We are seeking an experienced Senior Program Manager to lead complex software development programs and integrated technical efforts within our small, high-impact program management team. This senior-level role will own coordinated programs and multiple interdependent workstreams spanning Internal Research and Development (IRAD), customer-funded development, transition, and fielding activities.
The ideal candidate brings direct software development experience, strong program leadership, and the ability to connect technical execution to business and customer objectives while maintaining accountability for cost, schedule, risk, technical performance, and deliverables. Experience with hardware development and integration is highly desirable, and experience supporting Department of Defense Programs of Record (PoRs) and government acquisition or program office stakeholders is strongly preferred.
Core Responsibilities:- Lead the planning, execution, and delivery of complex software development programs and multiple related technical workstreams across IRAD and customer-funded efforts
- Establish and own integrated program strategies, roadmaps, schedules, milestones, budgets, resource plans, dependencies, risks, opportunities, and program performance metrics
- Serve as the senior program point of contact for customers, government program offices, internal leadership, and technical teams; drive alignment, decisions, and clear accountability across stakeholders
- Coordinate across software, systems, test, fielding, support, and, where applicable, hardware teams to resolve cross-functional dependencies and deliver high-quality program outcomes
- Lead program status reviews, technical reviews, risk reviews, and executive/customer briefings; translate technical progress, trade-offs, and issues into clear program-level impacts and recommended actions
- Guide programs through the full lifecycle, including requirements, development, integration, test, delivery, transition, and fielding; support contract execution, proposals, LOE estimates, statements of work, and follow-on planning
- Provide leadership and mentorship across the PM team, establish scalable program management practices, and support organizational planning and prioritization across multiple programs
Required Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related technical field
- 7+ years of project and/or program management experience, including leadership of complex, cross-functional technical development efforts
- Direct experience developing software and working within the software development lifecycle (SDLC), with sufficient technical depth to engage engineering teams on requirements, architecture, integration, dependencies, trade-offs, test, and delivery
- Demonstrated success leading programs through the full lifecycle, from requirements and planning through development, integration, test, delivery, and transition/fielding, using Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid execution models
- Experience developing and managing integrated program plans and schedules, budgets, resources, risks, dependencies, customer commitments, and program-level performance reporting
- Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence engineers, business teams, customers, senior leaders, and government stakeholders
- Highly organized and able to lead multiple workstreams and competing priorities while making sound decisions in a fast-paced environment with evolving requirements
Desired Qualifications:- Experience developing or managing hardware products or integrated software/hardware systems through design, integration, test, production, or fielding
- Experience supporting a DoD Program of Record (PoR), including government program offices, acquisition stakeholders, formal reviews, contract deliverables, or fielding
- Experience supporting or managing defense/government R&D and acquisition programs, including DoD, IC, OTA, or similar environments
- Working knowledge of EVM, cost tracking, resource planning, financial forecasting, and performance measurement
- PMP certification and proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Project, or equivalent program/project management tools
