Program Manager

About Bluestaq

At Bluestaq, we build secure data platforms that matter for space missions, national defense, healthcare systems, and commercial innovation. Founded in 2018, we've become a leader in enterprise software and secure data management by staying focused on what counts: modern architecture, operational excellence, and mission impact.

We're engineers, problem-solvers, and builders who take the mission seriously, but not ourselves. We automate the repeatable, question the status quo, and design systems that are as reliable as they are scalable. Whether we're supporting space, defense systems, or healthcare advancements, we build with the same principles: cloud-native solutions, security by design, and relentless simplicity.

Our name? "Blue" (military shorthand for the good guys) and "staq" (as in software stack). It's who we are, mission-aligned technologists building platforms that protect the world’s most valuable data.

Recognized Excellence We've earned national recognition as one of Inc. Magazine's Fastest-Growing Private Companies and consistently rank among Colorado's Best Workplaces. But what we're most proud of? The systems we build, the teams we develop, and the mission outcomes we enable.

The Role

The Program Manager owns how the program delivers to the customer. Not adjacent to it. Not supporting it. Accountable for it.

You own the schedule, the risk posture, the financials, and the customer relationship. You are the connective tissue between what was promised in contracts and what gets delivered in the field. When the program is on track, you're the reason. When it's drifting, you're the first to say so — and the first to arrive with a plan.

Your role is upstream — making sure the right commitments exist — and downstream — making sure what gets built matches what was promised.

This is not a coordination role. It's an ownership role.

What You'll Own

Customer Relationships & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary point of contact for program status, escalations, and decisions — government POCs, the Growth Team, internal leadership, and delivery teams all run through you
• Build and sustain trusted customer relationships where confidence in Bluestaq grows over time — not just satisfaction at delivery milestones
• Prepare and lead Quarterly Program Reviews, Program Management Reviews, and customer/executive briefings
• Champion customer needs internally; bring the end user's operational requirements into product and engineering conversations
• You see the team in customer-facing settings — TEMs, sprint reviews, demos — that others rarely observe. Route those signals back to the people who need them
• Establish a clear delegation protocol: when you're out, your team knows who has authority for time-sensitive decisions
  
  

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Operate as a credible peer to Engineering, Product, and BD/Sales — not a checkpoint they route around, but a partner they pull in early
• Bring customer and contract intelligence into product decisions; surface what customers need before it becomes a requirement
• Partner with BD and the Growth Team on capture efforts — you know the customer, the contract landscape, and what Bluestaq can realistically deliver; that's valuable before the proposal, not just after award
• Engage Engineering with enough technical fluency to have honest conversations about feasibility, tradeoffs, and commitment risk
• Represent the program externally in ways that build Bluestaq's credibility — in reviews, at industry forums, and in every customer interaction
• Ensure internal teams have the context they need — customer constraints, commitment changes, performance gaps — before they discover it during execution
  
  

Delivery & Execution

• End-to-end program lifecycle: planning, delivery, compliance, sustainment, and closeout
• Cross-functional coordination across engineering, product, and operations to ensure contract fidelity and mission success
• Manage cross-functional dependencies, internal handoffs, and subcontractor coordination
• Champion AI adoption across the program team — identify where AI tools sharpen reporting, surface risk faster, and reduce manual overhead; model the behavior yourself
  
  

Cost, Schedule & Performance

• Burn rate tracking, CLIN-level budget management, and variance forecasting against contract
• Maintain and drive integrated master schedules — flag slip before it compounds
• Track technical performance against contract requirements; own the gap between what was specified and what is being delivered
• Alignment of program execution with DoD standards and reporting requirements (CDRLs, CPARs)
• Proactive flagging of cost, schedule, or performance risk — before it becomes a problem, not after
  
  

Technical Engagement

• Engage in technical discussion as a credible participant — not a translator. Understand the system well enough to ask the right questions and recognize when answers don't add up
• Drive technical outcomes through meticulous understanding of system performance; partner with Engineering leads on risk and opportunity identification, not just status reporting
• Use performance metrics to identify where investment creates measurable improvement — and quantify the results
• Maintain a clear, current understanding of system state that can be communicated with precision to the subsidiary and end customer
  
  

What Success Looks Like

• The program delivers consistently — not heroically
• Customers trust Bluestaq more after working with you
• Risks surface early; crises are rare
• Internal leadership has no surprises about status, risk, or financial performance
• When you're out, the program doesn't stop
• Growth opportunities are scoped accurately and handed to BD with a clear view of what's achievable
• Direct reports: Project Managers, where applicable (program-dependent)
  
  

What We're Looking For

• Demonstrated experience managing DoD programs end-to-end — from kickoff through closeout
• Fluency with government contract types (FFP, T&M, CPFF), CDRLs, CPARs, and program reporting requirements
• Technical fluency — comfortable in engineering discussions, able to learn new technical concepts quickly and apply them in program decisions
• Judgment and composure in high-pressure, ambiguous situations; builds structure where none exists
• Meticulous attention to detail; holds a high quality bar and doesn't lower it under schedule pressure
• Track record of managing program financials with precision: burn rate, budget variance, milestone-based forecasting
• Ability to hold ground with customers and internal leadership alike — clear, confident, and credible
• Operates as a genuine peer to Engineering, Product, and BD — brings perspective, not just status updates
  
  

You don't need to have done this job at Bluestaq before. You need to have done it somewhere, under real pressure, and done it well.

Salary Range (CO): $185,000 USD - $230,000 USD

Clearance Requirement: This position may require the ability to obtain a TS/SCI Clearance. To be eligible for a security clearance, U.S. citizenship is required, and an employee must agree to participate in a background screen and credit check. Eligibility for a TS/SCI Clearance will be assessed as part of the onboarding process or based on programmatic needs.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Must be able to access and navigate each department at the organization's facilities.
  
  

Relocation: This position does not offer relocation. Candidates must live in the immediate area or relocate at their own expense.

Bluestaq is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees on the basis age 40 and over, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by state or local law.

Bluestaq will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities and employees whose work requirements interfere with a religious belief unless doing so would result in an undue hardship to Bluestaq or a direct threat. Employees needing such accommodation are instructed to contact Human Resources immediately at contact.us@bluestaq.com.

Date the Position Closes: Applications will be accepted for 60 days beyond the posting date, or until the position is filled, whichever comes first.