Program Manager

Program Manager

• Company: Defense-technology company (name shared under NDA)
• Location: Remote (U.S.), with travel to various program and customer sites
• Type: Full-time
• Compensation: $130,000 to $165,000 annually (includes excellent benefits, profit sharing, and potential equity)
• Clearance: Ability to obtain TS-SCI
• Citizenship/Work Authorization: U.S. Person

Confidential Search · Defense Technology

Confidential search. The hiring company's identity is shared with candidates under NDA.

About the Client

A defense-technology company building mission-ready sensor and edge hardware for the toughest problems in defense and intelligence — where the gap between a system that works in a lab and one that works in the field is where programs live or die.

About the Role

As Program Manager, you'll own that gap for the company's most critical Army and Joint program office engagements: driving cost, schedule, and performance across contracts that directly support operational units, while also making sure individual product orders ship on time and on spec. You'll be the connective tissue between a team of 12-15 engineers and subcontractors and the government customers who depend on what they build. This isn't a coordination role - you're accountable for outcomes the customers actually count on.

Responsibilities

Own cost, schedule, and performance (CSP) tracking across the highest-priority contracts, escalating risks before they become problems rather than reporting them after the fact

Serve as primary point of contact for government program offices, running program reviews, status updates, and deliverable coordination

Manage delivery of individual product orders end-to-end: from order intake through production coordination to on-time, on-spec shipment

Coordinate a cross-functional team of 12-15 engineers and subcontractors, translating program requirements into actionable technical tasks and holding the team to delivery commitments

Partner with the Director of Contracts on subcontractor performance and deliverables - technical coordination and quality, not contractual/invoicing ownership

Support capture and proposal efforts as a past-performance and technical credibility resource

Identify and resolve cross-program resource conflicts, working with internal leadership to prioritize when engineering or production capacity is constrained

Maintain program documentation and internal leadership updates on portfolio health

Requirements

Must-Haves

5-8 years of program or project management experience, with direct experience managing DoD contracts (cost, schedule, and performance accountability, not just coordination)

Operational/mission experience (prior military service, embedded operator experience, or direct exposure to how units use edge sensor/ISR equipment in the field)

Demonstrated experience serving as primary customer POC to government program offices - running reviews, managing deliverables, handling escalations directly

Active Top Secret clearance, or ability to obtain one

Experience managing cross-functional technical teams (engineers, not just administrative staff) through delivery deadlines

Strong working knowledge of cost/schedule tracking methodology

Excellent written and verbal communication - this person represents the company directly to Joint and Interagency customers

Nice-to-Haves

Program Management certification

Experience supporting proposal or capture efforts as a past-performance/technical resource

Familiarity with small-to-mid-size defense contractor environments (vs. large prime bureaucracy) - the pace and ambiguity are different

Compensation & Benefits

Health coverage, fully covered - premiums paid 100% for you and your dependents

401(k) with company contribution - a 4% contribution on your behalf regardless of your own contribution level

Unlimited PTO - average employee takes 3-4 weeks

Annual profit sharing - when the company wins, you share in it directly

Process

This is a confidential search. An NDA is required before the company's identity and full role details are shared. We screen for interest at a high level first, then read candidates in once an NDA is in place.

This position supports U.S. Government-related work. Applicants must be U.S. persons. The hiring company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.