Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)

PROGRAM MANAGER-R&D - SR. PROGRAM MANAGER-R&D - AF Bomber Business Development - WPAFB - Dayton, OH

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) • $100K — $130K *
Dayton, OH 45424In-Person
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering, or equivalent experience in USAF project management.
  • 12+ years of leadership experience in high-complexity USAF bomber sustainment and modernization programs.
  • 12+ years of experience driving marketing and business development specifically for bomber-related projects.
  • 10+ years of proficiency in program analytics and control using MS Excel and related Microsoft Office tools.
  • 12+ years of expertise in capture practices tailored for the bomber community, including win theme development.

Responsibilities

  • Lead execution of USAF-awarded avionics programs from concept to delivery, ensuring integration-ready systems.
  • Own program governance for delivery management, enabling confidence in project execution across bomber portfolios.
  • Drive business development activities within the bomber community, aligning project roadmaps with mission needs.
  • Collaborate with engineering to convert technical requirements into executable plans for seamless integration.
  • Manage customer engagement efforts, expanding contract values and building long-term trust with USAF stakeholders.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to engage in complex avionics programs with the USAF.
  • Exposure to high-level program governance and cross-functional team leadership.
  • Access to professional development in business development specific to military applications.
  • Potential to influence major contracts and outcomes within the Air Force bomber community.
Full Job Description
  • Lead execution of USAF-awarded avionics programs, delivering cost/schedule/performance outcomes from reverse engineering through flight-worthy, integration-ready systems.
  • Own end-to-end program governance (scope, IMS, risk, EV, stakeholders), enabling predictable delivery and customer confidence across WPAFB bomber portfolios.
  • Drive bomber-community marketing and business development: shape demand, align roadmaps to mission needs, and convert insights into funded opportunities.
  • Partner with SwRI engineering to translate requirements into executable plans, ensuring technical rigor, readiness, and seamless platform integration.
  • Build and manage customer engagement cadence, capture artifacts, and win strategy to expand contract value, accelerate award-to-execution, and strengthen long-term USAF trust.

  • Lead integrated execution of high-complexity avionics programs; direct cross-functional staff, resolve priority conflicts, and drive technical/schedule decisions to keep delivery predictable and integration-ready.
  • Manage program team performance-tasking, accountability, resourcing, and escalation paths-removing blockers and maintaining clear ownership across engineering, and suppliers.
  • Run bomber-community BD cadence-customer engagements, opportunity shaping, call reports, and action tracking-turning conversations into next steps, artifacts, and funded momentum.
  • Conduct formal program control (IMS health, EVM/burn, forecast) and publish exec/customer-ready briefs with variances, root causes, and recovery plans.
  • Own pipeline and marketing execution-capture plans, partner strategy, win themes, collateral refresh, and leadership reviews-advancing priority USAF opportunities toward award.

  • Requires a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering. Other degree disciplines may be considered with sufficient, directly relevant U.S. Air Force-particularly bomber-community-engineering project/program management experience.
  • 12 + years: Demonstrated leadership of large, high-complexity USAF bomber sustainment and modernization programs, delivering integration-ready avionics outcomes while managing scope, risk, schedule, and cost across multiple stakeholders.
  • 12+ years: Proven bomber-focused growth execution: lead marketing/BD from demand shaping through proposal, negotiation, award, and on-contract expansion; build ROMs/budgetaries, compliant proposals, IMS, and cost models to win.
  • 10+ years: Advanced program analytics and control using MS Excel/Word/Outlook/PowerPoint/Project to produce financial baselines, EVM tracking, forecasts, and executive/customer-ready decision briefs.
  • 12+ years: Expert capture practitioner for the bomber community: sustain customer/partner cadence, document call reports, craft win themes, drive partner strategy, and lead proposal development to convert pipeline into awards.
  • A valid/clear driver's license is required.

About Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is a non-profit research and development organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The institute was founded in 1947 and has since grown to employ over 3,000 people across multiple locations in the United States. SwRI provides research and development services to a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, and energy. The institute's research areas include automation and data systems, chemistry and chemical engineering, and space science and engineering. SwRI has a long history of working with government agencies, including NASA and the Department of Defense, as well as private companies.
Learn more about Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
Size
3,000 employees
Industry
Aerospace & Defense
* Ladders Estimates

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