Sr. Manager Configuration Management

Viasat, Inc.

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Configuration Data Management (CDM) Manager is a strategic leader responsible for managing the government CDM team and establishing, governing, and evolving configuration management practices across government programs and contracts. This role sets expectations for data integrity, traceability, and change control across the product lifecycle and ensures alignment with company, contractual, and regulatory requirements, even when standard CM practices are not explicitly defined or broadly adopted. The Senior CDM Manager provides cross-functional leadership, drives enterprise-level process improvement, and actively influences program and functional leadership to mature Configuration Management capability, governance, and culture adoption, representing the government CDM function to senior leadership, customers, and external authorities, and reporting directly to the Director of Configuration Data Management.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field required or equivalent experience in Configuration Data Management.
8+ years of progressive managerial experience leading professional staff.
Deep knowledge of configuration management standards (e.g., AS9100, EIA-649) and lifecycle practices across hardware, software, and systems domains.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives, manage competing priorities, and influence senior leaders, customers, auditors, and regulatory authorities.
Advanced expertise in industry PLM systems, data governance, and strategies.
US Citizenship required.
Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret Clearance is required.

Nice To Haves

Strong analytical mindset with proven ability to anticipate, identify, and mitigate configuration and program risks to ensure compliance with product and contractual requirements.
Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
CM 2 or CMPIC certification preferred.
Track record of driving process improvement, adoption of new tools/technologies, and organizational change in CDM functions.

Responsibilities

Provides strategic leadership and direction for hardware and software configuration management, including lifecycle control, change governance, and cross-discipline integration across programs and functional organizations.
Leads and oversees configuration management support for proposals and program planning activities, including review of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Statement of Work (SOW) to define configuration management scope and work content, establish defensible Basis of Estimates (BOEs), and ensure CM activities across hardware and software are appropriately planned, resourced, and aligned with enterprise standards.
Accountable for establishing and maturing organizational configuration management capability across programs and business areas by setting expectations and influencing consistent application of CM principles; including assessing prime and subcontract contractual, technical, and program documentation to identify CM responsibilities, risks, and dependencies (configuration identification, traceability, data management, change control, and life-cycle governance) and ensuring appropriate CM work requirement flow-down, mitigation, staffing, and governance are established - even when CM is not explicitly stated.
Lead and govern CDM practices across multiple programs/product lines, ensuring consistency, compliance, and alignment with organizational and contractual requirements.
Provide leadership and direction to the CDM team, ensuring clear priorities, performance management, and development of talent.
Provide cross-functional leadership and build partnerships with engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and program management to strengthen configuration control and traceability.
Translate organizational objectives into actionable strategies, influencing prioritization, priorities, and execution across programs.
Represent the CDM function with authority and credibility to senior leadership, customers, auditors, and regulatory authorities.
Serve as subject matter expert in configuration identification, change management, data management, configuration status accounting, and audit readiness.
Oversee and optimize PLM systems and data governance protocols, driving adoption of innovative tools and technologies to enhance efficiency and digital thread continuity.
Anticipate risks and lead resolution of blocking issues that span multiple programs, ensuring business area continuity and customer happiness.
Ensure compliance with applicable industry standards and regulations (AS9100, EIA-649, MIL-STD-973, ISO-9001, ITAR/EAR).
Evaluate CDM process efficiency and lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve efficiency, scalability, and compliance.
Develop leadership capability within the CDM function by coaching and mentoring managers and senior staff.