Director of Programs

Job Title

Director of Programs

Location

Herndon, VA - Herndon, VA 20171 US (Primary)

Job Description

Fibertek is a renowned leader in the aerospace industry, specializing in developing cutting-edge laser and electro-optic solutions for national security and space exploration applications. With a dedicated team of over 200 professionals, we are committed to delivering innovative technologies and exceptional services to our clients. At Fibertek, we foster a collaborative and inclusive environment that encourages professional growth and development. We are seeking a dynamic Director of Programs to oversee our portfolio of R&D contracts.

Position Summary:

The Director of Programs is a senior leadership position reporting to Fibertek’s CEO. This dynamic role is responsible for the successful execution of a diverse portfolio of over 50 technology programs. This impactful position combines day-to-day execution oversight with the development and implementation of new best practices, tools, and training to prepare Fibertek for continued growth.

The Director of Programs is proactive leader and plays a critical role in collaboration across the organization to ensure mission success. The Director of Programs will keep executive leadership informed of the portfolio's health, develop recovery plans for programs facing technical, cost, and/or schedule challenges and spearhead growth initiatives in program execution team.

 

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead a diverse portfolio of over 50 active programs to success.
• Proactively engage with program managers on developing work plans, identifying challenges, and developing recovery plans for programs running over budget and/or schedule.
• Develop and implement best practices, tools, and training for executing technical and hardware-centric programs.
• Own the forecasts for technical workforce and facility needs in collaboration with Business Development and Engineering Management.
• Hire and supervise a team of program managers required to execute current and future programs.
• Devise and implement evaluation strategies to monitor program performance and determine the need for improvements.
• Work across the organization (resource managers, contracts, accounting, facilities, etc.) to provide the necessary people and infrastructure for successful program execution.

Job Requirements

Qualifications:

• Master’s or PhD degree in a relevant engineering or applied-science field  
• >10 years professional experience including demonstrated success leading large and diverse technical teams in an engineering organization
• Demonstrated success managing R&D programs in the defense and aerospace industry with responsibility for cost, schedule, and technical performance
• US Citizen and eligibility to obtain a US Security Clearance
• Strong written and verbal communication skills 
• Established relationships in organizations developing laser-based systems, including NASA, US Government defense organizations, and/or aerospace Prime Contractor mission partners

Additional Desired Expertise:

• Familiarity with key achievements, demonstrations and/or strategies for organizations driving significant activity in electro-optical development including NASA, DoD, SDA, DARPA and other Government offices
• Demonstrable expertise in laser system concepts and technologies
• Additional expertise in engineering systems and components for aerospace and defense missions 
   

FIBERTEK, Inc. is a recognized leader in advanced lasers, lidars and laser communication systems providing our DoD, NASA and aerospace customers discriminating capabilities. We pride ourselves in our innovation and customer success focused culture enabled by a creative and relaxed work environment. Fibertek fosters a progressive learning environment that values inspiration, promotes professional challenge and encourages personal growth. We offer a competitive and incentivized compensation package with excellent benefits.

Fibertek, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on individual merit, skills, and experience. Fibertek does not engage in nor permits any discrimination in the workplace.