Staff Technical Program Manager

IonQ•Louisville, CO

About The Position

IonQ is seeking a Staff Technical Program Manager to lead planning and execution of complex technical projects advancing current and next-generation spacecraft. The role leads cross-functional engineering teams and manages program scope, schedule, budget, and risk while ensuring alignment with technical requirements and business priorities. The position partners with engineering leads and stakeholders to translate objectives into actionable plans, resolve dependencies, and drive delivery. It calls for strong technical judgment, independent ownership, and experience delivering aerospace hardware development programs. The successful candidate will also improve program management practices and share knowledge with program managers and other team members, helping foster accountability and collaboration.

Requirements

8+ years of relevant experience in technical program management, engineering program execution, or a related field.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, systems, or a related technical discipline.
Experience leading complex spacecraft, subsystem, or aerospace hardware development programs through lifecycle phases such as design, qualification, production, and delivery.
Ability to manage multiple related projects aligned with business and technical priorities, driving clarity, accountability, and measurable progress.
Experience managing program budgets, including labor forecasting, materials procurement, and subcontractor coordination.
Ability to manage technical development and/or R&D scope, including schedules, budgets, risks, and deliverables.
Ability to translate complex technical requirements into actionable work plans and manage cross-functional and supplier dependencies.
Ability to independently drive execution, adapt, and escalate issues requiring broader decisions.
Ability to assess resource constraints and recommend prioritization and tradeoffs based on program objectives, schedule, and business impact.
Strong problem-solving and data-driven decision-making skills, including proactively identifying critical-path activities, risks, and opportunities to improve execution.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority and support team accountability.
Familiarity with Waterfall, Agile, and Scrum project management frameworks and the ability to apply approaches suited to program needs.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for conveying program status, risks, and decisions to technical teams, leadership, and stakeholders.
Proficiency with project management tools and collaboration platforms such as MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, and Confluence.
Active Top Secret security clearance.
U.S. citizenship is required for this position because eligibility for a Top Secret clearance is limited to U.S. citizens.
Ability to meet applicable U.S. export-control requirements for access to controlled information.

Responsibilities

Lead planning and execution of complex technical projects for current and next-generation spacecraft.
Lead cross-functional engineering teams and manage program scope, schedule, budget, and risk.
Ensure program execution aligns with technical requirements and business priorities.
Partner with engineering leads and stakeholders to translate objectives into actionable plans, resolve dependencies, and drive delivery.
Manage program budgets, including labor forecasting, materials procurement, and subcontractor coordination.
Translate technical requirements into work plans and manage dependencies across engineering disciplines, suppliers, and supporting functions.
Assess resource constraints and recommend prioritization and tradeoffs based on objectives, schedule, and business impact.
Identify critical-path activities, risks, and opportunities to improve execution; use data to guide decisions.
Influence cross-functional teams without direct authority and support team accountability.
Improve program management practices and share effective approaches and knowledge with program managers and team members.
Communicate program status, risks, and decisions to technical teams, leadership, and other stakeholders.