Program Manager

CenCore LLC

$110K — $130K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Active Top Secret clearance, with SCI eligibility and ability to complete additional government screening.
  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Program Management, Security Management, or related field.
  • Minimum 10 years' program management experience on federal government contracts.
  • 5+ years' experience managing large-scale security and operations programs in federal environments.
  • Proven experience leading teams of 25 or more across multiple locations in classified settings.

Responsibilities

  • Act as the primary point of contact with government leadership and Contracting Officer Representatives.
  • Direct overall program execution, planning, and management for all contract requirements.
  • Ensure all service level agreements, quality standards, and contractual obligations are fulfilled.
  • Lead strategic staffing, resource allocation, and mission alignment efforts.
  • Manage contract performance and compliance, including subcontractor coordination and financial oversight.
  • Monitor and report on contract requirements, task orders, and performance objectives.
  • Guide recruitment, onboarding, retention, and development of diverse personnel.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance options.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contribution.
  • Generous paid time off policy, including vacation and holidays.
  • Professional development opportunities and training programs.
  • Employee assistance program for mental health and wellness support.
Full Job Description
Description

The Program Manager serves as the senior leader responsible for overall execution, performance, and delivery of a government contract supporting federal security operations, protective services, mission support, program administration, and operational readiness requirements. This position provides strategic direction, contract oversight, personnel leadership, stakeholder engagement, risk management, schedule performance, quality assurance, and mission execution across all task areas.

The Program Manager acts as the primary interface between government stakeholders and contractor leadership and is accountable for delivering contractual requirements within cost, schedule, quality, compliance, and performance expectations. The ideal candidate has demonstrated experience managing large federal security programs, leading geographically dispersed teams, supporting classified environments, and applying disciplined program management practices.

Key Responsibilities
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for government leadership and Contracting Officer Representatives.
  • Provide overall program direction, planning, execution, and control for all contract requirements.
  • Ensure performance objectives, quality standards, service level agreements, and contractual deliverables are met.
  • Lead strategic planning activities and align staffing, resources, and priorities to mission needs.
  • Manage contract performance, including staffing, scheduling, reporting, compliance, subcontractor coordination, and financial oversight.
  • Monitor contract requirements, modifications, task orders, deliverables, and performance work statement objectives.
  • Lead recruitment, onboarding, training, retention, performance management, employee development, and succession planning activities.
  • Manage a diverse workforce that may include security professionals, supervisors, analysts, administrative personnel, and support staff.
  • Build and maintain effective relationships with government stakeholders, customer leadership, subcontractors, and internal teams.
  • Facilitate recurring program reviews and provide executive-level briefings, updates, and performance reporting.
  • Monitor daily operations, mission performance metrics, risk indicators, and operational readiness requirements.
  • Develop operational plans, contingency plans, surge support strategies, corrective action plans, and continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Monitor program budgets, labor utilization, forecasting, earned value reporting, and financial planning activities.
  • Identify operational efficiencies, cost-saving opportunities, and process improvements while maintaining contractual compliance and mission continuity.


Requirements

Required Qualifications
  • Active Top Secret clearance.
    • SCI eligibility.
    • Ability to successfully complete additional government screening requirements, which may include a full scope polygraph.
  • Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Program Management, Security Management, Emergency Management, Criminal Justice, Public Administration, or a related field.
  • Minimum of 10 years of program management experience supporting federal government contracts.
  • Minimum of 5 years of experience managing large-scale security, operations, or mission support programs within the Intelligence Community, Department of War, or similar federal environment.
  • Demonstrated experience leading geographically dispersed teams of 25 or more personnel.
  • Experience managing complex, multi-site operations in classified environments.
  • Experience serving as the primary interface with senior government officials, customer representatives, and contractor leadership.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Master's degree in a related field.
  • Project Management Professional certification.
  • Program Management Professional certification.
  • Certified Federal Contracts Manager certification.
  • Security professional certification such as Certified Protection Professional, Physical Security Professional, or equivalent.
  • Experience coordinating subcontractor performance on federal contracts.
  • Experience with earned value reporting, budget forecasting, and program financial planning.


Skills / Competencies
  • Program and contract management
  • Federal security operations leadership
  • Customer and stakeholder engagement
  • Personnel leadership and workforce planning
  • Risk management and issue resolution
  • Budget, labor, and resource management
  • Quality assurance and performance reporting
  • Operational planning and readiness
  • Subcontractor coordination
  • Executive communication and briefing skills
  • Ability to exercise sound judgment in classified, mission-focused environments

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