Senior Program Manager

Senior Program Manager

Compensation: $130,000–$170,000 base salary + 15% annual bonus

Industry: Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing

Keys to This Role

• Must have aerospace and defense industry experience.
• Must have prior PMO leadership experience.
• 10–15 years of progressive program or project management experience, including at least 5 years in a leadership or supervisory capacity.
• Strong manufacturing or production experience required; heavy plate fabrication or welding experience is highly preferred.
• Proven track record of leading complex, cross-functional programs from planning through execution and delivery.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end planning, execution, and governance of complex programs, ensuring alignment with business objectives, budgets, schedules, and customer commitments.
• Provide executive-level reporting on program performance, including schedules, financials, risks, dependencies, resource requirements, and critical paths.
• Develop and maintain program strategies, roadmaps, schedules, and execution plans while ensuring clear documentation and timely escalation of issues.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders, maintaining strong relationships and clear communication.
• Lead cross-functional teams across engineering, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, finance, and quality to drive successful program execution.
• Oversee work orders, change requests, customer invoicing, and related financial controls to ensure compliance with contractual requirements.
• Identify and mitigate program risks while pursuing opportunities to improve quality, throughput, efficiency, and profitability.
• Prepare program documentation, executive presentations, performance reports, and materials for internal and external reviews.
• Ensure proper management of technical data, configuration control, and program documentation.
• Partner with manufacturing and fabrication teams to resolve production issues, support operational requirements, and maintain program commitments.
• Mentor and develop program management staff, promoting consistent processes, tools, and best practices.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. An advanced degree is preferred.
• 10–15 years of progressive program or project management experience, including at least 5 years in a leadership or supervisory role.
• Demonstrated aerospace and defense industry experience.
• Previous PMO leadership experience.
• Experience working in manufacturing or production environments.
• Strong understanding of program management principles, including critical path management, resource allocation, risk mitigation, scheduling, and financial oversight.
• Experience managing customer relationships, executive communications, and complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to deliver programs on time, within budget, and to required quality standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP certification.
• Heavy plate fabrication, welding, or other complex industrial manufacturing experience.
• Experience with ERP systems; IFS is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with MS Project, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Experience with Smartsheet and Power BI.
• Knowledge of welding processes, NDT methods, and AWS codes.

Travel Requirements

Travel between facilities as needed.

Physical Requirements

• May be required to stand, walk, sit, reach, push or pull with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, or kneel regularly.
• May be required to lift or carry up to 50 pounds. Mechanical assistance is required for loads exceeding 50 pounds.