Program Manager

Karman Space and Defense

$110K — $130K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science in Engineering or Business Program Management, or equivalent experience
  • 5+ years managing complex aerospace or defense programs
  • U.S. Department of Defense Secret security clearance or ability to obtain one
  • Master's degree in related field (preferred)
  • Experience with missile systems and government contracts (preferred)

Responsibilities

  • Lead defense programs from planning to delivery and contract completion
  • Own performance metrics for cost, schedule, technical, and customer objectives
  • Develop and maintain integrated program plans and resource requirements
  • Coordinate execution across cross-functional teams in engineering, operations, and quality
  • Serve as primary interface for customers and stakeholders
  • Identify and mitigate technical and programmatic risks
  • Lead composite material development and processes for defense systems

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) with company match
  • Paid time off
  • Health Savings Account with company contribution
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Company-paid life and AD&D insurance
  • Short- and long-term disability coverage
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • 9/80 work schedule allowing for an alternate Friday off
Full Job Description
In this role, you will lead defense programs from initial planning through qualification, production, and delivery, ensuring performance across cost, schedule, technical, quality, and contractual objectives. You will coordinate cross-functional execution, guide program decisions, manage risks and opportunities, and serve as a primary interface with customers and internal stakeholders to deliver mission-critical missile, propulsion, launch, payload, and defense-system hardware that meets program objectives.

Responsibilities
• Leads assigned programs through planning, development, qualification, production, delivery, and contract completion.
• Owns performance against cost, schedule, technical, quality, contractual, and customer objectives.
• Develops and maintains integrated program plans, schedules, budgets, milestones, resource requirements, and performance metrics.
• Coordinates cross-functional execution across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, contracts, finance, and test organizations.
• Serves as a primary interface for customers, prime contractors, government stakeholders, suppliers, and internal leadership.
• Identifies technical, programmatic, supply-chain, cost, and schedule risks and drives mitigation and recovery plans.
• Leads composite material development, fabrication, and integration activities to ensure alignment with program technical, cost, and schedule objectives.
• Coordinates cross-functional execution for composite tooling, layup, curing, inspection, and qualification processes to meet stringent defense and flight-hardware requirements.
• Leads recurring program reviews and communicates financial performance, risks, decisions, dependencies, and corrective actions.
• Supports design reviews, test-readiness reviews, qualification activities, production-readiness reviews, and customer acceptance events.
• Manages contractual deliverables, statements of work, program changes, customer requests, and scope changes.
• Supports proposals, estimates, contract negotiations, follow-on opportunities, and program-growth activities.
• Role requires frequent travel up to 50% to our California and Utah facilities.

Required Qualifications
• Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Business Program Management, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
• 5+ years of experience supporting or managing aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, or similarly complex technical programs.
• A current U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secret security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.

Preferred Qualifications
• Master of Science or Master of Business Administration degree.
• Experience managing Department of Defense, U.S. government, allied-defense, or prime-contractor programs.
• Experience with missile systems, propulsion, launch systems, payload integration, separation systems, energetic devices, or related flight hardware.
• Experience managing programs from development through qualification and production.
• Knowledge of government contracting and fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, or incentive-based contract structures.
• Experience with Earned Value Management, cost-account management, or similar financial-performance methods.
• Experience supporting proposals, estimates, negotiations, contract modifications, or follow-on program capture.
• Project Management Professional certification or equivalent formal program-management training.
• Experience with program scheduling, enterprise resource planning, or product-lifecycle management systems.
• Experience leading engineering teams to develop mechanical and pyrotechnic components and systems.

Benefits• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with company contribution
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Company-paid life and AD&D insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Tuition reimbursement

This role follows a 9/80 schedule, with 9-hour shifts Monday through Thursday, an 8-hour shift every other Friday, and the alternating Friday off

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