Program Manager

Program Manager – KDS We’re seeking a Program Manager to support KDS and a government customer in Washington, DC. Candidates must obtain a Public Trust clearance. Competitive compensation and benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) with company matching, flexible spending accounts, paid holidays, three weeks paid time off, and more. Principal Responsibilities Serve as the primary point of contact and liaison between the SBA customer, internal leadership, and program team members, maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders and ensuring consistent, transparent communication across all levels of the program. Provide strategic and operational leadership for all program activities, ensuring alignment with SBA’s mission priorities, contractual requirements, and organizational goals, and driving the successful delivery of all program milestones and deliverables. Develop, maintain, and execute comprehensive program plans, including project schedules, resource plans, risk management plans, quality management plans, and communication plans, ensuring all program activities are coordinated and executed effectively. Monitor and manage program performance against established metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and service level agreements (SLAs), identifying risks, issues, and performance gaps early and implementing timely mitigation strategies and corrective actions. Lead, mentor, and manage a diverse team of cybersecurity professionals, technical leads, project managers, and support staff, fostering a collaborative, high‑performing, and mission‑focused work environment. Oversee contract compliance and performance, ensuring all deliverables, reports, and program activities meet contractual requirements, quality standards, and SBA customer expectations. Prepare and present program status reports, monthly and quarterly reviews, executive briefings, and other program documentation to SBA leadership, contracting officers, and internal stakeholders on a regular and ad hoc basis. Manage program financials, including budget development, forecasting, expenditure tracking, invoice review, and financial reporting, ensuring the program operates within approved budget parameters and financial targets. Identify, assess, and manage program risks and issues, maintaining a comprehensive risk register and issue log, and developing and implementing proactive mitigation strategies to minimize program impact. Coordinate with SBA contracting officers, contracting officer representatives (CORs), and other government stakeholders to address contract modifications, task order requirements, and other contractual matters in a timely and professional manner. Lead and support continuous process improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to enhance program efficiency, quality, cost‑effectiveness, and overall customer satisfaction. Ensure all program activities comply with applicable federal laws, regulations, policies, and standards, including FAR, FISMA, NIST guidelines, and SBA‑specific security and operational requirements. Support business development activities, including the identification of new opportunities within the SBA account, contribution to proposal development, and participation in capture planning and strategy sessions. Coordinate with human resources, recruiting, and subcontractor partners to manage staffing requirements, onboarding activities, and personnel actions in support of program needs. Facilitate regular program team meetings, working groups, and stakeholder engagement sessions, ensuring effective collaboration, issue resolution, and alignment across all program workstreams. Education and Experience (Required) Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field from an accredited college or university. 8+ years of progressive experience in program or project management, with at least 4 years managing large‑scale, complex federal government IT or cybersecurity programs. Demonstrated experience managing federal government contracts, including familiarity with federal acquisition regulations (FAR), contract types (CPFF, FFP, T&M), and government contracting processes. Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent program management certification. Demonstrated experience managing cybersecurity or IT programs supporting federal civilian agencies. Master’s degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Information Technology, or a related field. 10+ years of program management experience, with a strong background supporting federal civilian agency IT or cybersecurity programs of similar size and complexity to the SBA engagement. Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification. Prior experience managing programs supporting the SBA or other federal civilian agencies with comparable mission profiles. Required Skills and Competencies Exceptional communication skills in English – both written and oral – with the ability to effectively communicate program status, risks, issues, and recommendations to diverse audiences, including technical staff, SBA leadership, contracting officers, and senior executives. Proven ability to lead and manage large, diverse, cross‑functional teams in a fast‑paced federal government contracting environment, driving collaboration, accountability, and high performance. Strong knowledge of project and program management methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches, and the ability to tailor management approaches to meet the needs of the SBA program environment. Proficiency in program management tools and platforms, such as Microsoft Project, Jira, Confluence, or similar, for schedule management, issue tracking, and program reporting. Demonstrated experience developing and managing program budgets, forecasts, and financial reports, with a strong understanding of cost management principles in a federal contracting environment. Strong risk management skills, with the ability to identify, assess, prioritize, and mitigate program risks and issues proactively and effectively. Experience developing high‑quality program documentation, including program plans, status reports, risk registers, issue logs, corrective action plans, and lessons learned reports. Solid understanding of federal cybersecurity frameworks, policies, and compliance requirements, including NIST, FISMA, and applicable CISA guidance, and their implications for program planning and execution. Ability to build and sustain productive, trust‑based relationships with government customers, contracting officers, subcontractor partners, and internal stakeholders. Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder demands in a dynamic and mission‑critical program environment. Familiarity with federal IT and cybersecurity service delivery models, including SOC operations, security architecture, penetration testing, and privacy program management. Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance. Desired Skills and Competencies Prior experience supporting SBA or other federal civilian agency program management activities, with demonstrated knowledge of SBA’s mission, organizational structure, and IT and cybersecurity priorities. Experience supporting business development activities in a federal government contracting environment, including proposal writing, capture management, and opportunity identification. Knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM) principles and experience applying EVM reporting and analysis within federal government program management contexts. Familiarity with CMMI, ITIL, or other process improvement frameworks and their application to federal IT and cybersecurity program management. Experience managing programs with multiple subcontractors and teaming partners, including subcontract oversight, performance management, and coordination. Knowledge of federal human capital and workforce management requirements, including security clearance and public trust adjudication processes, onboarding procedures, and compliance obligations for contractor personnel. Experience managing programs that include cloud‑based IT services and familiarity with FedRAMP authorized cloud environments and their implications for program planning and execution. Familiarity with CDM (Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation) program requirements and their integration into federal civilian agency cybersecurity program management activities. Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI‑ACP) or SAFe Agilist certification. Equal Employment Opportunity Policy The company is an equal opportunity employer. The company shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity (except where gender is a bona fide occupational qualification), national origin or ancestry, age, disability, citizenship, military/veteran status, marital status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We are committed to equal employment opportunity in all decisions related to employment, promotion, wages, benefits, and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment. We are dedicated to seeking all qualified applicants. If you require an accommodation to navigate or apply for a position on our website, please get in touch with Heaven Wood via e‑mail at View email address on click.appcast.io or by calling View phone number on click.appcast.io to request accommodations. Equal Opportunity Employer / Veterans / Disabled. Shareholder Preference in accordance with Public Law 88‑352. Job Family: Technical Program Management & Operations Visit for more information. #J-18808-Ljbffr