The Senior Program Manager will lead complex software development programs and cross-functional technical workstreams, managing schedules, budgets, and stakeholder relationships. The role requires deep technical understanding of the software development lifecycle and experience coordinating with government or defense-related programs.
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