Senior Program Manager, Service Delivery

SES Space & Defense•Reston, VA

About The Position

The Program Manager is an operational leadership role responsible for successful execution of medium or large programs across SES Space & Defense. The role leads cross-functional teams spanning Engineering, Contracts, Finance, Configuration Management, Supply Chain, Business Management, and external partners to deliver program commitments on schedule, within budget, and in accordance with technical and contractual requirements. Working with program engineers, customers, subcontractors, and functional organizations, the position owns execution across cost, schedule, risk, contractual performance, and customer commitments throughout the program lifecycle. It provides visibility into performance, establishes disciplined program management practices, and aligns teams around program objectives and deliverables. The role leads several concurrent mission-critical programs and oversees execution from contract award and initiation through development, integration, deployment or launch, commissioning, and transition to operations. It manages program baselines and financial performance, serves as the customer and senior-stakeholder interface, oversees subcontractors and partners, and ensures compliance with contractual requirements, government regulations, export controls, and quality standards. The Program Manager also establishes risk and opportunity management practices, applies formal change management, contributes to program-management processes and tools, and champions continuous improvement. The ideal candidate is an experienced program leader who has managed complex, multi-year Government aerospace, defense, satellite, or high-technology programs. They understand the interaction of customer requirements, contracts, cost, schedule, technical performance, risk, subcontractors, and cross-functional teams. They can work effectively with Chief Engineers and technical organizations while respecting engineering technical authority, and build credibility with customers, executives, functional teams, and external partners in highly matrixed environments.

Requirements

At least 8 years of program or project management experience, including at least 6 years managing defense, satellite, or high-technology programs.
Experience leading integrated teams and multiple subcontractors in a highly matrixed environment.
Strong program financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, revenue and cost management, margin performance, Estimate at Completion (EAC), variance analysis, cash flow, and contract financials.
Strong understanding of program-management principles, methodologies, and tools, including Agile, Waterfall, and/or SAFe.
Strong communication, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills.
Demonstrated experience with conflict resolution, cross-functional collaboration, and risk and opportunity management.
Demonstrated experience with change-management frameworks and organizational-development principles.
Proficiency with MS Office tools, Visio, and project-management software or tools such as MS Project.
U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain a Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility.

Nice To Haves

Certifications in program management (PMI), Scrum, and SAFe.
Understanding of satellite communications systems, payloads, ground systems, and/or space-segment development.
Experience with Costpoint and Salesforce.
Secret clearance or higher.

Responsibilities

Lead several concurrent mission-critical programs with accountability for performance, execution, and customer outcomes.
Own program execution across scope, schedule, cost, financial and technical performance, service quality, risk, and customer commitments.
Lead integrated cross-functional program teams spanning engineering, operations, supply chain, contracts, finance, product development, and other organizations.
Direct execution through the full program lifecycle, from contract award and initiation through development, integration, deployment or launch, commissioning, and transition to operations.
Oversee development, maintenance, and control of program baselines, including Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Integrated Master Schedules (IMS), program management plans, and technical baselines.
Manage budgets, forecasts, EAC/ETC, revenue, cash flow, margins, and financial recovery plans.
Serve as the customer and senior-stakeholder interface; lead reviews, manage expectations, negotiate changes, resolve escalations, and communicate risks and performance.
Provide leadership with visibility into program health, financial and schedule performance, risks, issues, customer commitments, corrective actions, and emerging priorities.
Manage major subcontractors and partners, including Statements of Work, milestones, performance, compliance, and risk mitigation.
Ensure compliance with contractual requirements, government regulations, export controls, and quality standards.
Clarify program objectives and roles and responsibilities, and address conflicts with minimal direction from senior management.
Establish and maintain a program risk and opportunity management framework.
Identify risks, develop mitigation strategies, and drive accountability for risk closure.
Apply formal change management so programs are baselined at kickoff and subsequent changes are assessed for justification and impact and receive appropriate approvals.
Contribute to program-management processes, tools, templates, and best practices.
Champion continuous-improvement initiatives to enhance execution efficiency and predictability.