Job Description

Help define the future of the Payload Engineering Center as the Engineering Operations and Execution Manager. The Operations and Execution Manager will assist the Payload Engineering Director with day-to-day and strategic operations, and tracking and monitoring of Payload program performance, as we scale to meet business demand. Work with a high performing team of payload leaders in the identification of strategic initiatives and improvements, process initiatives, and resource allocation and management.
The Payload Engineering Center combines engineering talent in payload architecture, payload systems engineering, test engineering, detector engineering, optical engineering and cryogenics engineering, with specialty labs and flight production and test facilities (optical test and manufacturing facility, detector technology center, cryogenics lab and the small payload test facility). This position is 75-100% indirect and reports to the Director of Payload Engineering.
What you'll do:
Work closely with the Payload Engineering Director to drive day-to-day operations across the Payload Engineering Center, ensuring smooth coordination among specialty labs, centers and engineering departments.
Develop and provide monthly program execution summaries to trend payload program/subsystem performance, synthesizing metrics, risks and accomplishments for leadership review.
Provide execution support and guidance to payload integrated product team (IPT) leads, particularly during program initiation, baselining, planning for realization of opportunities, and resolving problems.
Support development of cost and schedule estimates for new business efforts through analogous payload efforts and program actuals.
Maintain organization-wide staffing and workload visibility; use existing dashboards and tools to track resource needs, forecast demand, and support workforce planning with engineering leaders.
Organize department-wide initiatives, process improvements, tools, and operational frameworks to improve efficiency and execution quality.
Assist Payload Director, labs and department leaders with annual budget planning, cost tracking and financial performance monitoring.
Lead special projects, initiatives, and internal improvement efforts, including scoping, scheduling, resourcing, and delivery oversight.
Support strategic planning activities by providing operational insights, data analytics and cross-functional coordination.
Serve as a central point of contact for operational queries, inter-team dependencies, and cross-organizational alignment.

Required Skills and Education

Required Education, Experience, & Skills:

• BS/BA in related field plus 12 years or more related experience.
• Each higher-level degree, i.e., Master's Degree or Ph.D., may substitute for two years of experience. Related technical experience may be considered in lieu of education. Degree must be from a university, college, or school which is accredited by an agency recognized by the US Secretary of Education, US Department of Education.
• Must possess and maintain an active TS/SCI security clearance.
• Demonstrated experience with technical management and program execution, including cost and schedule estimating, Earned Value (EV) techniques, risks and opportunity management, strategic staffing, and lifecycle gated milestones (LCM)
• Demonstrated experience in a Payload related discipline and understanding of payloads as a system.
• Ability to self-start, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, strong attention to detail, and ability to work independently and with a team.
• Ability to operate at the system level and interface to all engineering disciplines, labs, manufacturing and test facilities, and organizations.
• Relevant work experience, demonstrating knowledge of payload engineering with DoW, intel community, commercial, and NASA customers.
• Demonstrated excellent leadership and interpersonal skills in relevant business environments.
• Excellent collaboration, influencing, decision making, relationship building and communication (written/verbal/presentation) skills.

Preferred Skills and Education

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills:

• Degree in a relevant Engineering or technical field, preferred.
• Experience through the full lifecycle of aerospace products from proposal through delivery, and operations.
• Prior experience working in and with controlled, classified security environments preferred.
• Experience in leading through change.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.

Multiple positions may be available on this opening.