system for heterogeneous drone fleets operating where comms break down and GPS drops out. We integrate with NATO battle management systems, deploy with Ukrainian forces in active operations, and work directly with the Dutch Ministry of Defence and allied partners to define what next-generation drone warfare looks like. This is not a generic PM role at a SaaS company. We need someone who has been in or around military operations, understands drone systems and UxV technology, and can manage the kind of multi-stakeholder complexity that comes with defense procurement. If you have that background, this role gives you direct ownership of projects that matter.
Why this role exists
Intelic operates at the intersection of fast-moving technology development and defense institutions that have their own timelines, procurement structures, and communication expectations. Our partnerships with the Dutch MoD, NATO stakeholders, and operational units in Ukraine are how our products get shaped, validated, and deployed. These are not straightforward vendor-client relationships. They involve shifting requirements, multi-year frameworks, compliance constraints, and real operational consequences when things slip. We need a Senior Project Manager who can own this complexity: keeping engineering, operations, product, and external partners aligned while protecting the product roadmap from scope creep. You will be the person who ensures Intelic delivers on its commitments without losing sight of where the company is heading.
What you will own
• End-to-end delivery of defense projects: from the Dutch MoD framework agreements and Taskforce partnerships to allied engagements. You run these from kickoff through execution to evaluation, including milestone tracking, risk management, and stakeholder reporting.
• Translation of defense requirements into executable plans: partner requirements, program constraints, and funding conditions become project plans with clear milestones, deliverables, owners, and timelines. You bridge the gap between what a ministry needs and what an engineering team can ship.
• Cross-functional coordination: you work across engineering, product, operations, and business development to keep projects on track. You know when to escalate and when to resolve, and you don't let things fall between teams.
• External stakeholder management: you are the primary point of contact for defense clients and partners. You build trust, manage expectations, and ensure transparent communication throughout the project lifecycle. You are equally comfortable in a ministry briefing room and a field deployment site.
• Risk and dependency management: you identify blockers before they become crises, particularly around procurement timelines, compliance requirements, integration dependencies, and operational constraints in contested environments.
• Product roadmap protection: when project demands or partner requests start pulling things off course, you recognize it early and steer back. You balance short-term delivery commitments with the company's long-term strategic direction.
• Proposal and tender support: you contribute to the preparation of proposals, tenders, and program documentation in collaboration with leadership, engineering, and finance.
• Process improvement: you introduce structure where it helps delivery, without adding overhead that slows things down. You shape how Intelic manages projects as the company scales.
Note: this role involves (inter)national travel, including possibly to operational environments.
What we are looking for
We are specifically looking for someone who combines three things that rarely come together: military or defense operations experience, familiarity with drone or UxV technology, and the project management discipline to drive complex deliveries. Here is what that looks like:
Experience
• 7+ years of hands-on project management: in technology-driven environments. You have managed complex, multi-stakeholder projects with real budget and timeline accountability.
• Military or defense background: at least 2 years working within or directly alongside armed forces, a ministry of defence, or a defense contractor. You understand how defense organizations make decisions, procure technology, and communicate.
• Experience with uncrewed systems is a pre: you have worked with or managed projects involving unmanned aerial, ground, or maritime systems. You understand the operational, regulatory, and technical realities of deploying autonomous platforms. Experience with UxV’s is a pre. Experience working with engineering teams is a must.
• Defense procurement and stakeholder management: you have navigated government procurement processes, framework agreements, or similar institutional buying cycles.
Skills and capabilities
• Technical fluency: you do not need to write code, but you are comfortable working alongside software and systems engineers. You understand enough about C2 systems, communication protocols, and software architecture to translate between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Structured communication: you can run a partner review meeting in the morning and an internal sprint retro in the afternoon, adjusting language and approach for each audience. Written and verbal communication in English is essential; Dutch is a strong plus.
• Methodology agnostic: you know Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches, and you apply what works rather than following a framework for its own sake.
• Bias to action: given incomplete information, you move forward with a reasonable plan and adapt, rather than waiting for perfect clarity.
Preferred qualifications
• Experience with complex systems integration or defense technology platforms (BMS, C2, ISR)
• NATO or multi-national defense project experience
• Operational deployment experience; you have been in or supported field deployments, not just managed them from a desk
You will thrive here if
• You care about impact over process. You bring structure because it helps teams deliver, not because a framework told you to.
• Complexity energizes you. Multi-stakeholder projects with shifting priorities, procurement constraints, and real-world operational consequences are where you do your best work.
• You have been close to operations. Whether military service, defense consulting, or supporting field deployments, you have seen how technology performs when it leaves the lab.
• You are drawn to the mission. European security, defense technology; this is not just another PM role to you. You want your work to have consequences beyond the next status update.
Your first year
• You have taken ownership of key defense projects and established yourself as a trusted point of contact for external stakeholders including the Dutch MoD and allied partners.
• You have delivered tangible project milestones on time and within scope, contributing directly to operational effectiveness and partner trust.
• You have introduced practical project management improvements that help cross-functional teams stay aligned without adding unnecessary overhead.
• You have built strong internal relationships across engineering, product, and operations, becoming the person who makes collaboration between teams and partners seamless.
How we work
We run projects with a bias toward clarity, accountability, and real-world impact. Planning is structured with clear milestones and owners, adapted to the pace of each engagement. We use GitHub, Linear, Slack, and Notion for collaboration. Delivery follows Agile practices with a focus on cross-functional coordination. We track progress through OKRs, regular partner check-ins, and real-world validation with operators in the field.
Why Intelic
• Real ownership. You run projects with direct consequences for mission success and partner trust. No ticket-taking, no checkbox project management. • Shape the company. We are at a stage where how you work becomes how we work. Your influence goes beyond your portfolio. • See your decisions in the field. Your work directly affects how technology gets deployed in real operations, not Gantt charts from a distance. • Learn fast. Direct partner contact, cross-functional ownership, and a team that takes craft seriously. • The mission is real. We build technology that makes Europe safer.
• Travel allowance
• Flexible pension plan
• 25 vacation days + 8% holiday allowance
• Stock Appreciation Rights program
• Office at NDSM wharf, Amsterdam Noord — overlooking het IJ
• Urban Sports corporate membership
• Lease a Bike option
We look forward to receiving your application and getting to know you. If you have any questions, please contact our recruiter Liliia at liliia@intelic.ai.