Program Manager, Advanced Programs

Huntsville, AL

Aurex develops aerospace and defense capabilities for national security missions. Our teams combine engineering, research, manufacturing, and mission support to advance missile defense, hypersonic systems, space operations, and other demanding applications. We work closely with government and industry partners to move new concepts through development and testing into delivered capability.

Aurex is seeking a Program Manager, Advanced Programs to lead aerospace and national defense programs across the company, with emphasis on missile defense, advanced target systems, and hardware development and delivery.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this position will be matrixed across Aurex’s business areas and functional teams to lead assigned programs, strengthen execution, and support emerging priorities. Assignments may include Innovation & Research initiatives, supplier-managed hardware programs, technology demonstrations, and transition of new capabilities into production and delivery. The COO will establish program assignments and priorities in coordination with the relevant business and functional leaders.

The portfolio may include ballistic and maneuvering targets, hypersonic systems, reentry vehicles, boosters, payloads, and associated launch systems and mission operations. The Program Manager owns integrated program execution, including cost, schedule, delivery, and customer commitments, and works with the assigned engineering lead on technical decisions. Engineering retains responsibility for technical direction, hands‑on design, drawings, tolerancing, and manufacturability.

The role brings disciplined DoW acquisition and program management practices to research, hardware development, integration, test, and delivery. Supporting business development responsibilities include customer engagement, strategy, briefings, and proposal development. Business development support will be coordinated with BD leadership and limited to no more than 20% of the role.

• Execute COO‑assigned program priorities across Aurex, coordinating staffing and resources with business and functional leaders and elevating competing demands or resource constraints to the COO for resolution.
• Lead assigned programs from planning and requirements definition through development, integration, test, delivery, and sustainment, meeting contractual and mission objectives.
• Establish program plans, work breakdown structures, integrated master schedules, budgets, resource forecasts, and performance measures; manage critical paths and corrective actions.
• Track actual costs, financial commitments, estimates to complete, and forecast margin with Finance; identify variances and implement corrective actions.
• Translate statements of work and customer requirements into defined scope, traceable requirements, milestones, acceptance criteria, and timely contract deliverables, including CDRLs.
• Coordinate design and readiness reviews with the engineering lead; track risks, integration issues, anomalies, and nonconformances through closure, with technical assessments and dispositions led by Engineering.
• Manage supplier and subcontractor execution with Engineering, Contracts, Supply Chain, and Quality, coordinating supplier quotes, schedules, commitments, fabrication, inspection, and delivery.
• Track drawing‑release and engineering‑change milestones with the engineering lead, coordinate communication of approved requirements to suppliers, and address execution issues through reviews, site visits, and corrective actions.
• Integrate hardware, payload, launch, range, logistics, and test dependencies into program plans and readiness assessments with…