Head of Ground Power Programs

This role presents a unique opportunity for you to lead Universal Hydrogen's Ground Power Programs, which are enabling true zero-emission aviation by replacing dirty diesel generators and solving a remaining vital element to the hydrogen value chain: the use of hydrogen at scale to support the decarbonization and local air quality improvements of airside ground operations. As Head of Ground Power Programs, you will be responsible for the successful delivery of the program's products, the integration of the individual programs, managing the overall System of System set of interdependencies, and leading the programs to profitability. You will be working with internal and external partners to deliver true zero-emission aviation Ground Power to the market in 2024.

The Head of Ground Power Programs, who reports to the President, leads the management of our Ground Power Programs from the assessment of new program opportunities through the delivery of our product entry into service. This includes managing the interdependencies at the "System of System" level within the company to support the establishment of Universal Hydrogen's profitable fuel services business model for our Ground Power segment.

About the Job

• Oversee the Ground Power Programs and responsible for driving the development, industrialization, and entry into service in the deployment regions.
• Serve as the representative of the Ground Power business segment when interacting with the leadership team.
• Take charge of the overall "System of Systems" and related requirements, which extend to individual programs, and facilitate trades to optimize the overall business model.
• Take responsibility for the Ground Power Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) at the company level, ensuring that it meets our company goals and aligns our investors commitments.
• Drive the Ground Power project management, integrated product development teams, requirement management, budgeting, scheduling, and status, regularly adapting them to the company's development phase.
• Manage the budget and funding channels for maximum productivity and propose arbitration between requirements.
• Provide clear and objective visibility of the program's performance to plan to the organization, leadership, and stakeholders.

About You

• An accomplished senior program director with a proven capability to lead and inspire a team.
• Track record of delivering ambitious programs on aggressive timescales.
• Exceptional at working with your peers to manage competing priorities and deliver maximum value to the organization.
• Ability to communicate clearly and directly both orally and in writing to your team, management, and customers.
• Have a strong engineering background, degree-level qualification, and significant experience in the development of complex systems, preferably in both aerospace and network logistics.
• You should be open-minded and passionate about developing your team.

About Us

At Universal Hydrogen, our mission is to fuel carbon-free flight and reduce the climate impact of air travel. We are stitching together the end-to-end hydrogen value chain for aviation, both for hydrogen fuel and hydrogen-powered airplanes. We are building a transport and logistics network that moves hydrogen from production facilities to airports over the existing freight infrastructure, eliminating the need for costly new pipelines and storage facilities. Our system utilizes specialized capsules that safely store hydrogen during transit and also act as modular fuel tanks that load directly onto aircraft. We are also developing powertrain conversion kits to retrofit existing airplanes and enable new airplanes to fly on hydrogen. Founded by former executives from Airbus, United Technologies, Google, and DARPA, and backed by investors such as Playground Global, JetBlue, Toyota, and Airbus, we are convinced that hydrogen is the best and only scalable solution to truly decarbonize aviation, and we want to bring it to market decades sooner—by 2026.

We strive for a culture that is empowered, collaborative, open, and human-centered. We are driven by a sense of urgency to address climate change through the near-term decarbonization of commercial aviation. We recognize that people have a diverse set of preferences for work conditions and hours that optimize for their overall productivity and wellness, and both our cloud-based IT setup and flexible work policy reflects this. However, because we are building physical products, most roles will require working at our facility at Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles most of the time.

Our compensation and benefits package promotes transparency, equitability, and long-term employee well-being, while rewarding individual and team performance. This includes cash bonuses and significant equity participation for all salaried employees, employer-paid health insurance coverage, generous parental leave, a pet-friendly headquarters located at Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles, and generous paid time off. As a young company, we are actively working to expand the benefits we provide—including childcare, retirement, parental, and mental health benefits—and we're always open to feedback on what's most important to you.

We know that no two candidates are the same, and we want to give you the opportunity to present yourself in the best way possible. Don't hesitate to let us know how we can support a great recruitment process for you—whether that includes off-hours interview scheduling, captioning/transcription services, or other accommodations. We value diversity in all its forms, and encourage people from all backgrounds to apply, especially if you share in our mission to decarbonize air travel.

Please note that for the health and safety of our employees, we require all employees to provide proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations as recommended by the CDC (or a valid exemption).