Technical Program Manager (Homeland Layered Defense), Public Sector
Scale AI
Washington, DC · Posted August 24, 2026
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Where Washington, DC ranks
Where Washington, DC placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Cities hosting the most business conferences in the Mid-Atlantic104 conferences · of 12
- #1Cities hosting the most government & public sector conferences18 conferences · of 29
- #1Cities hosting the most accounting & audit conferences8 conferences · of 14
- #1Cities hosting the most finance conferences9 conferences · of 24
- #1Cities hosting the most legal conferences10 conferences · of 10
- #2Best cities for sales pay after cost of living$169k · of 45
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
Pay compared with the market
This listing does not state pay. Across 150 open technical program manager listings that state pay, the middle half runs $150,000 to $194,500 and the median is $167,500.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
Technical Program Manager salaries by state · Check your own pay
How AI is used in this kind of work
Among computer occupations, all other, AI is already used for a large share of the tasks. Measured exposure for computer occupations, all other: 31% (high).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
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About the job
Scale's public sector business is providing the best of American commercial technology and innovation to protect the homeland and meet the moment. As a member of our public sector delivery team, you will own relationships critical to the portfolio of clients charged with a layered defense for the United States. You will be a catalyst, willing to go deep, get technical, and drive change. You will manage customer relationships and partners as well as partner with our engineering team to solve Scale’s hardest problems. All of this serves an ultimate goal of delivering cutting-edge agentic AI to orchestrate portfolio management for defense of the homeland.
You will:
• Own technical execution for one or more national security mission areas from initial requirement through deployment and formal evaluation
• Translate operational workflows into detailed Product Requirements Documents (PRDs), Engineering Requirements Documents (ERDs), and executable engineering work
• Work alongside engineers during cycle planning to define scope, sequencing, architecture constraints, dependencies, and milestones
• Maintain end-to-end requirements traceability from customer objective to software build, test event, and formal deliverable
• Drive Jira/GitLab execution and provide accurate inputs into integrated master schedules and program-level planning
• Understand and manage data availability, system architecture, integration dependencies, and technical constraints across high-side networks
• Identify technical blockers early, own their resolution, and immediately escalate critical risks when required
• Partner with subcontractors and external engineering teams where applicable, defining interfaces, deliverables, handoffs, and accountability
• Communicate technical progress, risks, tradeoffs, and decisions clearly to both engineering teams and senior customer stakeholders
Must haves:
• Active TS/SCI clearance
• 5+ years of experience in technical program management, software engineering, systems engineering, product management, technical consulting, or a related technical delivery role
• Strong technical literacy across software architecture, APIs, data systems, system integration, and AI/ML-enabled products
• Ability to write detailed technical and product requirements that engineering teams can directly execute against
• Experience driving complex technical programs across multiple engineering and stakeholder groups
• Strong understanding of program management fundamentals, including requirements traceability, dependencies, risks, schedules, and deliverables
• Ability to reason about data availability and software integration constraints in secure or highly regulated environments
• Comfort working extensively inside secure facilities and air-gapped government systems
• Willingness to travel 25–50% for onsite engagements, integration work, user testing, briefings, and formal evaluation events
We have a diverse team with a variety of skill sets, many have:
• A technical degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, data science, or a related field
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, or another programming language
• Prior experience as a software engineer, systems engineer, solutions architect, or technical product manager
• Experience building or deploying AI/ML and agentic systems on classified networks
Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.
The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is:
$166,400—$208,000 USD
PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
About Us:
At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.
We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.
We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.
We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.
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