Development Program Director

Honeywell Aerospace•San Diego, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Development Program Director is a high-visibility leadership role in the Program Management Office at Honeywell Aerospace Defense Systems in San Diego, California. Reporting to the Senior Director of Program Management, this role leads Program Managers overseeing a portfolio of Radio Frequency (RF) electronic component development, internal research and development (iR&D), and production programs for land, air, sea, and space applications. The portfolio includes specification-driven design, commercial product development, and new product introduction (NPI) transitions to production, with a stated value of roughly $100 million. The director cultivates customer relationships and positions the organization to win larger-scale production programs. The role leads new-business proposals and development program initiation, including proposal coordination, Basis of Estimate reviews, negotiations, and identification of follow-on opportunities. It drives program accountability for plans, budgets, technical oversight, financial performance, schedules, risks, and opportunities, while ensuring compliance with contractual, government, customer, company, and industry requirements such as FAR, DFAR, and ITAR. The director provides visible leadership to the Development Program Management team, communicates program status to leadership, functional groups, and customers, and works with Business Development to grow customer portfolios and secure production contracts. The role also leads commercial product management for the Defense Systems organization, shaping research and development, customer engagement, and product build plans for new commercial RF products. As a functional leader, the director sets expectations for program management excellence, works with Engineering leadership to improve development processes, ensures staff have appropriate tools and training, and mentors, coaches, and develops direct reports. The position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance and requires the applicable PMP or CAPM certification for the position level; candidates who do not already hold the required certification must obtain it within six months of hire, with the company covering required training and certification costs. Candidates must meet the stated U.S. person requirement under export control laws and regulations.

Requirements

Thirteen years of program management experience, ideally in electronics or communications supporting the U.S. Department of Defense or foreign military governments.
Ten years of leadership and people management experience.
Experience managing new development programs with cross-functional teams across technical, financial, and operational functions.
Experience managing complex programs with more than $10 million in annual revenue.
Demonstrated ability to manage aerospace and defense profit and loss, including monthly, quarterly, and annual orders, revenue, gross margin, and cash targets.
Experience leading and developing multiple directly reporting Program Managers.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Must be a U.S. person as defined in the posting: a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or person with protected status in the U.S. under asylum or refugee status.
Must hold the applicable Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification for the position level, or obtain it within six months of hire. The company covers required training, certification, and recertification costs.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Technology, Math, Science, or Business Administration.
Master’s degree.
PMP certification or similar project management qualifications.
Experience in aerospace and defense, particularly electronic hardware development programs, RF/Microwave products, or electronic product manufacturing.
Experience managing complex development programs or serving as a deputy on large, high-risk programs.
Strong background in new business development, growing customer portfolios, and winning large production contracts.
Background in commercial product development management and market introduction.
Proven success building key customer relationships and transitioning development programs to large-scale production.
Effective oral and written communication skills.
Excellent attention to detail, analytical and reasoning ability, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

Partner with Business Development and proposal management leadership to coordinate timely review, approval, and submission of new-business proposals.
Ensure Program Managers thoroughly review Basis of Estimates for labor, materials, and other program support functions so proposals are executable and aligned with program goals.
Develop relationships with existing and potential customers and align proposals with their needs and strategic goals.
Support proposal negotiations with internal contracts staff and customers, maintaining engagement with customer representatives.
Identify follow-on business and growth opportunities that can develop into larger production contracts.
Drive Program Manager accountability for program plans, budgets, technical oversight, financial performance, and schedules.
Manage funds and reallocate resources as needed to meet financial targets and program scope.
Monitor orders, revenue, profit, and cash flow against program objectives.
Drive risk and opportunity management through the program lifecycle.
Ensure collaboration across Integrated Product Teams, with weekly progress meetings, issue resolution, and timely action closure.
Ensure compliance with government, company, customer, and industry specifications and regulations, including FAR, DFAR, and ITAR.
Champion contractual integrity and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in proposals and contract execution.
Establish strategic customer relationships that position Honeywell Aerospace for long-term development and production contracts.
Lead and maintain customer relationships that complement those of the Program Management team.
Provide regular program status updates to leadership, functional departments, and customers.
Work with Business Development to expand customer portfolios and pursue new large production contracts.
Lead Commercial Product Management for the Defense Systems organization.
Create, communicate, sell, and manage R&D, customer interaction, and product build plans for new commercial RF products, individually and through subordinate product managers as needed.
Support Business Development in plans to sell commercial products to customers.
Set and uphold program management excellence standards for development program execution.
Collaborate with Engineering leadership to mature program and engineering management processes for on-schedule, on-budget engineering development.
Ensure Program Management staff have the tools and training needed to succeed.
Meet with direct reports to mentor, coach, develop, and assess talent, and establish career development plans.