Program Manager, Defense Programs

Responsibilities

• Own assigned program performance including cost, schedule, contract commitments, customer satisfaction, and delivery results
• Lead the regular operating rhythm, including team meetings, program reviews, risk reviews, action tracking, and leadership updates
• Serve as the primary customer point of contact
• Manage customer expectations and ensure contractual commitments are understood, tracked, and met
• Translate contract requirements, SOW language, CLINs, CDRLs, deliverables, milestones, and customer commitments into practical program plans
• Develop and maintain program schedules, budgets, staffing plans, risk registers, issue logs, action trackers, and recovery plans
• Track financial performance including funding status, burn rate, actuals, forecasts, ETC/EAC inputs, revenue, margin, and cash flow impacts
• Identify risks, issues, and performance gaps and drive corrective action
• Coordinate work across engineering, software, supply chain, contracts, finance, quality, security, and logistics teams
• Manage subcontractor and supplier performance
• Support contract negotiations, modifications, REAs, ECPs, and scope changes
• Ensure alignment with contract requirements, company procedures, quality standards, security requirements, and applicable DoD regulations
• Present program status, financial performance, risks, staffing needs, corrective actions, and decision points to senior leadership and customer stakeholders
• Support proposal and capture activities, including technical inputs, BOEs, schedule development, risk inputs, reviews, and transition planning
• Identify follow-on opportunities, customer needs, contract growth areas, and lessons learned
• Build an organized, accountable, delivery-focused team environment

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, management, or a related field strongly preferred
• 5-8+ years of relevant experience in program management, project management, engineering program leadership, defense operations, or a related field
• 5+ years supporting or managing U.S. Government or DoD contracts
• Experience managing program cost, schedule, customer communications, technical coordination, risks, issues, and corrective actions
• Experience executing DoD contracts in a FAR/DFARS environment, including FFP, CPFF, T&M, IDIQ, OTA, prototype, production, sustainment, or services contracts
• Experience managing SOW/PWS requirements, CLINs, CDRLs, deliverables, milestones, funding, and change control
• Ability to monitor and explain program financial performance, including budget, actuals, forecasts, funding status, burn rate, ETC/EAC inputs, revenue, margin, and cash flow impacts
• Experience coordinating subcontractor, supplier, or vendor performance
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization
• Experience briefing program status to senior leadership and/or government customers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel and Power Point
• Experience with Microsoft Project or similar schedule management tools
• Ability to travel domestically up to 15–20%
• PMP certification preferred
• Master’s degree in business, engineering, management, or a related field preferred
• Experience with EVMS, ETCs, EACs, variance analysis, or formal program controls preferred
• Experience supporting proposals, recompetes, ROMs, BOEs, gate reviews, color team reviews, or capture activities preferred
• Experience developing or supporting integrated master schedules, resource-loaded schedules, or program baseline reviews preferred
• Experience with Engineering Change Proposals, Requests for Equitable Adjustment, contract modifications, and formal change management preferred
• Experience managing troubled program…