Senior Program Manager

Astronics•Waukegan, IL

31d•Onsite

About The Position

Astronics Connectivity Systems and Certification (formerly Telefonix PDT and Astronics Armstrong Aerospace) serves as the experienced, global market leader for in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) solutions for aircraft. As a systems certification provider, Astronics CSC has worked on over 100 projects for industry partners to upgrade commercial and business aircraft with new passenger power systems, IFEC navigation, communication and flight safety systems. Additionally, Astronics CSC offers proven IFEC hardware systems, flexible design platforms, high customer satisfaction, and long-term relationships with industry leaders to help make the connected aircraft a reality. The company now employs over 300 employees and is a six-time recipient of Chicago’s Best and Brightest Employers to Work For award. Summary Serves as the primary point of contact for all communication with assigned customers and acts as their internal advocate for the design, installation and certification of Communications, Navigation, Connectivity, and In-Flight Entertainment systems onboard commercial aircraft. Develops creative solutions to solve problems that may arise that would threaten program dates or profitability and provides timely alerts Senior Management when risks may be realized. Coordinates and tracks Program Change Requests, facilitates commercial agreements, creates and tracks purchase orders, monitors and manages program budgets. Coordinates resource planning/allocation with resource owners. Efficiently manages multiple, and often competing, large or otherwise complex program schedules and their deliverables.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace or Electrical Engineering, or in a related technical and/or equivalent field, or a minimum of 10 years of related industry experience
Expertise in Microsoft Project
Prior successful technical program management experience on complex projects with multiple, competing and concurrent deliverables
Experience in a relevant and related design, analysis or certification engineering role
Knowledge of electronic equipment

Nice To Haves

Five-plus years of experience in the aviation/aerospace industry
Formal program management qualification/certification
Familiarity and/or experience with electrical/mechanical design
Familiarity and/or experience developing piece-part, assembly and/or installation models and drawings

Responsibilities

Act as the high-level, comprehensive owner of assigned projects
Serve as the focal point and first line of contact with the customer. Communicate deliverables, deadlines, data requests, project updates, etc. in a timely and effective manner to internal and external customers
Facilitate distribution of technical data and customer inquiries with technical members of project team
Manage, track, and hold team members accountable for deadlines, milestones, action items, and deliverables for all facets – engineering, certification and analysis – of multiple, concurrent projects working in a horizontal, matrix-based organizational structure
Monitor the document generation, review, release and approval processes for each deliverable
Assist in resource planning based on project deliverable needs and work scope
Create and manage design requirements for project customer deliverables, and use these design requirements to keep technical team apprised of system design requirements as well as to manage scope creep
Facilitate inter-department communication and deliverable/data handoff via trigger points at pertinent project milestones
Manage commercial agreements and the associated process, work with the customer to define the scope of work, design requirements, generate requests for quotes, communicate the commercial proposal, and secure, track and manage purchase orders
Act as a real time problem solver with the customer, serve in consulting-style role in the early stages of the business relationship by setting expectations, troubleshooting problems, and addressing potential customer concerns/questions
Provide market feedback to the internal stakeholders within the company to facilitate visibility to market trends/shifts in technology
Manage and maintain the design requirements for each project, communicate changes to team members and advise customers of the impact to changes in design
Keep dates updated
Identify needs for process improvement
Drive consistency
Document/Deliverable Responsibilities
Project Milestone/Schedule Tracking
Project Risk Register/Risk Tracking
Project Action Item Tracking
Project Deliverable Tracking
Commercial Agreements (e.g. Proposals, Program Change Requests)
Design Requirement Summaries
Initial Technical Coordination Meeting (ITCM) and Design Review Presentations
Project Status Updates
Project Design Requirements