Senior Program Manager

Senior Program Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary customer interface and lead all program execution activities related to technical performance, cost, schedule, risk, and contractual commitments.
• Lead program reviews and executive briefings with customers and internal stakeholders to communicate program status, risks, opportunities, and mitigation strategies.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive program plans, including Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Integrated Master Schedules (IMS), budgets, resource plans, and execution strategies that align with contractual requirements and internal commitments.
• Manage program financial performance, including forecasting, Estimate to Complete (ETC), Estimate at Completion (EAC), revenue planning, and budget‑to‑actual performance reporting.
• Establish execution frameworks, operating rhythms, and governance processes where mature program management infrastructure may not yet exist.
• Manage customer expectations, contractual scope, and requirements to ensure customer satisfaction while preventing unauthorized scope growth.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, and effective communication across program teams and stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, Business, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of program, project, or technical leadership experience supporting Department of Defense customers on production‑based/hardware delivery programs.
• Demonstrated success managing programs with complex technical, schedule, and cost requirements, including challenging customer and subcontractor relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to lead highly technical, cross‑functional teams and deliver results in fast‑paced, ambiguous, and rapidly evolving environments.
• Highly organized with exceptional planning, prioritization, and execution skills and the ability to create clarity from complexity.
• Self‑motivated mindset with a demonstrated ability to build structure, processes, and execution frameworks in environments where infrastructure and support systems are still maturing.
• Hands‑on experience developing and maintaining Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Integrated Master Schedules (IMS), and resource‑loaded schedules.
• Experience with program financial management, including ETC, EAC, forecasting, budgeting, and financial performance analysis.
• Strong customer management skills and demonstrated ability to manage expectations while controlling scope, cost, and schedule.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Department of Defense security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Twelve (12)+ years of defense program management and leadership experience.
• Experience operating within formal Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS).
• Program Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and hybrid program execution approaches.
• Active U.S. Department of Defense security clearance.

Pay: $140,000–$190,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.