Role Overview

The Head of Programs is a full-time, on-site executive leadership role located in California, designed for an experienced leader who seamlessly bridges high-level organizational strategy with hands-on shop-floor execution. Managing a comprehensive portfolio of complex thermal protection systems and advanced aerospace hardware, you will drive operational excellence by defining macro KPIs, architecting efficient PMO-to-production workflows, and leading strategic resource planning and talent acquisition. This role goes far beyond passive oversight; you will serve as the ultimate escalation point and an active "working manager," partnering with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain leadership to harmonize goals and step directly into the manufacturing environment to resolve systemic bottlenecks, ensure ERP data integrity, and guarantee on-time delivery for mission-critical defense and space applications.

As a technical strategist and key growth driver, you will champion the transition of advanced material designs from the R&D phase into high-rate production while actively supporting business development through proposal leadership and technical trade-off analyses. The ideal candidate brings over 8 years of progressive aerospace and defense leadership experience, an advanced understanding of high-intensity manufacturing environments, and exceptional relationship-management skills to influence executive stakeholders, suppliers, and customers. By maintaining a strong presence from the executive boardroom to the production floor, you will take full responsibility for portfolio health, risk mitigation, and team efficiency, ensuring the successful execution of aggressive program objectives from initial concept through final delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• The Head of Programs will provide strategic leadership, operational oversight, and tactical execution across the entire program portfolio, driving team efficiency, managing resource allocation, and ensuring cross-functional alignment from concept through production.
• Define and monitor high-level program KPIs, dashboards, and performance metrics to project overall portfolio health for executive leadership and key customers.
• Continuously evaluate program management workflows to eliminate redundancies, introduce industry best practices, and maximize team productivity.
• Lead resource planning, organizational design, and talent acquisition; manage staffing, and performance reviews to build a high-performing team.
• Partner with business development and engineering to support new proposals, providing accurate technical context, resource estimates, and data-backed trade-off analyses.
• Partner with leadership across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to harmonize program goals, timelines, and deliverables from concept through production.
• Serve as the escalation point and strategic bridge between the PMO and Production to ensure real-time schedules and recovery dates are accurate and actionable.
• Represent technical content, program status, and OORs (Open Order Reports) to internal stakeholders, suppliers, and customers; oversee the maintenance of customer portals to maximize on-time delivery.
• Proactively identify and resolve systemic execution bottlenecks across internal departments; step in directly to expedite critical jobs through the shop floor when necessary to maintain strict cost and schedule adherence.
• Oversee and validate ERP system data integrity, ensuring that system milestones and unreleased/on-hold job lists are managed effectively to prevent production delays.
• Flexibly support technical execution, resource allocation, and program integration across engineering and manufacturing during peak cycles to meet aggressive organizational objectives.
• Travel to customer sites, test facilities, and partner locations as required to lead high-level integration activities and support critical program milestones.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Engineering, Business, or a related field; equivalent executive-level experience or advanced certifications (PMP, PgMP) in an aerospace or defense manufacturing environment highly preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in program management, engineering leadership, or production operations within the aerospace, defense, or advanced materials industries, with a proven track record of managing a portfolio of programs.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic resource planning, department-level budgeting, organizational design, and full-cycle talent management.
• Proven success in supporting business development and capture management by leading technical proposals, defining program scopes, estimating resource requirements, and providing data-backed trade-off analyses.
• Deep experience establishing and tracking macro-level program KPIs, executive dashboards, and performance metrics to drive team efficiency and present program health to executive leadership and customers.
• Expert proficiency with ERP systems and project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira), with the ability to architect system tracking workflows and audit data integrity against real-time shop floor production status.
• Technical expertise in complex aerospace systems, such as launch vehicles, missile systems, thermal protection systems (TPS), advanced composites, or high-intensity manufacturing environments.
• Advanced risk management experience, with a proven ability to anticipate systemic program risks, design data-driven contingency models, and lead cross-functional recovery plans during schedule-critical situations.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence executive stakeholders, align cross-functional departments (Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain), and manage critical customer relationships.
• A "working manager" mindset, comfortable balancing high-level organizational strategy with tactical execution, including directly stepping in to expedite shop floor bottlenecks or resolve unreleased/on-hold job lists when critical deadlines are at risk.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites, test facilities, or partner locations as required to lead program integration, execute high-level reviews, and support critical milestones

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's or higher degree in Engineering, Business Administration (MBA), or a related technical field.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification.
• Active U.S. Security Clearance (Secret or higher), or the immediate ability to obtain and maintain eligibility for access to controlled defense information and classified facilities.
• Deep technical knowledge of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS), including extensive experience with launch vehicles, missile systems, soft goods, coatings, and other components designed for extreme thermal environments.
• Subject matter expertise in advanced manufacturing processes related to metallics, superalloys, composites, ablatives, and ceramics used in high-heat aerospace applications.
• Direct oversight or hands-on experience with qualification and developmental testing (e.g., vibration, thermal vacuum, or high-velocity flow testing), in addition to standard production testing environments.
• Strong background in customer-facing executive roles or technical business development, with a proven ability to lead proposals and manage complex partner and stakeholder relationships.
• Demonstrated success in transition-to-production strategies, specifically scaling advanced material designs from the R&D/prototype phase into a high-rate, efficient manufacturing environment.
• High proficiency with PLM systems and CAD tools to actively support engineering collaboration, configuration management, and technical trade-off analyses.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work in office, lab, and manufacturing environments with occasional exposure to noise, dust, and temperature variations.
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 35 lb and perform tasks involving standing, walking, bending, and manual assembly.
• Visual acuity required for reading technical drawings, inspecting components, and operating precision instruments.
• Occasional travel to customer or test sites, including outdoor or industrial settings, with adherence to company and OSHA safety protocols.

Job Details

Type: Full Time - Exempt

Salary Range: $130,000 to $190,000

Schedule: Core hours, Monday to Friday and additional hours as needed based on business demands

Base Location: CA

Travel: Up to 15%

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Total compensation will also include a comprehensive set of benefits including but not limited to: Company paid employee medical, dental and vision insurance. Retirement plan participation (eligibility required), paid sick leave, paid vacation, paid holidays and discretionary bonuses.