Senior Program Manager, Eclipse

Firefly Aerospace•Briggs, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Firefly Aerospace is seeking a Senior Program Manager to lead execution for Eclipse, its medium-lift launch vehicle being developed with Northrop Grumman. The first flight vehicle is being built, with rate production and eventual reusability planned. The role owns the integrated master schedule, execution cadence, and program blocker list, and partners with the Senior Director as a reliable source of program status. The work is visible to the CTO and customer, and responsibilities are expected to expand as the program grows. The Program Manager will build and maintain the program’s operating tools, including schedules, status dashboards, trackers, and automated reporting. The role applies AI to status consolidation and schedule analysis to reduce manual reporting work and free time for resolving blockers. It is based at Firefly’s Briggs, Texas test and production site, where hardware is built and tested. Relocation support is available.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
8+ years in aerospace program management, technical project leadership, or production program roles.
3+ years as a scrum master, agile program manager, or in an equivalent execution role.
Track record of delivering complex technical programs on schedule.
Advanced proficiency with MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or similar tools, including critical path method, resource loading, and schedule risk analysis.
Command of plan mechanics, including how schedule and cost move together, baseline change impacts, where float sits, and burn against physical progress.
Experience building program tooling, such as dashboards, trackers, or automated reporting.
Applied AI in a program execution context, with sound judgment about its limits.
Strong facilitation skills and clear communication with technicians, engineers, and executives.
Willingness to provide an honest assessment of program health, including when the news is unwelcome.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations, to conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations including ITAR.

Nice To Haves

Launch vehicle, spacecraft, or comparable complex aerospace development, integration, or test experience.
Production ramp or rate-scaling experience.
Engine or large structures development, qualification, or production experience.
Agile methods applied to hardware development.
Scripting, Power BI, or Smartsheet and Jira automation applied to program reporting.
Experience mentoring or developing program management and scheduling talent.

Responsibilities

Own the Eclipse integrated master schedule and the critical path to first-stage delivery.
Run the execution cadence, including daily standups, weekly sprints with must-win deliverables, and task-level tracking down to the manufacturing order.
Clear blockers when raised and keep the team supplied, informed, and focused.
Set milestone gate criteria and run the gates.
Manage inter-team and customer dependencies to ensure successful hand-offs.
Own the tactical risk register and issues list, and drive both to closure.
Consolidate Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Test, and Quality into one program status, including spend and burn tracked with Finance.
Report weekly on progress, velocity, and forecast confidence, and prepare executive and customer status material for the Senior Director.
Provide the Senior Director with an honest assessment of readiness, progress, and morale.
Build program dashboards, trackers, and reporting, applying AI to status consolidation and schedule analysis.
Support production-ramp planning as the program scales.