Program Manager

Fairfax, United States | Posted on 09/27/2026

Location: Washington, DC metro area (Northern Virginia), on-site

Employment Type: Full-time, direct hire

Compensation: $130,000 to $205,000 base salary, plus benefits

Summary

Intrepidus Talent Solutions is an aerospace and defense executive search firm. We are recruiting a Program Manager on behalf of a client that develops and produces flight electronics for national security and civil space customers.

The company builds radiation-tolerant electronic systems for demanding orbital environments and runs its programs with real engineering discipline: formal design and peer reviews, controlled baselines, and processes sized to the program rather than borrowed from a large prime. Programs move from development into production, and the Program Manager is the person accountable for getting them there.

What You Will Do

You will own execution on one or more space flight programs, from development through production delivery. That means cost, schedule, and risk are yours. A Lead Systems Engineer owns the technical solution on each program, so your job is delivery: building the plan, staffing it, holding the team and subcontractors to it, and keeping the customer informed and confident. You will report to a product line leader and work daily with engineering, operations, supply chain, contracts, and finance.

This is a hands-on role for someone who has run complex hardware programs before and knows how to bring structure to programs that are still taking shape.

• Lead space flight programs to successful completion against cost, schedule, and performance commitments
• Build and maintain a resource-loaded Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) with critical path analysis and milestone forecasting
• Define the labor and non-labor resource plan for each program, including the engineering skill sets required, headcount, and timing, and work with engineering leadership to fill it
• Own the program risk and opportunity register, including mitigation plans, burn-down tracking, and opportunity capture
• Serve as the primary customer interface for program status, issues, and relationship health
• Manage program financials, including forecasting, variance analysis, and internal reporting
• Hold subcontractors accountable to schedule, cost, and quality commitments
• Set expectations and keep alignment across Systems Engineering and Integration and Test (SEIT) and the broader engineering team
• Coordinate across Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Contracts, and Finance so the program executes as one team
• Support proposals and capture activity and contribute to follow-on and growth opportunities on your programs
• Mentor other Program Managers in the PMO and contribute to improving program management practice across the organization

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree, or equivalent combined education and experience, and typically 10 or more years of relevant program management experience; an advanced degree may offset some of the experience requirement
• Degree in engineering or business
• Program management experience in space or aerospace, preferably on electronics or hardware development programs
• A track record on US government programs, including FAR-based contracts with multiple CLINs, and working knowledge of government contract types
• Experience taking product development programs through the full arc from design to prototype to production
• Strong command of program financials, planning, forecasting, and execution
• PMP certification, or the ability to earn it within six months of hire
• Proficiency with MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM)

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary is expected to fall between $130,000 and $205,000 depending on experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, and business considerations.

• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• HSA and FSA options
• paid time off and holidays
• a 401(k) with company match
• tuition reimbursement
• parental and military leave
• a discretionary annual bonus for eligible positions

About Intrepidus Talent Solutions

All applications are handled in confidence.

Our client is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.