Program Manager

This is a full-time, on-site Project Manager role located in California, designed for a proactive leader who bridges the gap between high-level program strategy and shop‑floor execution. Serving as a critical link between the Program Management Office (PMO) and Production, you will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of complex thermal protection systems and aerospace hardware. This role is not just about tracking schedules;

it is about active bottleneck resolution, where you will navigate internal departments to expedite jobs, mitigate risks, and ensure that technical milestones translate into on‑time delivery for mission‑critical defense and space applications.

As a subject matter expert in program flow, you will collaborate with multi‑disciplinary engineering teams and production staff to drive advanced material designs from the R&D phase into high‑rate manufacturing. You must be a meticulous self‑starter capable of managing data integrity within ERP systems while simultaneously acting as a technical liaison for customers and partners. By providing data‑driven insights and maintaining a hands‑on presence in the manufacturing environment, you will take full responsibility for driving program objectives to resolution, ensuring that stringent performance, safety, and environmental requirements are met at every stage of production.

• Align cross‑functional teams including engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain on program goals, timelines, and deliverables to ensure seamless execution from concept through production.
• Proactively identify and resolve execution bottlenecks across internal departments to maintain strict cost and schedule adherence.
• Expedite jobs through the shop floor and internal work centers to prevent schedule delays and drive task completion.
• Serve as the primary bridge between Program Management Office and Production to obtain accurate recovery dates and real‑time production schedules.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks early, implementing data‑driven contingency plans to maintain technical performance.
• Monitor and manage unreleased or "on‑hold" job lists, driving them to immediate resolution to keep production moving.
• Track program progress and backlog using project management tools, maintaining full visibility on key milestones, budgets, and resource allocation.
• Ensure data integrity within the ERP system, ensuring that system milestones and delivery dates align perfectly with actual production status.
• Prepare dashboards, KPIs, and performance metrics for internal leadership and customer review to project program health.
• Maintain and update customer portals to support on‑time delivery performance and contest late deliveries when necessary.
• Facilitate timely decision‑making by providing technical context, data‑backed insights, and clear trade‑off analyses to leadership and engineering teams.
• Represent technical content and program status clearly to internal stakeholders, suppliers, and affiliated business units.
• Prepare and complete customer Open Order Reports (OOR), ensuring documentation compliance and meeting all submission timelines.
• Flexibly support technical execution across engineering and manufacturing as needed to meet aggressive program objectives.
• Travel to customer sites, test facilities, and partner locations as required to support program execution and integration activities.

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Engineering, Business, or a related fields, or equivalent professional experience including certifications in an aerospace or defense manufacturing environment.
• 4+ years of direct experience in project management, production planning, or technical coordination within the aerospace, defense, or advanced materials industries.
• Direct experience with ERP systems and customer portals, with a proven ability to ensure system data (milestones/delivery dates) aligns with actual shop floor production status.
• Technical familiarity with complex aerospace systems, such as launch vehicles, missile systems, thermal protection systems (TPS), or composite materials.
• Proficiency in project planning…