Program Manager / Program Director

ERT•Greenbelt, MD

23h•Hybrid

About The Position

ERT is seeking a Program Director (PD) / Program Manager (PM) to support upcoming work at NASA to modernize, enhance, optimize and maintain critical IT systems for science data. Duties include: Program Management and Leadership: Overall responsibility for program execution of a $200+M contract. Includes responsibility for technical areas such as: Cloud, Earth Science, Data Collection, Modeling, etc; schedule and cost Coordination across multiple workstreams (e.g. infrastructure build, application development, application and migration, security / compliance, testing and operations) Risk and opportunity management including the identification and mitigation of risks to maintain continuity of services and smooth program operations. Ensure progress, risks and blockers are clearly reported to leadership and other appropriate stakeholders Ensure compliance with contract terms, deliverables, and performance requirements and experience managing subcontractor partners Stakeholder and Client Engagement: Serve as a liaison between the customer, contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders, ensuring effective communication and alignment. Collaborate with customer and project leads to understand evolving needs and strategic direction. Work with technical staff to generate, validate and propose solutions, and report progress on deliverables Facilitate regular meetings, status updates, and progress reports to customer leadership and external partners Team and Operations Oversight: Support, mentor, and manage cross-functional team leads, including scientists, engineers, and technical staff executing in an agile environment. Monitor personnel performance, provide coaching as needed, and ensure a high standard of work quality and accountability Drive operational excellence through continuous process improvement initiatives Support onboarding, role clarity and team alignment Experience managing a dispersed (potentially nationwide) team of software developers, systems analysts, cloud architects, database administrators, integration engineers, test engineers, etc. Project Management and Reporting: Track and manage project schedules, budgets, and milestones using program management tools and methodologies Assist in the preparation of detailed reports and presentations on program status, contract performance, and future priorities Coordinate with subcontractors to ensure quality and timeliness of services Contract Administration and Compliance: Ensure program activities meet federal regulations and adhere to all contractual obligations Coordinate with contract specialists in responding to contract modifications and task order proposal requests

Requirements

15+ years of experience in program management, project management, or operations management, preferably with previous experience supporting NASA, NOAA, USGS or similar technology-focused federal agencies and managing an agile environment.
Experience with leading the implementation or managing cloud migrations executed via multiple development trains for a mission critical government IT system
Strong leadership skills, program management experience, and technical expertise to help lead multidisciplinary teams working at the intersection of science and technology.
Proven experience in managing teams and large, complex projects which are compliance-heavy. Experience with both development and sustainment contract execution.
Strong knowledge of project management methodologies and tools
Experience with SAFe or other enterprise agile framework
Excellent organizational, leadership, and problem-solving abilities.
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with experience in client engagement and reporting.
Experience with budgeting and resource management on Firm, Fixed Price or Labor Type contracts.
Experience executing enterprise level risk and opportunity management strategies.
Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and be able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to enter the applicable government facility.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working with federal government contracts, especially with NASA, NOAA, USGS, or other technology-focused organizations.
Familiarity with scientific data management or Atmospheric observation science.
Knowledge of cloud terminologies, platforms and data management services (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud).
PMP, PgMP or similar certification.

Responsibilities

Overall responsibility for program execution of a $200+M contract.
Coordination across multiple workstreams
Risk and opportunity management
Serve as a liaison between the customer, contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders
Collaborate with customer and project leads to understand evolving needs and strategic direction.
Work with technical staff to generate, validate and propose solutions, and report progress on deliverables
Facilitate regular meetings, status updates, and progress reports to customer leadership and external partners
Support, mentor, and manage cross-functional team leads
Monitor personnel performance, provide coaching as needed, and ensure a high standard of work quality and accountability
Drive operational excellence through continuous process improvement initiatives
Support onboarding, role clarity and team alignment
Track and manage project schedules, budgets, and milestones using program management tools and methodologies
Assist in the preparation of detailed reports and presentations on program status, contract performance, and future priorities
Coordinate with subcontractors to ensure quality and timeliness of services
Ensure program activities meet federal regulations and adhere to all contractual obligations
Coordinate with contract specialists in responding to contract modifications and task order proposal requests

Benefits

Medical, Rx, Dental, and Vision Insurance
401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
11 Paid Federal Government Holidays
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Basic Life & Supplemental Life
Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
Employee assistance program (EAP)
Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
Skills Development & Certifications
Professional Membership Reimbursement
Employee Referral Program
Competitive compensation plan
Discretionary variable incentive bonuses based on factors such as individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance
Publication and Conference Presentation Awards with bonuses