Sr. Director; Program Management, National Space Security (NSS) Programs

Lanteris Space Systems • Palo Alto, CA

1d • $206,000 - $343,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Lanteris Space is seeking a Sr. Director of Program Management to join the Commercial and National Security Program Management Office (PMO) team for an on-site leadership role in Palo Alto, CA. This role provides the opportunity to serve our teams in our Northern California factory to complete the design, production, test, launch, and in-orbit delivery of spacecraft to our customers. You will lead uniquely talented matrixed engineering and manufacturing teams developing and delivering innovative space mission solutions to our customers ranging from large high power space systems to high volume constellations for both commercial and national defense applications. The Sr. Director, Program Management NSS programs will provide executive leadership over a portfolio of NSS programs, directing the activities of multiple Program Directors and their teams. This role is accountable for the strategic direction, operational performance, and financial health of the NSS PMO representing a business-critical function with direct impact on company revenue and customer relationships.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen with active or ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field. Master’s degree may count as two years of experience
• 15 years of progressively responsible aerospace industry experience
• Minimum 5 years with NSS program proposal development (i.e., color reviews) and NSS program execution
• Proven track record leading multi-program portfolios valued at $50M+ with P&L accountability
• Demonstrated experience managing other managers/directors with teams of 30+ personnel
• Management experience with government contracting (FAR/NFS), contract types (cost-plus, FFP, IDIQ), and contract change processes
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills with ability to influence senior government and company leadership
• Strategic thinking capability with demonstrated ability to develop and execute long-term organizational strategies
• Change management experience leading organizational transformations, process improvements, or cultural initiatives
• Able and willing to be present in the local program office facilities in Palo Alto, CA, on a daily basis
• Ability to travel in support of customer, supplier, or business development meetings (approximately 10-15% travel)

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree or higher in Physics, Engineering, Business Administration, or equivalent
• Knowledge of commercial space architectures, missions, systems, requirements, and acquisition methods required and be able to strategize unique solutions.
• Comfort with ambiguity & demonstrated experience successfully leading a matrixed team of engineers solving challenging problems involving complex systems
• Demonstrated experience successfully leading and delivering software development projects
• Experience scoping, winning, and profitably leading USG or commercial programs
• Complex risk management experience with demonstrate results

Responsibilities

• Partner with Business Development team supporting new business acquisition activities with a focus on USG National Space Security (NSS) pursuits, including leading the team to define clear technical baselines for factory assessment and program costing.
• Plan, direct and control program activities with core team of matrixed personnel to ensure program objectives and Customer requirements are achieved within budget from pre-award program acquisition to post-award program completion
• Manage program technical baseline and Contractual requirements ensuring contractual obligations are satisfied
• Conduct reviews, audits, trade studies, fact-findings, and establish corrective action plans and priorities to meet program objectives
• Broker/manage programmatic changes with Customer & internal teams
• Bring order to ambiguous situations providing clear direction to team for issue resolution maintaining continuous progress to closure
• Assume ownership & accountability providing leadership to ensure stable technical, schedule, & financial baseline & execution
• Create & manage program risk management plan that is executable by factory. Risk management plan includes technical, cost, and schedule risks with mitigation plans & assigned leaders to execute plans
• Partner with program Business Manager to manage financial reserves managing balance between risks and opportunities
• Provide timely and thorough program information as appropriate to executive management
• Exhibit professionalism and leadership as the primary focal point to the customer representatives
• Ensure integrity, responsiveness, and ethical business practices exist in all dealings with the Customer
• Establish and maintain PMO standards, processes, and best practices across NSS program portfolio ensuring consistency and operational excellence
• Allocate resources across multiple concurrent programs to optimize organizational performance and strategic priorities
• Oversee portfolio-level financial performance including revenue recognition, margin management, and reserve allocation across programs
• Lead organizational capability development initiatives to enhance PMO effectiveness, efficiency, and competitive positioning
• Partner with Business Development executives to define NSS growth strategy and identify strategic pursuit opportunities aligned with company capabilities and market positioning
• Provide executive oversight of major proposal efforts, leading integrated product teams through gate reviews and ensuring competitive, executable technical and management solutions
• Cultivate and maintain executive-level relationships with government sponsors, USG leadership, and other USG space stakeholders to position company as preferred partner

Benefits

• paid time off
• health and welfare insurance
• 401(k)
• incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved

What This Job Offers

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