Production Program Manager – Military Laser Systems Security Clearance

Position: Production Program Manager – Military Laser Systems with Security Clearance
Location: Niwot

At Areté, we are on the forefront of developing innovative solutions, with great minds from all backgrounds, to help solve the nation's most complex security challenges. We strive for an inclusive, collaborative team environment that approaches differences as opportunities for innovation and excellence. As an employee-owned company, we foster an atmosphere that propels diverse career opportunities and professional growth. Discover your future with us.

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager to own full-rate production of advanced military laser systems. After receiving the product from the NPI/development program manager, you will lead the program through capacity scaling, yield improvement, cost reduction, and touch-labor optimization. The ideal candidate has direct experience working in high volume production environments for Electro-Optic or Laser products. This role is ideal for a data-driven, operations-minded leader with strong manufacturing acumen and the ability to influence cross-functional teams in a high-reliability, regulated production environment.

You'll serve as the hub for production efforts, orchestrating manufacturing engineering, technicians, quality, test, supply chain, finance, and customer stakeholders. You will drive production execution, eliminate bottlenecks, improve throughput, and deliver recurring units at high quality, on schedule, and at target cost. This position will be based at our Niwot, CO office and is classified as an exempt, non-supervisory, full-time role.

Key Responsibilities:

Full-Rate Production Leadership
* Own the laser production efforts from pilot builds through stable, repeatable, full-rate production.

* Ensure production meets throughput, yield, quality, and delivery commitments for defense customers.

* Monitor and manage daily/weekly/quarterly production performance against baseline and forecast.
Scaling & Throughput Optimization
* Work with product forecasts from the business development team and ensure supply chain and production capacity is consistent with demand.

* Assess current bottlenecks and implement strategies to increase build capacity (lines, equipment, staffing, takt improvements).

* Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to develop scalable assembly processes, automation opportunities, and optimized workflows.

* Lead capacity expansion plans, including capital equipment justification, ROI analysis, and phased deployment.
Cost Reduction & Touch-Labor Efficiency
* Drive direct labor hour (DLH) reduction through process optimization, tooling, error-proofing, automation, and layout improvements.

* Lead cost reviews, BOM cleanup, and cost-down initiatives with Supply Chain and Engineering.

* Manage lean manufacturing initiatives, applying 5S, value-stream mapping, Kaizen, and waste elimination.
Quality, Yield, and Stability
* Establish and maintain statistical process controls (SPC) for critical processes.

* Drive root-cause investigations for yield issues and production escapes; ensure robust corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

* Partner with Quality Engineering to achieve sustained improvements in FPY, DPPM, and defect reduction.
Program Planning & Control
* Own program schedules, budgets, forecasts, and performance metrics during production phase.

* Use earned value, labor metrics, and throughput data to create accurate cost and schedule projections.

* Prepare and lead internal/customer reviews: monthly PMRs, quarterly business reviews, and contract deliverable tracking.
Cross-Functional Leadership
* Act as the hub between Operations, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, Quality, Finance, and Contracts.

* Ensure supply chain readiness: supplier OTD, risk mitigation, buffer strategies, and cost-down roadmaps.

* Maintain rigorous configuration control and alignment to AS9100/ISO 9001 and applicable MIL-STDs
We have an impressive range of benefits, programs, and perks that we offer:
Health & Wellness:
* Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

* Life and Long-Term Disability (LTD)

* Vision Reimbursement

* Fitness Reimbursement
Financial:
* Company-funded 5% contribution to your 401(k) retirement plan

* Company-funded 5% contribution to your Employee Stock Ownership Plan

* Continuing Education Assistance
Work-Life Balance:
* Flexible Scheduling

* Paid Time Off (PTO)

* Paid Parental and Bereavement Leave
Qualities We Look For:
* Creativity and innovation in solving challenges

* Integrity and responsibility in all actions

* Collaboration across teams and specialties

* Responsiveness in fast-paced environments

* Passion for national security and excellence
Experiences and Background We Look For (Required Skills):
* 5-10+ years of project/program management in production environments, ideally in laser systems, electro-optics, defense hardware, or high-reliability manufacturing.

* Demonstrated success running full-rate production and driving capacity scaling, cost reduction, and yield improvement.

* Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, tooling, fixtures, test flows, and…