Senior Program Manager, Products

CesiumAstro•Austin, TX

About The Position

The Senior Program Manager, Products works within the Product Development & Assurance organization to transform customer needs and solution architectures into well-defined, executable programs. The role leads program formation from pre-contract solution development through proposal development and contract definitization, then supports transition to the execution team. Working across Product, Technical Architects, Engineering, Business Development, Finance, Contracts, Supply Chain, and Program Management, the Senior Program Manager translates solution architecture into an execution approach. This includes establishing program scope and requirements, development plans, cost and schedule baselines, risks and opportunities, ground rules and assumptions, Make/Buy plans, and the overall program execution baseline. The role also contributes to product strategy by identifying opportunities to leverage existing or in-development products, distinguishing reusable product capabilities from customer-specific development, and informing decisions in alignment with the company’s broader product roadmap.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, business administration, program management, operations management, supply chain management, or a related field with 12–15 years of related experience; or a master's degree with 8–12 years; or a PhD with 5–8 years. Related experience may be in program management, project management, engineering, manufacturing, operations, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated experience establishing and managing scope, requirements, cost, schedule, risk, and execution baselines for complex technical programs.
Proficiency supporting programs from pre-contract or proposal development through contract award and execution.
Extensive experience collaborating with engineering, finance, contracts, supply chain, and customer-facing organizations to develop and execute integrated program plans.
Must meet U.S. Government Space Technology Export Regulations eligibility: be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee or refugee, or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Responsibilities

Lead program formation from initial solution architecture through proposal, contract award, and transition into execution.
Develop integrated program baselines covering scope, requirements, cost, schedule, staffing, risk, and resources; establish ground rules and assumptions and ensure the baseline is supported by the teams responsible for execution.
Work with Technical Architects and Engineering to translate solution architectures into development plans, work packages, milestones, deliverables, and integrated schedules.
Evaluate opportunities to use existing and in-development products, distinguish reusable capabilities from customer-specific development, and provide program-level insight to Product leadership for roadmap and investment decisions.
Develop programmatic and execution content for customer proposals, including Statements of Work, schedules, cost estimates, risks, assumptions, staffing plans, and execution approaches.
Partner with Contracts and business leadership during customer negotiations to align scope, requirements, deliverables, schedule, assumptions, and contractual commitments with the planned execution baseline.
Coordinate Make/Buy decisions with Product, Engineering, and Supply Chain, and establish supplier scope, requirements, cost, schedule, and assumptions.
Prepare awarded programs for execution with a clear SOW, requirements baseline, budget, integrated schedule, risk register, supplier commitments, ground rules and assumptions, and Program Management Plan.
Remain engaged with the execution Program Manager and Engineering team through transition and early program milestones, including SRR, to resolve gaps between proposed, contracted, and executable baselines.
Identify and drive resolution of technical, cost, schedule, contractual, and execution risks; ensure capture and proposal commitments are understood, achievable, and appropriately baselined.
Serve as a central integration point across Product, Engineering, Business Development, Finance, Contracts, Supply Chain, and execution teams to drive decisions and maintain alignment throughout program formation.