(Senior) Programme Associate

Job description

**Help Build Europe's Hypersonic Capability** At **Hypersonica**, we’re redefining what’s possible in European defence technology. We exist to deliver speed, resilience, and technological independence at a pace that sets a new standard. We are a small, elite team working on problems that matter, and solving them fast. By joining **Hypersonica**, you’re not stepping into a predefined role. You’re joining a talent dense environment where every individual shapes the direction of the company. Our philosophy is to hire a small number of exceptional people with broad, deep technical capability, strong judgement, and the ability to operate autonomously. We hire for talent, not rigid boxes. This role represents a business need, but the way it evolves will be shaped by the individual. If you’ve achieved what others said was impossible, or you bring a unique combination of skills that doesn’t fit a traditional mould, we want to hear from you. The work you do here directly contributes to Europe’s technological independence. ### What you'll do - Support the day-to-day delivery of defence programmes and major workstreams, helping to maintain momentum across schedules, priorities, and execution. - Translate customer requirements, contractual inputs, and complex information into clear plans, milestones, presentations, and actionable next steps. - Work directly with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders, supporting meetings, programme reviews, workshops, and delivery discussions. - Coordinate cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, business development, and external suppliers to keep programmes moving at pace. - Track progress, risks, actions, and dependencies, identifying issues early and helping drive them through to resolution. - Conduct structured analysis to support programme, commercial, and strategic decisions. - Support commercial and programme activities, including delivery planning, customer reporting, change control, and the preparation of proposals. - Prepare clear, concise programme materials that enable fast, high-quality decision-making. - Take ownership of defined workstreams and increasingly complex responsibilities as you develop in the role. - Learn by doing, operating close to real customers, real technology, real constraints, and real delivery pressure. ### Who you are - An ambitious early-career professional with at least 2-3 years of experience in management consulting, DefTech, aerospace, a technology start-up, or another demanding and high-paced environment. - Experienced in breaking down complex or ambiguous problems, structuring your thinking, and turning analysis into practical action. - Comfortable operating between analysis and execution; you do not want a role confined to producing slides, reports, or recommendations. - Fluent or native-level in German and fluent in English, with the confidence to operate in bilingual, cross-cultural settings. - A strong communicator who can produce clear, concise, and well-structured written materials. - Highly organised, dependable, and able to manage several priorities without losing attention to detail. - Comfortable interacting with senior stakeholders, customers, technical teams, and external partners. - Curious about how complex programmes succeed commercially, technically, and organisationally. - Motivated by responsibility, rapid progression, and visible impact rather than narrow task ownership or rigid hierarchies. - Energised by working in a small, fast-moving team where expectations are high and learning is accelerated. - Interested in defence, advanced technology, and contributing to European sovereign capability. - A background in strategy, operations, engineering, technology, public policy, international relations, or a similarly relevant discipline would be valuable. A finance background is not required. ### What we offer - A mission-driven environment with the opportunity to work on one of Europe’s most consequential defence challenges, with direct impact on sovereign capability and security. - Daily collaboration with leading experts across engineering, operations, business development, and defence, with genuine opportunities to learn, contribute, and grow. - Exposure to the full lifecycle of complex defence programmes, from customer requirements and commercial strategy through to engineering delivery and flight testing. - High ownership and autonomy: no time tracking and no micromanagement, just clear objectives and accountability for outcomes. - A fast-paced environment where good ideas are implemented quickly and feedback from testing and flight drives real decisions. - A culture that values clarity, integrity, and excellence, and supports people who take initiative and push boundaries responsibly. - Competitive compensation and real share options aligned with responsibility and impact, not tenure or hierarchy.