Senior Program Manager, Products

CesiumAstro•El Segundo, CA

3d•$193,000 - $236,000

About The Position

The Senior Program Manager, Products works within CesiumAstro’s 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, and supports transition to the execution team. Working across Product, Technical Architects, Engineering, Business Development, Finance, Contracts, Supply Chain, and Program Management, the role translates solution architecture into an execution approach. This includes defining program scope and requirements, development plans, cost and schedule baselines, staffing and resource plans, risks and opportunities, ground rules and assumptions, Make/Buy plans, and the overall program execution baseline. The Senior Program Manager also contributes to product strategy by evaluating opportunities to leverage existing or in-development products, distinguishing reusable product capabilities from customer-specific development, and aligning program decisions with the broader product roadmap. The role remains engaged during transition and early execution, including through SRR, and works to identify and resolve risks and gaps before they become downstream program issues.

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 of related experience; or a PhD with 5–8 years of related experience 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 be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee or refugee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State, in accordance with U.S. Government Space Technology Export Regulations.

Responsibilities

Lead program formation from initial solution architecture through proposal, contract award, and transition into execution.
Develop integrated scope, requirements, cost, schedule, staffing, risk, and resource plans; establish ground rules and assumptions and ensure the baseline is supported by the technical and business teams responsible for execution.
Work with Technical Architects and Engineering to translate solution architectures into development plans, work packages, milestones, deliverables, and integrated program schedules.
Evaluate opportunities to leverage existing and in-development products, identify reusable capabilities versus customer-specific development, and provide program-level insight to Product leadership for roadmap and investment decisions.
Provide 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 ensure scope, requirements, deliverables, schedule, assumptions, and contractual commitments align with the planned execution baseline.
Coordinate Make/Buy trades with Product, Engineering, and Supply Chain and establish supplier scope, requirements, cost, schedule, and assumptions needed to support the program baseline.
Ensure awarded programs transition into 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 commitments made during capture and proposal are understood, achievable, and appropriately baselined.
Serve as a central program integration point across Product, Engineering, Business Development, Finance, Contracts, Supply Chain, and execution teams to drive decisions and maintain alignment throughout program formation.