Program Manager

Aquia is a Veteran-founded digital services firm that helps the government modernize and secure its systems and processes. Named the “#1 Best Remote Startup to Work For in 2025” by Built In and a certified “Great Place to Work” for five years in a row, we prioritize outcomes over outputs- supporting work that benefits millions of Americans.

The systems we modernize help Veterans access their earned benefits in days instead of weeks, enable investigators to double their health care fraud investigations, and help civil servants achieve system authorizations in roughly a quarter of the time. Our contributions earned us recognition as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year in 2024.

We hire people who take ownership, raise the bar, and lift up those around them while they do it.

The Program Manager is Aquia's primary owner of contract performance on a single large federal engagement. You are accountable for the full lifecycle of program delivery- from client relationships and staffing to budget, risk, and organic growth. You operate as the final escalation point internally and the strategic face of Aquia externally, building the long-term partnership with government stakeholders while ensuring the day-to-day program runs with discipline and excellence.

As Program Manager, you work with significant autonomy. You don’t want a playbook handed to you- you want to write it, execute against it, and adapt it when the environment changes.

Contract Performance & Delivery Oversight

• Serve as the accountable lead for all contract deliverables, milestones, and performance outcomes
• Maintain a strategic contract roadmap aligned to the client's mission priorities and evolving needs
• Own the program risk register, integrating inputs from project and product leads; ensure risks are identified, tracked, and actively mitigated
• Oversee program budget and burn rate; proactively flag variances and model corrective actions
• Monitor contract health against PWS/SOW requirements; elevate issues before they become findings

Client Relationships & Stakeholder Management

• Act as Aquia's primary point of contact with the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and key government stakeholders
• Build and maintain strategic relationships across the client organization, including leadership levels above the day-to-day POC
• Negotiate scope, timelines, and contract adjustments with the customer as program conditions evolve
• Lead CPARS preparation and manage the formal performance evaluation process
• Represent Aquia with credibility during audits, reviews, and executive touchpoints

Reporting & Communication

• Produceandownmonthly Program Status Reports (internalandexternal),ensuring accuracy, consistency, and strategic framing
• Fulfill all program-level reporting requirements as defined in the contract PWS/SOW
• Serve as incident response communications lead, coordinating Aquia's response posture and stakeholder notifications
  
  Act as the final internal and client-facing escalation point for program issues
• Define roles and responsibilities across the program team, including subcontractors
• Manage subcontractor relationships: performance, deliverables, and compliance with contract terms
• Own onboarding and offboarding for all program personnel
  
  Address issues in partnership with Project Managers; create conditions for team performance and retention
• Partner with Aquia recruiting and hiring managers on backfill and growth hiring for your program

Business Development & Organic Growth

• Identify and pursue organic growth opportunities within your portfolio; document and communicate white space to Aquia business development leadership
• Contribute to proposal efforts and past performance write-ups tied to your program
• Represent Aquia's capabilities in client conversations in a way that positions the firm for expanded work

You must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, currently residing in the US, and able to obtain Public Trust clearance.

• 8+years of program or project management experience in federal IT contracting PMP, PgMP, CSM, or equivalent…