Senior Program Manager - R&D

Eleven Recruiting is searching for a Senior R&D Program Manager to join a leading aerospace and defense manufacturer onsite in Seattle, Washington. This company develops and delivers advanced flight hardware for some of the most demanding programs in national defense and space exploration — systems that must perform in extreme environments and cannot fail.

The Senior R&D Program Manager reports into senior program leadership and owns day-to-day execution across assigned development programs — cost, schedule, EVM, customer communications, and contract deliverables from early concept through qualification and delivery. This person is the primary customer interface for their programs and the key driver of on-time, on-budget performance across engineering, test, manufacturing, and supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Own programmatic execution across assigned R&D programs — managing cost, schedule, and deliverables in support of program leadership, from early concept through hardware qualification and delivery.
• Serve as the day-to-day customer interface for assigned programs — managing technical interchange meetings, design reviews, CDRs/PDRs, status reporting, and written communications.
• Develop and maintain Earned Value Management (EVM) metrics; report CPI/SPI, variance analysis, and EAC forecasts to program leadership and customers on a consistent cadence.
• Build and maintain integrated master schedules (IMS) for assigned programs, tracking critical path, milestones, and dependencies across engineering, manufacturing, test, and supply chain.
• Coordinate development and qualification testing activities — including performance testing, environmental testing, and system-level acceptance — on pyrotechnic, energetic, electromechanical, and aerostructure hardware.
• Support test readiness reviews, anomaly documentation, failure review boards, and test report preparation for on-site and external test activities.
• Track contract deliverables and ensure proper documentation of system requirements, CDRLs, and configuration control artifacts throughout the R&D lifecycle.
• Manage subcontract and supplier activity in support of program deliverables, coordinating technical requirements and schedule with procurement.
• Ensure ITAR compliance across program documentation, supply chain interfaces, and customer communications.
• Author and execute recovery plans for schedule or technical anomalies; present findings to customers and leadership as directed.
• Support proposal writing, BOE development, and new business activities as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 10 years of experience in aerospace and/or defense, with at least 3 years in a program management capacity.
• Demonstrated experience managing hardware R&D programs — from concept and design through testing, qualification, and delivery.
• Hands-on experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) — CPI/SPI reporting, variance analysis, and EAC forecasting.
• Experience building and maintaining integrated master schedules across cross-functional teams.
• Direct customer interface experience — must have represented programs at formal reviews such as CDRs, PDRs, or program status reviews.
• Familiarity with hardware qualification and acceptance testing processes, including environmental and performance test programs.
• U.S. citizenship required; must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD SECRET clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with pyrotechnic, energetic, or cartridge/propellant-actuated device (CAD/PAD) programs.
• Background in separation and deployment systems, electromechanical actuators, safe-and-arm devices, or aerostructures.
• Familiarity with MIL-SPEC and MIL-STD qualification standards for flight-critical hardware.
• Experience on NASA, MDA, USAF, USN, or prime contractor programs (Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing).
• Experience managing subcontract and supply chain activity on a government or commercial space contract.
• Exposure to on-site propellant handling or hazardous test operations in a regulated facility environment.
• M.S. in a technical discipline or MBA.
• Experience within an AS9100-certified development and manufacturing environment.

Salary: $150,000 - $175,000