Program Manager Job Flint area,Michigan USA,Management

Michigan Technological University is an R1 technological research university founded in 1885 in Houghton. Our rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's scenic Upper Peninsula and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Research focus areas include defense, health, energy, automotive, environment, and aerospace. The area’s waters, forests, and snowfall support year-round recreation, including skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, and paddling. The University is an integral part of the region, supported by a friendly and welcoming community that takes pride in being a true college town. We embrace our size, climate, sense of adventure, and originality.

Summary

Michigan Technological University is seeking a Program Manager for our Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI) department. Candidates for this position may opt to work in either Ann Arbor, MI or Dayton, OH. At MTRI, we develop advanced technologies that help our nation better understand, sense, and operate within complex natural and humanmade environments. Our work spans multidisciplinary research and applied development, advancing ideas from foundational concepts to mission-relevant prototypes.

We are seeking a Program Manager to support and scale advanced research and development efforts in a DoD-focused R&D environment. This role operates at the intersection of science, engineering, mission application, and is responsible for translating sponsor-driven research into structured execution and delivered outcomes. This role is responsible for:

Owning end-to-end planning and execution of R&D programs aligned with DoD sponsor objectives
Translating sponsor requirements into executable plans, milestones, and deliverables
Coordinating cross-functional teams across science, engineering, product, and operations
Managing schedules, dependencies, resources, budgets, and program risks across multiple efforts
Communicating program status, risks, tradeoffs, and decisions to leadership and sponsors
Supporting proposal development and capture activities for new research opportunities

Responsibilities and Essential Duties

Develop and maintain program roadmaps, integrated master schedules, and dependency maps aligned with sponsor objectives and contractual requirements

Translate ambiguous or exploratory research efforts into structured execution plans, including milestones, deliverables, decision points, and readiness criteria

Manage program risks, issues, and tradeoffs, and drive resolution through structured processes and data-informed decision-making

Lead program reviews, technical interchange meetings (TIMs), and milestone assessments aligned with sponsor expectations

Coordinate execution across multidisciplinary teams including scientists, engineers, analysts, and external collaborators

Prepare clear, concise sponsor-facing communications, including status reports, technical summaries, risk assessments, and decision briefs

Coordinate with external stakeholders including government program managers, research labs, academia, and industry partners

Support program execution activities such as resource planning, labor forecasting, and delivery of required program artifacts (e.g., reports, briefings, deliverables)

Commit to learning about continuous improvement strategies and applying them to everyday work. Actively engage in University continuous improvement initiatives

Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related technical field

Required Experience

5+ years of experience in technical program management, program management, or related roles in R&D or engineering environments

Experience managing complex, cross-functional technical programs involving engineering and/or scientific teams

Demonstrated ability to manage scope, schedule, dependencies, resources, risks, and stakeholder communication

Desirable

Education and/or Experience

Experience working with DoD sponsors such as AFRL, DARPA, ONR, Army Research Lab, or Space Force organizations

Experience supporting proposal development and capture efforts

Experience coordinating with external partners including government labs, academia, and industry collaborators

Experience with program execution in regulated or government contracting environments (e.g., working with statements of work, deliverables, reporting requirements)

Advanced degree in a technical field or engineering management discipline

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

Ability to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance, which requires United

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