Head of Program Management

Role Overview

PacSci EMC is seeking a Head of Program Management to lead the Program Management Office (PMO) responsible for sustaining programs within a complex, highly engineered defense environment. This role is accountable for ensuring strong, consistent execution across cost, schedule, quality, and customer commitments, while serving as a key connector across engineering, operations, quality, and supply chain.

This is a leadership role with broad ownership, operating with a business mindset across program execution and organizational capability. You will lead a distributed team of program managers while strengthening an established PMO framework, elevating execution rigor, and driving alignment across a highly matrixed environment where success depends on both direct leadership and influence.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end execution of sustaining programs from contract award through delivery, ensuring performance across cost, schedule, quality, and customer commitments
• Operate with a business ownership mindset, taking accountability for program performance, customer outcomes, and execution tradeoffs
• Translate contract requirements into executable program plans, schedules, and delivery frameworks
• Lead, develop, and elevate a team of ~14 program managers across multiple sites, setting clear expectations and raising the bar on performance
• Assess and strengthen an existing PMO framework to improve scalability, consistency, and execution discipline
• Build organizational capability through talent assessment, coaching, onboarding, training, and continuous improvement
• Drive cross-functional alignment across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and finance, ensuring coordinated execution
• Influence without authority in a matrixed environment, establishing accountability and clarity across teams that do not directly report to you
• Introduce and scale performance metrics, dashboards, and reporting to improve visibility into program health, risks, and outcomes
• Ensure execution aligns with contractual and regulatory requirements, supporting disciplined and predictable delivery

Qualifications

• Significant experience in defense or government contracting environments, with strong understanding of contract execution and customer expectations
• Background in prime or sub-prime defense organizations strongly preferred
• Proven leadership of program management or PMO functions, including direct team leadership
• Demonstrated experience leading teams while influencing cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority
• Track record of building or elevating organizational capability (teams, processes, systems, training)
• Experience improving or scaling execution in growing or evolving environments, with measurable impact
• Demonstrated business ownership mindset, including managing performance, tradeoffs, and outcomes tied to programs
• Technical credibility through experience in engineering, manufacturing, quality, or similarly complex environments
• Experience with program controls (e.g., EVM, IMS, or similar frameworks) in defense or highly regulated environments
• Thrives in fast-paced, high-accountability environments with competing priorities and ambiguity

Benefits and Requirements

Bonus and equity may be available as part of the total compensation package. Salary range: 178400.00-331200.00.

US citizenship is required for this position due to U.S. Government contractual requirements. Ongoing employment is dependent upon obtaining the appropriate government export authorizations.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

PacSci EMC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, sex, religion, age, national origin, color, disability, or veteran status.