Sr. Program Manager, Aerospace & Defense

Job Description

The Sr. Program Manager is responsible for leading complex programs end-to-end, ensuring delivery against business objectives related to revenue, profitability, and customer satisfaction. This role drives program execution through effective planning, risk management, and cross-functional coordination, while optimizing resources and performance. The Sr. Program Manager plays a key role in shaping business strategy, contributing to market insights, product and technology roadmaps, and long-range planning. The position is highly customer-facing, representing the voice of the customer, strengthening relationships, and ensuring high levels of satisfaction to enable repeat business.

The role also includes developing and leading teams, driving continuous improvement, and partnering closely with functional leaders, operations, and business development to align on shared goals and deliver sustained business growth.

Responsibilities

• Develop and support direct reports in continuous learning and drive performance through informal and formal performance management.
• Establish executable plans and associate risk mitigations to achieve/exceed the annual business plan associated with Orders, Revenue, Profitability and Cash.
• Contribute to the portfolio/site business strategy, including market insight, product and technology roadmaps and other market assessment tasks.
• Define and implement effective customer communication plans to facilitate and provide timely communications, represent the Voice of Customer, build customer relationships, define customer objectives, and manage customer satisfaction.
• Assures the optimum utilization of manpower and program resources.
• Conducts regular reviews of program performance, evaluating the current and projected status against the approved plan.
• Measure and improve program performance through the investigation and implementation of continuous improvement processes, tools, staff training, facilities and team dynamics.
• Manages customer satisfaction to assure a high rate of repeated business.
• Participates in planning of company capital, IRAD, B&P resources.
• Participation providing inputs and review of long range strategic planning (LRSP) activity.
• Extensive coordination with functional management.
• Works with Functional Leaders, Business Development, Operations, etc. to develop shared goals that support this role’s accountabilities.
  
  

Key Leadership Competencies

• An authentic and believable manager who communicates with conviction and humility and is able to engender trust throughout the organization.
• A natural communicator and influencer, using such strengths in often difficult and complex situations.
• Strong emotional intelligence.
• Enthusiasm for building high-performing teams.
• An approachable, hands-on and “roll up the sleeves” management style with attention to detail. Keen business judgement with the ability to provide fresh, proactive insight.
• A willingness to be out among the employees and the customers listening to their ideas and concerns while gaining their trust and support.
• Creates an environment for honest and open discussion of all issues, even controversial ones.
• Anticipates and meets information needs of all relevant internal and external constituents.
• A communication style that instills confidence.
• An entrepreneurial orientation, yet with the skills and savvy to work within the existing company culture and help to evolve into the desired culture.
• Adapts leadership style to fit situational needs. Responds resourcefully and constructively to new demands, priorities, and opportunities or obstacles (e.g., look for new solutions).
• Delegates responsibility and conveys clear expectations to the appropriate individuals.
• Holds people accountable for achieving their goals.
• High energy level and strong action orientation.
• Change agent - Encourages new ways of looking at problems, processes, or solutions.
• Generates innovative ideas, solutions, and opportunities and identifies significant cost saving or revenue opportunities.
• Assesses vying demands for time, resources, personnel, makes and implements decisions which result in most efficient/effective balance at post/schedule/performance among multiple projects.
• Strives to remove obstacles to achieving business results. Achieves results that have a clear, positive, and direct impact on business performance.
• Applies financial Investigation and perform trades to evaluate investment/business opportunities while understanding future financial impact and risks associated with key strategic decisions.
• Financial – ability to balance complex portfolio of products and programs to achieve orders, sales, gross margin and operating profit, cash and growth objectives.
  
  

Qualifications

YOU MUST HAVE

• Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 8 years of Program Management experience.
• A minimum of 6 years of people leadership experience.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relevant internal and external relationships with strong customer rapport and proven customer trust.
• Experience in successfully driving program performance against business and customer goals.
• Strong financial acumen associated with proposal pricing, contract negotiations and estimate costs at completion.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
  
  

WE VALUE

• At least 10 years of experience within Program Management.
• At least 5 years of people leadership experience.
• Multi-discipline experience in Program Management, Operations Management, Business Development, or Engineering.
• Operated within and achieved business targets in an environment aligned to relevant products and markets.
• Demonstrated experience in specialized market segments and product areas.
• Experience in the proactive development, and successful execution, of relevant strategies addressing evolving customer needs and market dynamics.
• PMI Certification.
• Active DoD SECRET clearance.
  
  

“Due to compliance with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidate must be a U.S. person, which is defined as, a U.S. citizen, a U.S. permanent resident, or have protected status in the U.S. under asylum or refugee status.”