Program Manager

Salas O'Brien•Washington, DC

About The Position

The Program Manager – DOE/NNSA Programs & Business Development leads the execution of Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and other federal programs while helping grow the company’s federal business portfolio. The role combines program management, customer relationship development, operational oversight, and strategic business development. The Program Manager maintains customer relationships, ensures contract performance, leads multidisciplinary teams, and identifies opportunities to expand existing work and develop new business. The position may be based in Knoxville, Tennessee; Washington, DC; or Aiken, South Carolina, and uses established customer relationships, industry knowledge, and professional networks to connect customer needs with the company’s capabilities. The role oversees program planning, execution, budgets, schedules, staffing, performance, risks, compliance, and customer communications. It also develops growth opportunities with executive leadership and business development teams, contributes to capture and proposal efforts, and supports workforce planning and team development. Travel is approximately 10–20%, as business and customer needs require. The position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance as required by assigned programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physical sciences, business administration, project management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
At least 5 years of progressive program management, project management, operations, or contract leadership experience supporting DOE/NNSA, the Department of Defense, national laboratories, or other federal customers.
At least 5 years of experience leading multidisciplinary technical, engineering, scientific, or professional services teams.
Demonstrated experience managing complex federal contracts or programs, including customer relationships, performance, staffing, budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
Experience in a regulated federal environment, preferably involving nuclear operations, environmental management, energy, national security, engineering, or technical support services.
Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain trusted customer relationships and communicate effectively with government and contractor leadership.
Experience identifying contract growth opportunities, expanding customer relationships, supporting capture activities, or contributing to business development.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including developing executive briefings, management reports, and customer presentations.
Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance when required by the assigned program.
Strong program leadership and contract execution capabilities.
Ability to balance operational responsibilities with strategic customer engagement and business development.
Strong financial, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities, changing requirements, and complex stakeholder relationships.
Collaborative leadership style focused on accountability, customer satisfaction, and measurable results.
Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with executive leadership, technical teams, and business development personnel.

Nice To Haves

Active DOE Q clearance.
Previous experience supporting NNSA Headquarters, Savannah River and Oak Ridge site contractors, or other DOE/NNSA laboratories, plants, or sites.
Experience with federal contract administration, project controls, risk management, budgeting, scheduling, and earned value management.
Familiarity with applicable DOE project management directives, quality assurance, and nuclear safety requirements.
Demonstrated success expanding existing customer accounts, developing new customer relationships, or supporting federal capture and proposal efforts.
Established professional relationships within the DOE/NNSA, national laboratory, federal contracting, or engineering services communities.

Responsibilities

Lead planning, execution, and oversight of assigned DOE/NNSA and other federal programs, meeting contractual commitments, customer expectations, and performance objectives.
Serve as a primary customer contact and maintain working relationships with government representatives, prime contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders.
Develop and maintain program execution plans, schedules, budgets, staffing plans, performance metrics, and resource forecasts.
Monitor contract performance, deliverables, milestones, cost, schedule, quality, and customer satisfaction; identify issues and implement corrective actions.
Manage program risks, scope changes, emerging requirements, and resource constraints in coordination with customers and company leadership.
Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across engineering, technical services, project management, environmental management, nuclear operations support, and administrative functions, as applicable.
Provide program updates, executive briefings, performance reports, and recommendations to internal leadership and customers.
Support contract transitions, task order execution, workforce planning, and scalable delivery strategies as customer requirements evolve.
Maintain trusted relationships with DOE/NNSA customers, federal program stakeholders, national laboratories, site contractors, and other organizations supporting federal missions.
Engage with customer contacts to understand priorities, identify challenges, and anticipate future program requirements.
Identify opportunities to expand existing contracts, support additional task orders, introduce complementary company capabilities, and develop new customer connections.
Represent the company at customer meetings, industry events, technical forums, and other relevant engagements.
Coordinate with operational leaders to address customer feedback and align business growth with successful program execution.
Partner with executive leadership and business development teams to identify, qualify, and pursue opportunities in existing accounts and new customer organizations.
Develop and maintain an opportunity pipeline using customer relationships, upcoming requirements, market intelligence, and industry engagement.
Contribute to capture planning, opportunity assessments, customer engagement strategies, and bid/no-bid recommendations.
Support proposal development with technical and operational input, staffing strategies, management approaches, past-performance information, and customer insight.
Build relationships with potential teaming partners, prime contractors, subcontractors, and other organizations that complement company capabilities.
Track opportunity progress, customer engagement, and business development activities, and communicate priorities and potential investments to leadership.
Ensure program execution aligns with contract requirements, DOE/NNSA directives, federal regulations, site procedures, and company policies.
Promote safety, quality, accountability, integrity, and continuous improvement, and support applicable ISMS, quality assurance, environmental, security, and training requirements.
Maintain awareness of contract-specific security clearance, personnel qualification, training, and information-handling requirements.
Identify programmatic, operational, contractual, and organizational risks and implement mitigation strategies.
Support audits, assessments, corrective actions, performance reviews, and other contract assurance activities.
Apply appropriate DOE project management and controls practices, including cost and schedule management, risk assessment, change control, and earned value management when applicable.
Provide leadership, direction, mentoring, and performance oversight to assigned program and project personnel.
Set expectations for accountability, quality, customer service, and timely execution.
Coordinate workforce planning, recruitment needs, employee development, succession planning, and resource allocation with company leadership.
Foster collaboration across technical disciplines and business functions, and identify opportunities to improve processes, program performance, and customer value.