Program Manager, Lunar & Advanced Project Programs - GM Defense

GM•Austin, TX

6d•$134,700 - $207,600•Remote

About The Position

GM Defense (GMD) continues a 100-year legacy of designing, validating, and manufacturing vehicles and equipment in support of defense and other government customers. As part of our growing Lunar efforts, GM is taking our innovation beyond roads and into space, adapting our battery, chassis, and autonomous technologies to help develop vehicles that can significantly expand the range and capabilities of astronauts on the lunar surface. Building on GM’s historic contributions to the Apollo-era Lunar Roving Vehicle and advanced guidance and navigation systems, GM Defense is now working with government and industry partners on next-generation Lunar terrain vehicles for future missions. These vehicles are designed to operate in rugged terrain, extended darkness, and extreme temperatures at the Moon’s poles. GM is developing space-rated battery and mobility technologies that can withstand extreme temperature swings while providing long-term reliability and fault tolerance to help astronauts once again travel safely across the lunar surface. Within this context, our group leads the integration of advanced autonomy, robotics, and vehicle systems to meet the unique needs of Lunar, space, and other advanced defense customers. GM Defense is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic program leader to own and grow our Lunar portfolio and related advanced programs across current and future mobility, robotics, and other advanced projects, while positioning GM’s commercial EV and advanced technologies for future space and defense applications. This is a strategic, customer-facing people-leader role with responsibility for end-to-end program leadership across concept, capture, contract execution, and delivery and for building and developing a high-performing team. You will serve as the primary point of contact and relationship owner between GM/GMD and key government and industry stakeholders for Lunar and other advanced mobility programs, ensuring clear alignment on mission objectives, technical requirements, and delivery milestones. You will coordinate across internal GM organizations and external industry and mission partners to bring together chassis, autonomy, robotics, and space-rated battery solutions into an integrated Lunar mobility capability. The ideal candidate thrives in highly ambiguous environments, has a strong track record leading complex, cross-functional technical programs, and is eager to help write the next chapter of GM’s role in space exploration.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree
7+ years of progressive experience in Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering, Purchasing, Contracting, Supply Chain, or other business, technical, or operations disciplines, or comparable cross functional role
Demonstrated planning, program management, project management or equivalent experience leading cross functional initiatives
Candidate must either be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, asylee or refugee) or a non-U.S. Person who is eligible to obtain any required export control authorization
U.S. citizenship required to comply with federal government contract provision expressly restricting role to U.S. citizens
Strong business acumen with experience and understanding of financial tracking during program execution, including budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis
Proven track record leading large, technically complex programs with multiple stakeholders, ideally in highly regulated or mission-critical environments
Excellent ability to deal with ambiguity in a fast-paced environment
Proven track record of developing and driving high-performing teams
Strong framing and communication skills
Organizational agility and managerial courage
Proficient in MS Office, including PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Project
Strong business acumen with experience and understanding of financial tracking during program execution with a keen attention to detail

Nice To Haves

MBA or equivalent degree
Program leadership experience in space, Lunar or planetary surface mobility, autonomy, robotics, or advanced defense/aerospace systems
Familiarity with NASA and/or DoD space-related acquisition frameworks, including experience with contract structures, milestones, and technical review processes
Familiarity with the defense industry, including knowledge of Acquisition frameworks, Business Development, Planning, Portfolio Planning, Engineering, Manufacturing, Finance, Accounting, Purchasing, and Supply Chain
Knowledge across one or more of the following domains as applied to Lunar or analogous extreme environments: systems engineering, mission/portfolio planning, engineering, manufacturing, finance, accounting, purchasing, and supply chain
Experience managing or coordinating with external partners, subcontractors, or consortiums on complex, multi-organization programs

Responsibilities

Lead portfolio-level planning and execution for GM Defense’s Lunar and other advanced mobility and robotics programs, including current projects and future pursuits.
Serve as the primary Customer-facing program leader for Lunar and related advanced efforts, managing day-to-day interactions, expectations, and long-term relationships with Government and space-related customers.
Own overall program performance (schedule, cost, scope, technical execution, risk) across multiple, simultaneous contracted and pursuit efforts within the Lunar and advanced projects portfolio.
Coordinate closely with Business Creation, Business Development, and Product Development leads to shape and deliver executable proposals for Lunar mobility, robotics, and related opportunities, ensuring technical feasibility, realistic timing, and appropriate resourcing.
Execute awarded Lunar contracts to achieve customer requirements, exceed expectations, and maximize GM Defense profitability while meeting all contractual and regulatory obligations.
Lead the cross-functional program execution team (PET), enabling engineering, autonomy/robotics, battery and mobility systems, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, and other stakeholders to contribute to their full potential.
Integrate work products from cross-functional GM teams into cohesive Lunar and advanced mobility solutions, with clear interfaces, ownership, and decision rights, leveraging GM’s commercial EV and automated driving technologies where appropriate for future Lunar and other advanced projects.
Manage issues and risks through effective decision framing, structured trade-off analysis, and timely escalation and resolution.
Develop and deliver clear, concise program communications via standalone presentations, program reviews, team meetings, and one-on-one discussions with senior leadership and government/industry partners.
Prepare materials for internal gate reviews and external Government/Customer leadership reviews, including technical progress, demonstration/test results, and risk and opportunity profiles.
Integrate supporting functional processes (engineering change management, configuration management, validation and verification, safety, quality) to ensure robust, repeatable execution across Lunar and other advanced programs.
Drive on-time completion of key milestones and contractual obligations.
Build and sustain a high-performing team by directly leading, coaching, and developing team members, establishing clear priorities and goals, and creating behavioral norms and accountability mechanisms aligned to GM’s values.
Maintain effectiveness amid rapidly evolving Lunar mission concepts, technologies, and partnership structures while balancing Government/Customer priorities with GM Defense business objectives.