Lead Program Manager

STR•Woburn, MA

About The Position

The Subsea and Seabed Systems (SSS) Group within STR’s Sensors Division is seeking a Lead Program Manager to manage a portfolio of programs focused on future undersea systems. The portfolio spans concept generation and prototype development, with the goal of progressing programs into low-rate initial production (LRIP) or production. The role requires experience across technology readiness levels and the ability to scale program processes appropriately. The Lead Program Manager will lead small, multidisciplinary teams of researchers, scientists, and engineers across STR campuses. The role coordinates electrical and mechanical design, software development, system construction, integration, testing, and field execution to meet cost, schedule, and performance objectives on complex national security programs. A central responsibility is financial planning and execution, including developing budgets and resource plans, maintaining forecasts, and making timely cost, schedule, and staffing decisions as technical priorities evolve. The position also involves developing and executing programmatic baselines for personnel, deliverables, subcontractors, and contract manufacturers; anticipating risks; resolving resource, security, and contracting challenges; and managing customer, sponsor, and leadership expectations. The successful candidate will bring recent, significant program management experience building fieldable systems and working knowledge in several relevant technical areas, along with strong leadership, communication, mentorship, and program management skills.

Requirements

Active security clearance; current TS/SSBI is required, with SCI preferred. Ability to gain and maintain SCI/SAP accreditations is required; U.S. citizenship is required by the U.S. government.
Technical degree and 8+ years of relevant experience in government contracting, research and development (R&D), or advanced technology production; equivalent experience will be considered.
Program manager or control account manager experience on a design and development and/or build contract, including work breakdown structure (WBS) definition, schedule generation, financial analysis and reporting, and resource management.
Demonstrated experience planning and executing finances for fast-paced, complex programs, including budget development, resource planning, financial forecasting, cost and variance analysis, and timely corrective action to meet objectives within available funding.
Experience in proposal management, including planning and cost estimation.
Experience managing projects larger than $10M for the Department of War.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Experience leading small, highly capable, multidisciplinary teams on complex advanced-technology programs spanning electrical and mechanical design, software development, system construction, integration, testing, and field execution.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate interdependent engineering disciplines and drive systems from design and build through integration, readiness, and successful execution in operationally relevant environments.
Strong presentation and organizational skills.
Recent and significant program manager experience building fieldable systems.
Working knowledge in several relevant areas, such as undersea warfare, sonar systems, ocean engineering, modeling and simulation, test and evaluation, hardware design, software architecture, uncrewed underwater vehicles, resource management, signal processing, or communications.
Competency in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams, briefing senior leadership, and fostering positive, collaborative, and productive work environments.
Strong proficiency in all aspects of program management.
Strong interpersonal, communication, mentorship, and peer-leadership skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with advanced undersea warfare system concepts, signal processing, underwater acoustics, and ocean engineering.
Experience with sonar systems.
Experience preparing, planning, and executing testing and fielding of advanced undersea systems and vehicles, including test objectives, personnel and resource coordination, test readiness, at-sea execution, and post-test assessment.
Experience conducting operationally representative testing in realistic maritime environments and working with operators, engineers, and government sponsors to translate mission needs and operating conditions into test scenarios and performance measures.
Experience using test results to inform system design, performance improvements, operational employment, and transition toward fieldable capability.
Work experience in government, an FFRDC, or defense industry companies and sponsors.
Earned value management system (EVMS) experience.
Contract manufacturing experience.
Risk and opportunity management experience.
Experience managing research and development programs.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Microsoft Project, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

Execute multiple fast-paced, complex programs against cost, schedule, and technical objectives, with accountability for financial planning and performance.
Develop and maintain program budgets, time-phased spending plans, staffing and resource allocations, and estimates to complete and at completion across labor, materials, travel, subcontractors, and contract manufacturers.
Review actual costs and commitments, monitor burn rates and funding availability, analyze variances, and update forecasts as program needs change.
Work with technical leads, finance, and contracts to assess cost and schedule tradeoffs, implement corrective actions, and communicate financial risks and resource needs to leadership and sponsors.
Lead proposals by contributing expertise to proposal development and ensuring adherence to a gated capture process.
Create subcontractor statements of work and manage and track subcontractors to ensure proper execution.
Work with contract manufacturers to build up to LRIP and meet LRIP milestones with high quality.
Lead multidisciplinary teams through design, build, integration, test readiness, and field execution, coordinating interdependent engineering activities to deliver fieldable systems.
Oversee preparation, planning, and execution of advanced undersea system testing, including test objectives, personnel and resource coordination, readiness activities, at-sea execution, and post-test assessment.
Provide regular program briefings to group and division leadership.
Foster team collaboration by providing clear direction and constructive feedback.
Monitor progress against goals, anticipate risks, resolve issues, and initiate corrective actions as appropriate.
Build and execute programmatic baselines, including personnel, deliverables, and subcontractor and contract manufacturer management plans.
Manage customer, sponsor, and leadership expectations and address resource, security, and contracting challenges.