Senior Director, Program Delivery

AST SpaceMobile•Dallas, TX

About The Position

AST SpaceMobile is seeking a Senior Director, Program Delivery & Governance to join its Program Management Office (PMO) and lead end-to-end service readiness and delivery execution across strategic telecommunications partner programs. The role establishes delivery priorities, oversees governance processes, and drives execution from initial planning through commercial launch and operational readiness. The Senior Director owns the governance framework for multiple concurrent programs and ensures alignment across business, engineering, operations, and external partner organizations. The role oversees a team of program managers responsible for complex deployment initiatives and maintains accountability for program outcomes, risk management, executive reporting, and delivery excellence. The position calls for strong telecommunications and program leadership experience, executive communication skills, operational discipline, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, highly technical environment. The role includes leading geographically distributed and international program execution, developing program management staff, and improving delivery processes, reporting, automation, and performance measurement. Travel is approximately 20% as business needs require. AST SpaceMobile is an equal opportunity, at-will employer; employment decisions are based on merit, competence, and qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Business Administration, Program Management, or a related field.
At least 15 years of experience in telecommunications program delivery, network deployment, service delivery, professional services, or large-scale technical program management.
At least 7 years of leadership experience managing program management, project management, or delivery organizations.
Proven track record leading large-scale, multi-stakeholder telecommunications deployment or service launch initiatives.
Experience managing strategic programs involving external partners, vendors, and executive-level stakeholders.
Experience establishing governance processes, delivery frameworks, and organizational operating models.
Experience leading geographically distributed teams and coordinating global program execution.
Strong executive presence and leadership capabilities.
Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
Ability to influence and align cross-functional stakeholders at all organizational levels.
Strong strategic planning and decision-making abilities.
Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
Ability to hold teams accountable while fostering collaboration and trust.
Strong negotiation, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage ambiguity and lead through organizational change.
Demonstrated success developing, mentoring, and retaining high-performing teams.
Clear and decisive communication, particularly in high-pressure or time-sensitive situations.

Nice To Haves

MBA or Master's degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Systems Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
Experience supporting satellite communications, direct-to-device services, or next-generation telecommunications platforms.
Leadership experience with major telecommunications operators, network infrastructure providers, systems integrators, or technology vendors.
Experience building or scaling a Program Management Office (PMO) within a high-growth organization.
Experience managing international programs across multiple regulatory, operational, and commercial environments.
Familiarity with non-terrestrial network concepts and advanced telecommunications architectures.
Experience supporting field trials, launch readiness programs, beta deployments, and commercial service activations.
PMP, PgMP, SAFe, or other related project and program management certifications.

Responsibilities

Establish the vision, priorities, and sequencing across multiple telecommunications partner programs.
Align delivery plans with commercial commitments, technical readiness milestones, and strategic business objectives.
Evaluate competing priorities and drive decisions regarding resource allocation, scheduling, and program execution.
Approve program baselines, delivery plans, mitigation strategies, and recovery plans.
Own and continuously improve the program governance framework, decision-making processes, review cadence, and accountability structures.
Chair lifecycle reviews, readiness assessments, and executive governance meetings.
Establish standards for risk management, issue resolution, dependency tracking, escalation procedures, and change control.
Ensure functional teams maintain ownership of commitments, milestones, deliverables, and readiness requirements.
Hold cross-functional teams accountable for program outcomes and drive corrective action plans when milestones are at risk.
Maintain executive-level visibility into program status, risks, dependencies, and key decisions.
Lead end-to-end delivery planning and execution across multiple regions and partner programs.
Coordinate integrated planning for deployment, activation, integration, testing, launch readiness, and operational handoff.
Support partner-facing leadership teams with program recommendations, readiness assessments, and delivery status updates.
Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of program management professionals.
Establish performance expectations, development plans, and growth opportunities for program management staff.
Support workforce planning, resource allocation, and organizational scaling initiatives.
Collaborate with partnership leaders, technical teams, operational stakeholders, and external partners to ensure program success.
Drive structured change control processes and governance reviews for evolving program requirements.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on delivery excellence, operational efficiency, and process standardization.
Sponsor automation, reporting enhancements, and digital tools that improve program visibility and decision-making.
Define and monitor key performance indicators related to delivery timelines, launch readiness, stakeholder satisfaction, and operational outcomes.