Program Specialist Government & Defense

Program Specialist Government & Defense

Mercedes-Benz North America Corporation is a US subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, one of the most successful automotive companies. With Mercedes-Benz AG, the Group is one of the leading global suppliers of premium and luxury cars and vans. Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG offers financing, leasing, car subscription and car rental, fleet management, digital services for a charging and payment as well as innovative mobility services. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Mercedes-Benz North America Corporation (MBNAC) operates as a holding company for all Mercedes-Benz Group entities in the United States of America. MBNAC provides services to Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiaries in North America in areas such as Treasury, Tax, Accounting, Corporate Communications, Government Relations, Legal and Human Resources.

Why work at Mercedes-Benz North America Corporation? Working at Mercedes-Benz North America Corporation is more than a job it's an opportunity to join an innovative team where you are valued for your contributions. As an employee, you will experience career development in a positive, employee-centric environment. We're a global company that not only offers best-in-class products to our customers but also best-in-class benefits to our employees. Our employees experience a comfortable, friendly environment and relaxed, inclusive culture.

As Program Specialist, Government and Defense, you will be the operational backbone of Mercedes-Benz NA's newly established Government and Defense business team. Reporting to the Head of Business Development, Government and Defense, you will be the first team hire and the primary interface between the BD function and the broader Mercedes-Benz corporate structure, including MBUSA, MB AG, and other MB entities in North America and at headquarters. You will own the team's internal operating rhythm: budget tracking, purchase order management, weekly synchronization meetings, and cross-entity coordination. Customer-facing business development is led by the Head of BD; your role is to make sure everything behind that is organized, on time, and well-connected inside Mercedes-Benz.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the BD team's primary interface with MBUSA, MB AG, and other Mercedes-Benz entities, navigating the corporate structure to identify the right internal contacts, build working relationships, and move approvals, requests, and information efficiently through the organization.
• Own the team's budget execution: track spend against approved budget lines, process purchase orders and vendor invoices, coordinate with MBNAC finance, and flag variances early with recommended corrective action.
• Plan, schedule, and run the team's weekly synchronization meetings with MBNAC and MBUSA stakeholders in Atlanta, producing structured agendas, decision logs, and action-item tracking to maintain accountability across the group.
• Organize and lead the full meeting cadence: weekly stand-ups, monthly leadership reviews, internal stakeholder syncs, and quarterly business reviews with senior leadership.
• Manage timelines and deliverables across all business-team workstreams: milestone tracking, decision log, risk register, and an integrated dashboard reporting against published KPIs.
• Interface with relevant MB departments to align the team's program-management cadence, reporting standards, and milestone frameworks with established Mercedes-Benz practices.
• Track progress across all workstreams and provide concise executive updates on status, risks, and opportunities; conduct variance analyses and coordinate corrective actions with responsible stakeholders.
• Proactively identify potential roadblocks and escalate early, acting as both a constructive challenger and a reliable support resource for the departments the team depends on.
• Coordinate execution support resources including interns, graduate capstone projects, and outside consultants to maintain a lean, capital-efficient operating posture during the startup phase.
• Support the Head of BD with document production, presentation preparation, and administrative needs as the business team builds out its operating model.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Engineering, Public Administration, International Affairs, or a related field.
• Minimum 4 to 6 years of experience in program management, project management, business operations, strategy execution, or a similar role.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, tracking purchase orders, and interfacing with corporate finance or procurement functions.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple parallel workstreams simultaneously without losing accountability.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build consensus across diverse stakeholders inside a large, complex organization.
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams) and project management tools.
• Demonstrated comfort operating in a new or early-stage business team, building operating cadence and producing structured output without an established playbook.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Existing relationships across Mercedes-Benz departments and entities, with demonstrated ability to navigate a large, matrixed corporate structure.
• Experience with U.S. government or military contracting, federal sales operations, or federal-services capture support.
• Experience in the automotive industry, with a working understanding of its corporate and operational dynamics.
• German language proficiency.
• Familiarity with AI productivity tools (Microsoft Copilot, large language models, AI-assisted document generation); prior experience building AI-augmented workflows is a plus.
• Experience with strategy execution frameworks and cross-functional team leadership.

Skills:

• Project and Program Management
• Budget Tracking and Purchase Order Management
• Stakeholder Management and Internal Navigation
• Meeting Facilitation and Operating Cadence
• Communication and Presentation
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills
• Risk and Issue Management
• Decision Log and Milestone Tracking
• Cross-Entity Coordination
• Influencing and Consensus-Building

Mercedes-Benz North America Corporation offers competitive salary commensurate with experience and a full suite of benefits including 401(K) with match, generous vacation and personal time, performance-based bonuses, a Mercedes-Benz car program and more.