Lead Program Manager

STR•Woburn, MA

8h•$147,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Subsea and Seabed Systems (SSS) Group within STR’s Sensors Division seeks 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 transitioning programs to low-rate initial production (LRIP) or production. The role leads small, highly capable multidisciplinary teams across STR campuses, coordinating electrical and mechanical design, software development, system construction, integration, testing, and field execution to deliver innovative national-security systems within cost, schedule, and performance objectives. The position is accountable for financial planning and execution, including developing credible budgets and resource plans, maintaining forecasts, and making timely cost, schedule, and staffing decisions as technical priorities evolve. The Lead Program Manager builds and executes programmatic baselines covering personnel, deliverables, subcontractors, and contract manufacturers; anticipates and resolves risks and resource, security, and contracting challenges; and manages expectations among customers, sponsors, and leadership. The role also leads proposals and supports system testing and transition toward fieldable capability. Candidates should have recent, significant program-management experience building fieldable systems and technical knowledge in several relevant areas, such as undersea warfare, sonar, ocean engineering, modeling and simulation, test and evaluation, hardware design, software architecture, uncrewed underwater vehicles, resource management, signal processing, or communications. The position requires strong multidisciplinary leadership, communication, presentation, mentorship, and peer-leadership skills. A current TS/SSBI clearance is required; SCI is preferred, and the ability to obtain and maintain SCI/SAP accreditations is required. U.S. citizenship is required by the U.S. government for these accreditations.

Requirements

Current TS/SSBI clearance; ability to gain and maintain SCI/SAP accreditations. U.S. citizenship is required by the U.S. government for these accreditations.
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 in 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 executing 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.

Nice To Haves

SCI clearance.
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 activities, at-sea execution, and post-test assessment.
Experience conducting operationally representative testing of advanced undersea systems in realistic maritime environments; working with operators, engineers, and government sponsors to translate mission needs and operating conditions into test scenarios and performance measures; and using results to inform system design, performance improvements, operational employment, and transition toward fieldable capability.
Work experience in government, 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.
Manage financial execution by reviewing actual costs and commitments, monitoring burn rates and funding availability, analyzing variances, and updating 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 providing expertise in proposal development while 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 briefs to group and division leadership.
Create and maintain a collaborative environment by giving the team clear direction and constructive feedback.
Monitor progress against goals, anticipate risks, resolve issues, and initiate corrective actions as appropriate.