Software Engineering Program Manager

Penta Research • Huntsville, AL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Software Engineering Program Manager is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of software engineering activities across a dynamic aerospace and defense development environment. This position serves as the primary programmatic interface for the software organization and owns software proposal development, scope and effort estimates, schedules, resource planning, status reporting, and coordination with program, systems, hardware, and other engineering teams. The Program Manager will work closely with the Software Technical Lead and software engineers to translate technical objectives, requirements, and engineering inputs into well-structured proposals, Statements of Work, execution plans, and schedules. The position is not responsible for setting the overall technical direction of the software organization; rather, it ensures that technical direction is effectively planned, communicated, resourced, and executed. The ideal candidate is an experienced software or computer engineer with strong program-management, communication, and organizational skills who is comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and can contribute directly to software development when program-management demands permit.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a closely related software or computer engineering discipline.
• 15+ years of professional experience in software engineering, computer engineering, or a closely related software-focused technical role.
• Several years of professional experience in software engineering program management, software project management, or a similar role directly supporting software development programs.
• Extensive experience developing software engineering estimates, schedules, resource plans, milestones, deliverables, and execution plans.
• Demonstrated experience developing technical proposals and Statements of Work for software development efforts, including the ability to turn engineering inputs into clear, complete, customer-facing technical content.
• Strong understanding of software development processes, engineering lifecycle practices, software architecture concepts, and technical project dependencies.
• Experience coordinating software development activities across multiple teams and organizational functions.
• Strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to review performance and identify root cause and recommended solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with software engineers, technical leads, program managers, and customers.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities in a dynamic environment with changing requirements and schedules.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, identify risks and dependencies, and escalate issues appropriately.
• Ability and willingness to remain technically engaged and contribute to software development activities as program-management workload permits.
• Active DoD/DoW Secret clearance required.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a closely related software or computer engineering discipline.
• Experience leading software proposal efforts from initial technical inputs through final submission, including development of technical approaches, estimates, schedules, assumptions, and deliverables.
• Experience supporting government contracts, aerospace programs, defense programs, or other highly regulated and mission-critical software development efforts.
• Experience with embedded software, flight software, avionics software, ground software, infrastructure software, or other complex software systems.
• Experience with Agile, iterative, or hybrid software development methodologies.
• Experience with modern software development practices, configuration management, continuous integration, automated testing, and software quality processes.
• Familiarity with requirements management, software verification and validation, hardware/software integration, and other software lifecycle activities.
• Experience managing software technical risks, dependencies, action items, and cross-functional commitments.
• Experience working directly with customers or government program offices in support of software proposals, program execution, and technical status activities.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively with significant autonomy and to adapt quickly as organizational and program priorities evolve.

Responsibilities

• Planning, coordination, and execution of software engineering activities.
• Serving as the primary programmatic interface for the software organization.
• Owning software proposal development, scope and effort estimates, schedules, resource planning, and status reporting.
• Coordinating with program, systems, hardware, and other engineering teams.
• Translating technical objectives, requirements, and engineering inputs into proposals, Statements of Work, execution plans, and schedules.
• Ensuring technical direction is effectively planned, communicated, resourced, and executed.
• Contributing directly to software development when program-management demands permit.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior