Program Manager: Resilience

The Sovereign Tech Agency is an organization dedicated to the digital sovereignty of the economy and society. Our mission is to strengthen the foundations of our digital autonomy and secure open digital technologies as the critical infrastructure of the 21st century.

Open digital infrastructure is the backbone of the digital world. It is essential for the flow of information, for government, for business, and for innovation, much like roads and bridges in the physical world. The most effective strategy for building this infrastructure is open source software
: it is the bedrock on which our digital society is built - powerful, collaborative, and democratic.

With a commission from the German Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation
, we invest in critical software components, develop programs, and create structures that sustainably strengthen the open source ecosystem, including the people behind the code.

Our work is unique: we are leading the way on how governments engage with open digital infrastructure and laying the groundwork for how modern societies ensure resilience
, technological diversity
, and public digital services
.

Together, we are building Europe’s digital future – open, secure, and sovereign.

We are looking for a Program Manager:
Resilience to contribute to the future growth of the Sovereign Tech Agency.

In this role, you will take hands‑on ownership of one of the organization’s key programs for protecting critical open source infrastructure. Through the Sovereign Tech Resilience program , we maintain relationships with expert service providers in the following domains:

• Software security audits
• Supply chain management
• Bug bounty programs
• Memory safety improvements

For example, for a software security audit, we connect open source maintainers with security specialists who will scope and conduct the audit in partnership with the project team. Our job is to ensure we invest where we can have the greatest impact, that the work is performed at a high level of quality, and that open source projects are ready to act on any resulting findings.

Applications for the program are reviewed through a single platform. In addition to responding to these applications, we also proactively reach out to critical open source projects, and connect participants in our other programs (e.g., fellowships) to expert partners.

We are looking for a Program Manager with a technical background who can balance the high operational requirements of a program in motion with an impact‑oriented, strategic lens.

• Lead and strategically manage the Resilience program. Design and run the program’s day‑to‑day processes.
• Organize application reviews, reject ineligible applications, and guide projects to completion.
• Optimize internal workflows for tracking projects and reporting outcomes.
• Represent the program’s goals at events, conferences, and to stakeholders and external partners.
• In partnership with the communications team, position the Resilience program publicly in the context of key policy and technology developments (e.g., relation between cybersecurity to digital sovereignty; helping maintainers deal with the flood of AI‑generated security reports).
• In partnership with the Director of Programs and the Director of Technology, plan future strategic program activities and competitive tenders.
• Coordinate with technologists and other program leads to connect other projects in the Sovereign Tech ecosystem with the Resilience program (e.g. priority projects identified through scouting or prior investments from the Sovereign Tech Fund).

• Absolute Requirement:
  Technical familiarity with Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and the workflows of maintainers.
• Program Management Experience (or highly suitable comparable experience). We are looking for someone with a strategic, programmatic mindset, not solely project management skills.
• Experience in cybersecurity or a technical compliance context is a major plus.
• Business fluent in German and English. Our working language is English, so you must be able to communicate clearly and succinctly in English.
• You’re a team player and enjoy…