Senior Project Manager - Maritime Defense Technology
About The Position
Pole Star Defense is seeking a Senior Project Manager to independently execute federal programs within its PMO. The role combines federal compliance responsibilities—including ATO coordination, government reporting, and deliverable tracking—with Agile execution, including sprint cadence and backlog management. The position also supports the growth of the PMO by establishing organizational standards, planning templates, and handoff procedures. The Senior Project Manager owns program delivery and acts as the daily point of contact for government stakeholders. The role coordinates work across internal departments, product and engineering teams, Finance, InfoSec, and the customer’s program office. It also contributes to proposals and RFP responses and maintains project and compliance records under version control. This position follows a traditional Monday–Friday schedule, with as-needed out-of-hours on-call support possible because company systems operate 24/7/365. Additional compensation may be available for on-call, standby, or holiday work. It is a Public Trust position requiring background reports, and applicants must qualify as U.S. persons under EAR or ITAR.
Requirements
- At least 6 years of technology or software project management experience.
- At least 3 years supporting federal government contracts and program offices.
- Deep Agile/Scrum fluency as a project manager, product owner, or Scrum Master, with a track record of managing backlogs, sequencing work, and balancing sprint flexibility with fixed contract deadlines.
- Demonstrated end-to-end program ownership, including independently managing schedules, risk registers, and customer relationships.
- Knowledge of federal contract mechanics, including modifications and periods of performance, and security compliance workstreams such as ATO/RMF.
- Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills to brief technical teams and government stakeholders.
- Mastery of project management tools such as Jira, Confluence, or MS Project.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
- PMP or PgMP certification.
- Agile certification such as CSM, PSM, or CSPO, or another related certification.
- Must be a U.S. person within the meaning of EAR or ITAR.
- Must satisfactorily complete a State and Federal Criminal History Report and an FBI Summary History Report.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with FedRAMP or DoD Impact Level (IL2 through IL4) cloud environments from a delivery or compliance coordination perspective.
- Familiarity with front-end and back-end software development and an understanding of AWS cloud architecture.
- Related experience in the maritime technology industry.
Responsibilities
- Own program delivery, milestone tracking, critical path analysis, and contract timelines, including periods of performance, modifications, and option exercises.
- Maintain the risk register, proactively resolve issues, and shield delivery teams from requirements volatility.
- Monitor program budgets, burn rates, and resource allocation in coordination with Finance.
- Coordinate delivery across multiple internal departments without direct organizational authority.
- Shape and sequence the backlog so sprint content and workflows align with contract commitments.
- Partner with product and engineering to translate customer intent into prioritized user stories with explicit acceptance criteria.
- Participate in sprint ceremonies, providing engineering teams with contract and customer context.
- Use velocity and throughput metrics to predict timelines, manage scope creep, and inform customer reporting.
- Serve as the daily PMO point of contact for the government program office, providing status updates, release timelines, and risk disclosures.
- Manage the Authority to Operate (ATO) lifecycle with InfoSec and the customer’s ISSO, including artifacts and continuous monitoring.
- Manage incoming customer requests, translate them into internal work packages, and prevent unauthorized scope creep.
- Author and improve PMO standards, templates, intake procedures, and program handoff documentation.
- Maintain project plans, schedules, and compliance documentation under strict version control in the PMO repository.
- Contribute program and past-performance content to proposals and RFP responses.
Benefits
- Medical insurance for employees and dependents, with premiums 100% covered by the company.
- Dental and vision insurance for employees and dependents, with premiums 50% covered by the company.
- Company-funded life and disability insurance.
- 20 days of annual leave.
- 5 days of Wellbeing leave.
- Up to 5% 401(k) matching.
- Gym membership subsidy.
- PTO for Volunteer Day.
- Refer-a-friend recruitment bonus.
- Additional compensation may be available for working on-call, on standby, or during holiday hours.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
