Senior Program Manager Alexandria, VA

ESRhealthcare and EXEC STAFF RECRUITERS•Alexandria, VA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Program Manager will serve as the single point of accountability for program execution, including cost, schedule, technical baseline, risk, quality, and customer satisfaction. This role involves leading agile software delivery of an existing COTS product, managing the program financial baseline, and engaging directly with the customer's program office and mission users. The position requires balancing COTS product baseline integrity with mission-specific customization, communicating proactively with leadership and stakeholders, and owning risk and opportunity management. The Senior Program Manager will foster a high-performance culture, coordinate cross-functional efforts, and ensure program compliance with security requirements and contractual obligations. Additionally, the role supports organic growth by identifying opportunities and contributing to capture and proposal efforts. Travel is required to support customer engagements and program activities.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field and 12+ years of relevant experience; Master's Degree and 10+ years of relevant experience. (Four additional years of related experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.)
Must be a U.S. Citizen with an active Top Secret/SCI clearance; must be willing and able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI/Poly and program access.
Demonstrated success managing software development programs with full cost, schedule, and technical accountability.
Hands-on experience leading agile software development teams (Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, or similar), including backlog management, release planning, and iterative delivery to an operational user base.
Experience executing programs within classified environments, including working within security constraints, classification guidance, and accredited development enclaves.
Strong communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills—able to influence and align diverse stakeholders including customers, technical teams, and internal leadership.
Proven ability to analyze, solve, and execute complex technical and business challenges while instilling confidence among customers, staff, and senior leadership.
Demonstrated experience interviewing, hiring, staffing, and developing multi-disciplinary project teams.
Bias for action with a willingness to personally engage at the point of execution—removing friction, driving decisions, and delivering outcomes at speed.

Nice To Haves

Experience delivering, integrating, configuring, or extending a COTS or commercial software product in a government or mission environment.
Experience with mission planning, mission optimization, resource allocation, scheduling, or operations research–based decision support solutions.
PMP, PgMP, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), or equivalent certification.
Experience with DevSecOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, cloud or hybrid deployment, and software ATO/accreditation processes in classified environments.
Experience supporting Special Access Programs (SAPs) or other highly controlled environments.
Working knowledge of multiple contract types (FFP, CPFF, T&M) and their impact on agile delivery and program financial management.
Experience managing subcontractors, product vendors, and teaming partners across the Defense Industrial Base (DIB).
Experience briefing senior internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated success growing scope on an existing program through delivery performance and customer trust.

Responsibilities

Serve as the single point of accountability for program execution, including cost, schedule, technical baseline, risk, quality, and customer satisfaction.
Lead agile software delivery of an existing COTS product—owning release planning, backlog prioritization, sprint cadence, increment reviews, and definition of done in partnership with the product owner and technical lead.
Manage the program financial baseline, including EAC/ETC development, monthly financial reviews, variance analysis, funding and staffing plans, and achievement of Annual Operating Plan (AOP) commitments.
Engage directly with the customer's program office and mission users to build trusted relationships, translate mission optimization needs into prioritized requirements, and ensure delivery excellence and satisfaction.
Balance COTS product baseline integrity against mission-specific customization—working with the product organization to determine what is configured, extended, or contributed back to the core product.
Communicate clearly and proactively with leadership, employees, peers, and customers to ensure transparency and shared understanding of goals, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.
Own risk and opportunity management, including identification, mitigation planning, and escalation of issues that threaten cost, schedule, or mission outcomes.
Lead with a focus on team cohesion, collaboration, and a high-performance culture aligned to Leidos values and mission outcomes.
Coordinate cross-functional efforts across Leidos—engineering, security, contracts, subcontracts, finance, talent acquisition, and the COTS product organization—to integrate capabilities and maximize mission and business outcomes.
Ensure program compliance with all applicable security requirements, classification guidance, contractual obligations, and Leidos program management standards.
Support organic growth by identifying follow-on and adjacent opportunities, contributing to capture and proposal efforts, and demonstrating past performance that strengthens recompete position.
Travel as required to support customer engagements, program reviews, and execution activities.