Kratos Defense and Security Solutions

Program Manager (Technical)

Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Science degree in business, engineering, scientific, or other technical discipline
  • 10+ years of project/program management experience
  • Proficiency with EVMS, IMS, and risk management
  • Experience with various contracting vehicles (FFP, CPFF/AF/IF, T&M)
  • Strong leadership and communication skills
  • Experience in managing technical requirements with customers and subcontractors
  • Secret clearance with the ability to obtain TS/SCI

Responsibilities

  • Plan program actions and milestones, aligning with customer goals
  • Establish program requirements, budget, and master schedule using Earned Value Management
  • Define KPIs and milestones to monitor program performance
  • Lead risk identification, mitigation, and contingency planning
  • Coordinate technical cross-functional engineering teams on complex projects
  • Build and maintain effective customer and subcontractor relationships
  • Manage changes in project technical and business baselines

Benefits

  • Collaborative work culture with a focus on innovation
  • Opportunities for professional development and growth
  • Engagement with high-impact satellite communications projects
  • Diverse and dynamic team environment
  • Supportive leadership and access to industry expertise
Full Job Description
Kratos is seeking a Program Manager to lead the development and verification of a complex multi-faceted satellite ground resource management, communication, and control projects and programs. This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for the successful candidate at Kratos.

This position is based in Colorado Springs, CO, and it encompasses multiple dimensions of Program Management and Leadership with knowledge of Systems Development, Engineering, Site Construction, Integration, and Verification . The successful candidate will be part of the Kratos Space Federal team and will be responsible for leading project/program teams that will have multiple development activities occurring in parallel to successfully meet the project/program requirements and the customer's needs.

The successful candidate will be responsible for successfully leading multiple Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) on these projects, which are required for the project to be successful.

This Program Manager will be interfacing with several different functional organizations in Kratos, which are primarily Engineering, Finance, Program Management, Contracts, Business Development, Security, and Facilities. Our project/program managers team with our functional managers to develop long-term visions in strategic business pursuits, successfully creating solutions for executing programs, and expanding our business pipeline by listening and responding to current and potential customer needs.

The responsibilities of this position are:
  • Strategically and tactically planning program actions, milestones, and success metrics for Kratos and supporting subcontractors and ensuring alignment with our customer
  • Scoping and establishing the program's requirements, budget, and Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) through an Earned Value Management System
  • Establishing program Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Milestones to assess program progress and ensure a tight correlation between budget and task execution
  • Proactively leading risk identification and mitigation plans, and proactively conducting and leading contingency plans
  • Leading and coordinating highly technical cross-functional engineering teams and IPTs on multi-faceted and complex satellite communication, command, mission management, and relevant site construction
  • Establishing and maintaining effective customer relationships, negotiating contracts, system and regulatory requirements, and effective program coordination/execution, understanding the customer's needs in addition to the Statement of Work (SOW) requirements, as well as, ensuring compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) requirements.
  • Establishing and maintaining effective subcontractor relationships, negotiating contracts, system and regulatory requirements, and effective program coordination/execution, building a partnership
  • Effective budgeting and performance management or both Firm-Fixed and Cost-Plus type projects, for a Certified Accounting System using Earned Value Management f, in correlation with the IMS. Ability to speak to schedule or cost variances and support the team producing Contract Data Requirements Lists (CDRLs) for delivery to the customer are required.
  • Effectively manage program technical and business baselines, and appropriately manage any requirements scope creep from the customer
  • Work with our engineering experts to provide technical advice to our customers on architectures and potential solutions
  • Collaborate with functional / resource managers (matrix organization) to allocate staff resources and identify resource needs
  • Properly manage classified information and activities
  • Manage the capture of Engineering Change Proposals by leading proposal efforts
  • Interface directly with customers to ensure project requirements are met and guarantee our performance exceeds customer expectations
  • Support the IPTs to develop and deliver effective customer presentations (design reviews, quarterly Program Management Reviews, kickoff meetings, test events) demonstrating an ability to communicate comfortably at a system level
  • Report on project financial performance and schedule performance to senior management on a monthly basis
  • Drive material purchases through certified Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR) processes
  • Travel as necessary to attend customer meetings or internal planning sessions
  • Proactively be a strong team player


  • Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited college or university in a business, engineering, scientific, or other technical discipline
  • Minimum of 10 or more years of project or program management experience executing technical development programs leading and managing multi-disciplinary teams, conducting multiple development efforts simultaneously
  • Demonstrate proficiency with managing programmatic attributes such as EVMS, IMS, Risk and Risk reduction efforts, and customer and subcontractor relations and negotiations
  • Direct experience managing within different FFP, CPFF/AF/IF, and T&M contract vehicles
  • Experience with scheduling applications, with the ability to work with a program scheduler to develop and maintain a detailed Integrated Master Schedule, effectively tracking technical progress
  • Experience in managing contractual and technical requirements directly with customers
  • Experience in managing contractual and technical requirements, and project execution directly with subcontractors
  • Experience writing subcontractor Statements of Work (SOW) and sole-source justifications
  • Experience with certified Contractor Purchasing System Review (CPSR) material procurements
  • Strong teaming, leadership, organizational and verbal/written communication skills
  • Experience developing and delivering effective customer presentations (design reviews, status reports, kickoff meetings, test plans) demonstrating an ability to communicate comfortably at a system level
  • Experience developing and delivering effective and accurate customer Contract Data Requirements Lists (CDRLs) and responding to subsequent customer comments
  • Experience developing and delivering effective presentations for Senior Management, demonstrating an ability to concisely inform them of the status and future tasks and steps
  • Experience effectively managing and leading multi-faceted complex development System of Systems projects, requiring management and leadership of multiple development teams/IPTs
  • Proven ability to quickly pivot as appropriate to address issues caused by changing situations, such as customer needs and scope modifications and/or supplier challenges, and potentially capitalize on any opportunities the change may provide
  • Experience working Waterfall and Agile/SAFe-Iterative development program schedule methodologies
  • Experience managing projects with significant software development content
  • Travel required ~ 20-25%.
  • Requires a Secret Clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI

U.S. Citizenship status is required as this position will require the ability to access U.S. only data systems and export-controlled data

Preferred Skills and Experience
  • Experience working US Government Projects, specifically with the US Space Force ground systems.
  • Experience working with software-based radios/modems running in VNFs.
  • Experience working with RF communication equipment
  • Experience working in Satellite communications
  • Experience working projects utilizing cloud and on-premise implementations
  • Experience with Atlassian tools
  • RF / Optical Antenna site construction and installations
  • Operational Center design, verification and delivery
  • Experience working with an Agile/Iterative software development scheduling approach
  • Experienced in Satellite TT&C, C2, and/or Space to Ground communications
  • Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is a plus

#LI-Onsite

The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, and skills.

Competitive salary based on experience and education
Salary Range: $175,000-$225,000

About Kratos Defense and Security Solutions

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. provides mission critical products, solutions, and services in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Kratos Government Solutions, Unmanned Systems, and Public Safety & Security. The Kratos Government Solutions segment offers microwave electronic products, satellite communications, training systems, modular systems, and defense and rocket support services. The Unmanned Systems segment provides unmanned aerial, ground, and seaborne, as well as command, control, and communications systems. The Public Safety & Security segment designs, engineers, deploys, operates, integrates, maintains, and operates security and surveillance solutions for homeland security, public safety, critical infrastructure, government, and commercial customers. The company serves national security related agencies, the department of defense, intelligence agencies, and classified agencies, as well as international government agencies and domestic and international commercial customers; and critical infrastructure, power generation, power transport, nuclear energy, financial, IT, healthcare, education, transportation, and petro-chemical industries, as well as government and military customers. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.
Learn more about Kratos Defense and Security Solutions
Size
3,300 employees
Market Cap
$1.1 billion
Industry
Net Income
$79.6 million
Founded
1994
5 Year Trend
+8.4%
Revenue
$747.6 million
NASDAQ

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