Program Manager, Production Line Stand-Up

Sitreps • Las Vegas, VA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

This role is for a Program Manager, Production Line Stand-Up at a founder-led defense technology company that builds deployable position, navigation, and timing (PNT) hardware for the U.S. Army. The company is transitioning three product lines from prototype to its own production floor in Las Vegas, with engineering based in Northern Virginia. This is a part-time, half-time level of effort position with a two-year period of performance. The Program Manager will be the Task Order Lead, responsible for taking three PNT product lines from a partner-built prototype baseline to a client-owned production capability. Key responsibilities include owning the schedule, deliverables, subcontract coordination, and risk posture, acting as the primary point of contact for program status. The transition follows a crawl-walk-run approach, with Year 1 focusing on partner assembly and infrastructure build-out, and Year 2 shifting to full-rate production. The goal is to ensure these two tracks converge on schedule.

Requirements

• 10 to 20 years of program or project management experience in a defense engineering environment, at a supervisory level.
• A master's degree may be required to meet the contract labor category.
• Demonstrated ownership of a DoD task order or contract as the responsible PM, including CDRL and PWS deliverable discipline, IMS ownership, and direct COR interface.
• Experience managing subcontractors and cross-contractor dependencies.
• Fluency with engineering change control (ECR and ECN) and configuration management on a hardware program.
• Hardware program experience, understanding long-lead components, procurement lead times, and supply chain disruption impacts.
• U.S. citizenship, and the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience standing up or transitioning a production line, particularly a prototype-to-production or technology-transfer effort.
• Familiarity with APFIT, OTA, or other rapid-fielding acquisition vehicles.
• Electronics manufacturing background: SMT assembly, test, and first-article processes.
• PMP certification.

Responsibilities

• Program launch: Chair the program kickoff within 30 days of contract award and deliver the Order Management Plan (OMP) and Quality Management Plan (QMP) on PWS timelines.
• Build and maintain the integrated master schedule for the full two-year period of performance, including Year 1 LRIP milestones for all three product lines.
• Prepare and deliver Monthly Status Reports by the 5th business day of each month, covering production line stand-up progress, subcontract status, design transfer activities, component procurement, supply chain coordination, and risk posture.
• Coordinate directly with the COR and with subcontractors for board assembly and design transfer on milestones, component delivery schedules, and transfer activities, identifying and escalating dependencies before they impact the schedule.
• Manage the formal Engineering Change Request (ECR) and Engineering Change Notice (ECN) process for all design decisions.
• Maintain a living risk register for leadership and customer use.
• Manage funds and personnel against assigned tasks, ensuring the quality and on-time delivery of all contract deliverables.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Senior