Acquisition Program Manager

Tyto Athene

$130K — $180K *
Aerospace & Defense
15+ years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher with significant relevant experience
  • 17+ years in Program Management or Executive Assistance, with a preference for 20+ years
  • Experience with Air Force/Space Force operations and command/control systems
  • Strong problem-solving, analytical, and technical writing skills
  • Familiarity with agile conditions and multi-disciplinary team dynamics

Responsibilities

  • Provide expert advice on acquisition program management lifecycle activities
  • Manage the commander’s calendar, schedule meetings, and balance priorities
  • Oversee travel coordination and ensure compliance with regulations
  • Control and review official correspondence and documents
  • Coordinate logistics for meetings and events
  • Act as the gatekeeper for the commander, managing incoming communications
  • Lead lifecycle strategy execution and monitoring for electronic warfare assets

Benefits

  • Health/Dental/Vision insurance
  • 401(k) match
  • Paid Time Off
  • Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance
  • Referral Bonuses
  • Professional development reimbursement
  • Parental leave
Full Job Description
Description

Quantum Sky is searching for an Acquisition Program Manager to support Mission Delta 3's 3rd Sustainment Training Squadron (3 STS). The 3 STS is responsible for providing product support, life-cycle sustainment, and operational maintenance management for the Space Force’s mobile and fixed electromagnetic electronic warfare weapon systems

 

Responsibilities:

  • Serves primarily as an Executive Assistant to the 3 STS Commander and provides advice, expertise and consultation in acquisition program management (PM) lifecycle activities, in concert with sustainment engineering, logistics and test and evaluation members to the government/squadron integrated planning team
  • CORE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT RESPONSIBILITIES: 
  • Calendar & Schedule Management: Coordinates the Commander's daily itinerary, balances competing priorities, and schedules high-level meetings across Mission Delta 3 leadership.
  • Travel Coordination (DTS): Authorizes and manages complex official travel profiles via the Defense Travel System (DTS), ensuring prompt voucher processing and compliance with Joint Travel Regulations. 
  • Correspondence Control: Reviews, formats, and routes official taskings, awards, performance evaluations, and memorandums to meet strict military writing standards.
  • Meeting & Event Logistics: Arranges conference spaces, prepares agendas, coordinates briefings, takes minutes, and tracks action items for commander-led staff meetings. 
  • Visitor Protocol Support: Manages base access requests, coordinates building security entry, and assists with distinguished visitor (DV) protocol for incoming military and civilian leaders.
  • Information Flow Management: Serves as the primary gatekeeper for the Commander, filtering incoming emails, phone calls, and actionable requests to ensure timely responses. 
  • Office Operations Management: Tracks squadron office supply budgets, coordinates facilities maintenance requests, and maintains digital and physical records management systems.
  • Tasking & Suspense Tracking: Monitor incoming directives from higher headquarters and ensure squadron staff submit their inputs before the suspense deadline hits.
  • Document Quality Control: Review all official military letters, evaluation reports, and award packages for perfect formatting and grammar before the commander signs them.
  • Meeting Logistics: Set up conference rooms, distribute slide decks, record action items, and ensure meetings start and end exactly on time.
  • Distinguished Visitor Protocol: Coordinate base access, parking, and building entry for visiting senior leaders or corporate defense contractors.
  • Information Screening: Filter massive volumes of daily emails and phone calls, ensuring the commander only sees issues requiring their direct attention.
  • CORE ACQUISITION PROGRAM MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES: 
  • Lifecycle Strategy Execution: Leads the execution of program baselines, acquisition strategies, and system modifications for fielded electromagnetic warfare assets like Counter Communications System (CCS) or Meadowlands.
  • Cost, Schedule, & Performance Tracking: Monitors contractor progress against strict cost estimates, milestone schedules, and technical performance metrics using Earned Value Management (EVM) data. 
  • Risk Management: Identifies, assesses, and mitigates technical, supply chain, and financial risks that could delay critical system upgrades or cause budget overruns. 
  • Budget Execution & Planning: Manages program funding, monitors current year financial execution, and builds future budget requirements for the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) cycle.
  • Contractual Oversight: Collaborates with contracting officers to draft Statements of Work (SOW), Requests for Proposal (RFP), and evaluates incoming defense contractor bids. 
  • Stakeholder Synchronization: Bridges communication gaps between operational space crews, higher Space Systems Command (SSC) leadership, and civilian contractor engineering teams. 
  • Rapid Acquisition Pathways: Utilizes Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) pathways to bypass traditional military bureaucracy and rapidly field urgent electronic warfare capabilities.
  • Milestone Reviews: Prepares and briefs readiness documentation for high-level program reviews, design reviews, and operational test readiness reviews.
  • Experience working on classified government systems and networks
Qualifications

Required:

  • Bachelor’s degree
  • At least 17 years experience in Program Management and/or Executive Assistant (Government PM time preferred) but preferably 20 or more years of DoD and related Space operations combined experience, specifically acquisition program management, executive assitance and/or operational experience
  • In lieu of a Bachelor’s degree and 17 years of relevant experience, a Master’s plus 8 years of related experience or PhD plus 4 years of related experience is acceptable.
  • Experience with Air Force and/or Space Force operations, command and control (C2), theater operations, space tasking cycle, and operator training, preferably with experience in the Electronic Warfare and/or Satellite Communications (SATCOM) mission areas.
  • Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills
  • Demonstrated competency in technical writing
  • Familiarity operating under agile conditions as a member of a Scrum team
  • Superior written and oral communication skills, including interpersonal and negotiation skills
  • Familiar with MS Office products
  • Experience in working with multi-disciplinary teams of Military and technical managers

Desired:

  • Master’s degree (STEM)
  • 20+ years’ experience in Program Management and/or Executive Assistance (Government PM time preferred) of DoD and related Space operations combined experience, specifically acquisition program management and/or operational experience development of requirements, specifications and proposals; familiar with a variety of acquisition concepts, phases, and procedures.
  • Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprises (SAFe), Project Management Institute- Agile Certified Professional (PMI- ACP), Certified Scrum Master, PMP, USAF Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP) or similar certification
  • Experience in the Electronic Warfare and/or Satellite Communications (SATCOM) mission areas or other USSF mission domains.
  • Experience participating in technical studies and project performance reviews; ability to function in a multi-contractor/customer environment
  • Ability to perform a variety of complicated tasks, a wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected; demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills; and effective written and oral communication skills required
  • Familiarity working with or at the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC), US Space Command (USSPACECOM), and/or Space Force Field Commands
  • Experience/knowledge navigating the Air Force’s cloud-based DevSecOps Platform One enterprise service
  • Experience/familiarity working as a Product Repository technician or lead.
  • A successful candidate will coordinate the delivery of services among different program activities to increase effectiveness and efficiency leadership – proven success in leading high-performance teams in an integrated product development team environment, achieving results through others, and being a strong team player
  • Objectivity – Must maintain objectivity to determine proper standards, processes, and procedures that benefits the entire organization
  • Creativity – Develop innovative solutions to modernize and improve system proficiencies (i.e. processes, procedures, techniques, tools, etc.)
  • Flexibility – Receptive to change/new information and rapidly adapts to new technology, information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles
  • Analytical Thinking - Exceptional ability to analyze data and utilize it to make sound business decisions
  • Conflict management and resolution skills
  • Passionate - Possess a passion for researching, defining and enforcing standards, processes and procedures
  • Results focused – Ability to organize and manage multiple, and at time competing priorities
  • Communication Skills – Demonstrate communication skills necessary to interpret policies in situations requiring persuasion and prepare and present presentations
  • Relationship building skills – Ability to work within a dynamic team setting and provide role-model leadership
  • Customer service – Superior customer service skills to both internal and external customers

Clearance:

  • Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility required

Compensation:

  • Compensation is unique to each candidate and relative to the skills and experience they bring to the position. The salary range for this position is typically between $130,000-$180,000. This does not guarantee a specific salary as compensation is based upon multiple factors such as education, experience, certifications, and other requirements, and may fall outside of the above-stated range.

Benefits:

  • Highlights of our benefits include Health/Dental/Vision, 401(k) match, Paid Time Off, STD/LTD/Life Insurance, Referral Bonuses, professional development reimbursement, and parental leave.

 

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