Affinity

4455 Senior Program Manager

Affinity$120K — $150K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years leading government-facing programs or projects.
  • Experience with Department of Defense (DoD) communications and technology modernization.
  • Proven track record of delivering measurable outcomes in high-paced settings.
  • Strong experience advising senior stakeholders and influencing decisions.
  • Deep understanding of program management and Agile methodologies.
  • Excellent communication skills, tailored for executive-level audiences.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as a trusted advisor to government stakeholders with data-driven insights.
  • Identify capability gaps and translate needs into rapid solutions.
  • Lead strategic workshops and assessments for operational challenges.
  • Facilitate collaboration among leadership and cross-functional teams.
  • Develop frameworks to enhance decision-making and execution efficiency.
  • Apply Agile methodologies to manage iterative project delivery.
  • Drive innovation across acquisition, policy, and operational processes.

Benefits

  • Opportunity for professional growth and development.
  • Collaborative work environment with a focus on innovation.
  • Engagement with cutting-edge technologies and methodologies.
  • Chance to impact critical defense initiatives and mission outcomes.
Full Job Description
4455 Senior Program Manager
4455 | Secret

Job Description:

OVERVIEW:

We are seeking a Senior Program Manager who will work closely with government clients to identify mission needs, scout emerging technologies, integrate solutions, and scale successful capabilities. You'll build structure, workflows, and processes that overcome legacy constraints to enable speed, precision, and measurable impact. You'll lead daily client engagements, navigate complex stakeholder relationships, and oversee major workstreams that drive transformation and modernization for a global communications architecture. Success in this role requires navigating ambiguity, moving with urgency, and delivering tangible mission outcomes.

This position manages the day-to-day execution of command, control, and communications (C3) modernization efforts for a senior defense sector client while leading the embedded Rapid Acquisition Integration Cell (RAIC™).

The Senior Program Manager is responsible for rapid execution, cross-functional integration, sprint planning, stakeholder coordination, and delivery of all contractual products. Success in this role requires the ability to lead teams, influence senior stakeholders, and translate complex challenges into structured, repeatable solutions that scale.

GENERAL DUTIES:

Client Advisory & Mission Success

  • Serve as a trusted advisor to senior government stakeholders, providing data-driven recommendations that advance mission outcomes.
  • Support operational units in identifying command, control, and communications (C3) capability gaps and translating mission needs into rapidly deployable solutions.
  • Lead workshops, assessments, and strategic engagements to solve complex operational and technical challenges.
  • Facilitate collaboration across leadership, program offices, operational commands, and cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Develop governance structures, operating models, decision frameworks, and operating charters that improve execution and decision-making.
  • Continuously gather client feedback and incorporate lessons learned to improve delivery and mission outcomes.

Program Leadership & Delivery

  • Lead programs, projects, and major workstreams in high-tempo environments.
  • Translate strategic objectives into actionable plans, workflows, repeatable processes, and performance metrics.
  • Apply Agile and Scrum methodologies using iterative, sprint-based delivery models.
  • Keep teams focused on mission outcomes, operational impact, speed, and return on investment.
  • Coordinate with leadership, technical experts, and cross-functional teams to align priorities, timelines, and dependencies.
  • Drive innovative approaches across acquisition, policy, finance, organizational design, and operational processes.
  • Maintain awareness of emerging technologies and software development best practices.

Performance, Measurement & Continuous Improvement

  • Establish mission-focused performance metrics, including ROI, cycle time, throughput, decision velocity, and operational impact.
  • Develop tracking mechanisms to measure progress and organizational value.
  • Capture lessons learned and standardize best practices across engagements.
  • Monitor risks, anticipate challenges, and adapt execution based on evolving mission needs.
  • Implement scalable solutions that improve delivery efficiency and long-term performance.

Contract & Operational Management

  • Manage contract execution while ensuring compliance, quality, delivery, and performance objectives.
  • Identify delivery risks early and implement mitigation strategies.
  • Manage project resources and team utilization.
  • Help remove acquisition, policy, and operational barriers that slow innovation.
  • Ensure operational processes are efficient, repeatable, and scalable.

People Leadership & Team Development

  • Onboard, mentor, coach, and develop team members.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, continuous learning, and client service excellence.


REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • 7+ years of professional experience leading government-facing programs, projects, or major workstreams.
  • Experience supporting Department of Defense or other federal clients in areas such as deployable communications capabilities, technology modernization, organizational transformation, operational deployment, or program management.
  • Demonstrated success delivering measurable outcomes in complex, fast-paced environments.
  • Experience advising senior stakeholders and influencing decision-making across organizations.
  • Strong understanding of program management principles and Agile methodologies.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level briefings and decision-ready materials.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.


DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Experience with DoD acquisition pathways, including OTAs, CSOs, and IDIQs.
  • Experience working with startups or emerging technology vendors.
  • Enterprise modernization experience.


CLEARANCE:

  • Active Secret clearance minimum required


Job Details

City : Washington

State : DC

About Affinity

Affinity’s patented technology structures and analyzes millions of data points across emails, calendars, and third-party sources to offer users the tools they need to automatically manage their most valuable relationships, prioritize important connections, and discover untapped opportunities. Affinity uses artificial intelligence to analyze relationship strength and illuminate the best paths to warm introductions. The platform also offers a holistic view of users’ networks in a centralized, automatically updated database without any manual upkeep. Founded in 2014, Affinity is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Affinity has raised $120M to date and is backed by leading investors including Menlo Ventures, Advance Venture Partners, 8VC and MassMutual Ventures. It has over 2,700 customers in 70 countries, including venture capital firms such as Bain Capital Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, private equity firms such as SoftBank Group, investment bankers such as Woodside Capital Partners, financial services firms such as Fidelity Investments, real estate companies such as Tishman Speyer, insurers such as American Family Insurance and enterprises such as Nike, Qualcomm and Twilio. Affinity has been named in Fortune Magazine's Best Workplaces, Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and editor's number one pick, the Data Breakthrough Award, BIG Innovation Award and others.
Learn more about Affinity
Size
1,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2014

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