Senior Program Manager

Senior Program Manager

Location:

Arlington, VA (Hybrid)

Thales delivers operational advantage through advanced defense systems for land, sea, and air. Thales is creating the waves of digital transformation that will carry our customers into the future. Where these transformations intersect and interfere is where the most interesting and innovative tomorrows are being built.

The FAA’s Brand-New Air Traffic Control System and other initiatives related to Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Advanced Air Mobility are fueling the growth of Thales’ Airspace Mobility Solutions team. This role supports an emerging transformational sector in which Thales serves as a systems-of-systems integrator delivering end-to-end solutions spanning advanced technical architectures, airspace automation, regulatory evolution, and innovative financial models.

• Serve as the primary customer interface and trusted program representative, leading external communications, managing expectations, delivering formal reviews, and overseeing contract lifecycle activities including scope negotiation, amendments, and change management.
• Own end-to-end program delivery, ensuring performance against contractual requirements, customer commitments, schedules, cost objectives, margin targets, quality standards, and customer satisfaction goals.
• Establish, maintain, and control the program baseline across scope, schedule, budget, staffing, risks, and opportunities, including integrated scheduling, cost forecasting, EAC updates, metrics, dashboards, and executive reporting.
• Drive disciplined cost, schedule, and scope management to protect profitability, identify cost‑reduction and value‑creation opportunities, and ensure solutions are cost‑effective, operationally efficient, and value‑driven.
• Lead comprehensive risk, opportunity, and change management through identification, quantification, mitigation, scenario planning, escalation, and governance of approved changes integrated into the program baseline.
• Structure and lead integrated cross‑functional program teams, ensuring clear objectives, accountability, timely information flow, strong partnerships across functions, effective financial management, and support for business development and bid readiness initiatives.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aviation, Systems, Business, or related discipline with 15+ years of progressively responsible program management experience, or a Master’s degree with 10+ years, including demonstrated knowledge of the National Airspace System (NAS) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations, integration, and regulatory considerations.
• 8+ years of experience leading complex, technology‑driven and mission‑critical programs, with responsibility for scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality, and compliance within regulated U.S. Federal Government environments.
• Proven background in contract management, including scope control, change management, contractual compliance, and support of proposal and capture activities such as proposal development, cost modeling, and estimating for large‑scale, multi‑year programs.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently with full ownership of program execution, leading cross‑functional teams, managing scope and requirements autonomously, delegating effectively, and holding teams accountable for cost, schedule, and performance commitments.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, influencing, negotiation, and communication skills, including delivery of executive‑level briefings and customer‑facing communications, and the ability to operate effectively in multinational, multicultural environments across regions, functions, and time zones.
• Proficiency in program controls, tools, and risk management, including integrated scheduling using MS Project, Asana, or equivalent platforms; hands‑on use of JIRA, Confluence, or enterprise PM systems; leadership of risk identification, mitigation, contingency, escalation; and execution through transformational and transitional change with awareness of organizational dynamics.

• Working knowledge of the national airspace system…