Sr. Manager, Configuration Management

Viasat, Inc.•Carlsbad, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Configuration Data Management (CDM) Manager is an operational execution leader responsible for managing the government CDM team and implementing and operationalizing configuration management practices across government programs by deploying and sustaining CDM leadership-approved strategy, governance, standards, and tools. Enterprise CDM strategy, standards, and tool decisions are owned by CDM leadership; this role is accountable for deploying, operationalizing, and sustaining those decisions, ensuring adoption, consistency, and operational effectiveness across assigned programs. This role ensures deployment and consistent application of established expectations for data integrity, traceability, and change control across the product lifecycle and ensures alignment with company, contractual, and regulatory requirements, supporting effective execution even when standard CM practices are not explicitly defined or broadly adopted. The Senior CDM Manager provides cross-functional leadership, drives execution of CDM leadership-approved improvements, and actively influences program and functional leadership to adopt and apply established Configuration Management governance and practices. The role represents the government CDM function to programs, customers, auditors, and external authorities within defined areas of responsibility, and reports directly to the Director of Configuration Data Management. This role provides direct people leadership for an approximately 8–10-person Configuration Data Management team of individual contributors supporting both hardware and software development and sustainment programs, with responsibility for performance management, prioritization, and professional development. This is a US-hybrid opportunity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field required or equivalent experience in Configuration Data Management.
5+ years leadership experience managing professional staff, with demonstrated responsibility for team performance, prioritization, and development.
Strong working knowledge of configuration management practices across hardware and software domains, with depth in one or more areas.
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional execution initiatives, manage competing operational priorities, and influence program leaders, customers, auditors, and regulatory authorities.
Experience working with industry PLM systems and configuration data governance frameworks, with the ability to support effective adoption and execution of established tools and processes.
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 operational leadership and direction for hardware and software configuration management execution, while ensuring integrated hardware and software CM governance, including lifecycle control, change management, and cross‑discipline integration, in support of enterprise CDM strategy and standards.
Provides configuration management leadership and subject matter expertise to proposal and capture activities, including review of RFPs and SOWs for hardware, software, and integrated systems programs, contribution to CM scope definition, and input to Basis of Estimate development.
Accountable for operationalizing and sustaining organizational configuration management capability across programs and business areas by deploying established CM expectations and governance, 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).
Ensures appropriate CM work requirement flow-down, mitigation, staffing, and execution are established in partnership with program and technical leadership, including programs where CM requirements must be clarified, interpreted, or matured during execution.
Leads execution of CDM practices across multiple programs or product lines, ensuring consistency, compliance, and alignment with organizational and contractual requirements.
Accountable for configuration data integrity, traceability, and change control outcomes across hardware and software baselines, including audit readiness, deficiency resolution, and sustained compliance.
Provide leadership and direction to the CDM team, ensuring clear priorities, performance management, and development of talent within a team of individual contributors.
Provide cross-functional leadership and build partnerships with engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and program management to strengthen configuration control, traceability, and day-to-day execution effectiveness.
Translate enterprise and program objectives into actionable execution plans, influencing prioritization and sequencing of CDM deployment across assigned programs.
Represent the CDM function to programs, customers, auditors, and regulatory authorities, escalating enterprise‑level, strategic, or policy matters to CDM leadership as appropriate.
Serve as subject matter expert in configuration identification, change management, data management, configuration status accounting, and audit readiness, supporting audits and compliance activities through effective preparation and execution.
Oversee day‑to‑day execution and adoption of approved PLM and configuration data systems, ensuring teams effectively use established tools, workflows, and governance models defined by CDM leadership, in partnership with IT and engineering stakeholders.
Anticipate operational risks and lead resolution of execution‑level issues that span multiple programs, escalating systemic or strategic risks to CDM leadership as appropriate.
Ensure compliance with applicable industry standards (e.g., AS9100, EIA‑649, MIL‑STD‑973, ISO‑9001, ITAR/EAR), with demonstrated experience applying relevant standards in regulated government environments.
Monitor CDM process performance and implementation effectiveness, identifying execution gaps and partnering with CDM leadership to support continuous improvement initiatives.
Develop capability within the CDM team by coaching and mentoring configuration management professionals to strengthen execution discipline, accountability, and consistency.