Program Manager

nLIGHT • Longmont, CO

61d • $120,000 - $180,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead the planning, execution, and delivery of complex Department of Defense (DoD) programs. The Program Manager will oversee program scope, cost, schedule, performance, and customer satisfaction while ensuring compliance with DoD policies, contractual requirements, and organizational standards. This role requires strong leadership, stakeholder management, and experience working within DoD acquisition frameworks. The candidate will be responsible for successful execution and programmatic tracking support for High Energy Laser (HEL) Weapon Systems and/or HEL Beam Control Systems (BCS). Work with Program Technical Leads to develop and manage program plans, resource allocation, schedule, budget, risk definition and tracking, and track execution against program plans and metrics. Provide regular written and verbal reports to peers and management. Implement appropriate business and operations systems in support of program execution needs. The Program Manager must be expert at working with MSOffice based tools (Excel, MS Project, PowerPoint, Word) to support budget management, bill of materials management, cost tracking and controls, and schedule management and controls. Work with Program Technical Leads, engineering teams, and accounting and supply chain to document and report task progress and set goals and objectives. Support configuration management through the system design, development, integration, and test phases. Responsible for supporting the development and integration of artifacts for formal DoD acquisition design reviews (Status Reports, CoDR, SRR, PDR, IBR, etc.). The ideal candidate has a strong technical background, DoD Program Management experience, and is strong at mentorship, teaching, and has experience with agile software development principles and processes.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience managing DoD programs
• Demonstrated experience working with DoD customers and acquisition processes.
• Proven ability to manage complex programs with cross-functional teams.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage budgets, schedules, and performance metrics.
• Experience with risk management and issue resolution.
• Proficiency with program management tools (MS Project, Jira, EVM tools, etc.).
• Commitment to Excellence. Attention to Detail. Pride in Workmanship.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment and maintain composure and good working relationships under pressure.
• Superior problem-solving ability and ability to absorb information from multiple sources to reach a solution.
• Develop and maintain documentation in support of formal DoD acquisition design reviews (i.e. CoDR, SRR, PDR, IBR, CDR, TRR, etc.)
• Technical Presentation and Report Writing Skills (i.e. good technical writing skills are critical)
• Vendor management experience.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree (MBA, MS Systems Engineering, or related field).
• Experience in functional and performance requirements allocation and tracking.
• Experience in System Engineering tools: Model-based Systems Engineering tools.
• Experience with High Energy Laser systems.
• Experience with electro-optical systems including acquisition, pointing, and tracking and/or Adaptive Optical (AO) Systems.
• Configuration Management for laser and electro-optical systems, in particular for high power applications.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact with DoD customers, stakeholders, and subcontractors.
• Lead program planning, budgeting, scheduling, and performance tracking.
• Manage program teams across engineering, logistics, security, and support functions.
• Develop program documentation (e.g., Program Management Plans, risk registers, decision briefs).
• Monitor contract performance, deliverables, and earned value management (EVM) metrics as required.
• Prepare and present program status reports, milestones, and reviews (e.g., IPTs, PMRs).
• Identify, mitigate, and manage program risks, issues, and opportunities.
• Oversee subcontractor performance and contract modifications.
• Actively manage technical teams to ensure efficient and rapid execution of complex systems

Benefits

• 4 weeks of Paid Time Off per year
• 11 paid Holidays
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Tuition Assistance Program
• Health (ACA Gold Plan), Vision and Dental Care paid by employer 100% for Employee and 75% for Dependents
• Paid Family Leave, Short and Long Term Disability paid by employer 100%
• Competitive 401k with company match and immediate vesting

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees