Principal, Program Management

Principal, Program Management

The Chief of Staff will serve as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to the Vice President & General Manager of the Acoustics and Imaging Division, supporting the leadership of a distributed portfolio encompassing Submarine and Surface Navy Systems. This role will act as a force multiplier for the VP/GM, driving strategic initiatives, ensuring organizational alignment, and enabling operational excellence across multiple sites and mission areas.

Operating as an extension of the VP/GM's office, the Chief of Staff will coordinate across engineering, operations, program management, and sector functions to translate strategy into execution. This position requires a sophisticated understanding of defense business operations, exceptional judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, matrixed environment supporting a division with ~800 employees across seven locations.

Essential Functions:

• Partner with the VP/GM to develop, refine, and execute the division's multi-year strategic plan focused on mission relevance, customer alignment, and sustainable growth across acoustic systems, seabed warfare, imaging, and multi-domain integration
• Lead strategic planning processes including annual operating plans, quarterly business reviews, and long-range planning cycles; track and drive accountability for strategic initiatives and key performance indicators
• Serve as a key integrator across the division's seven locations, ensuring alignment between engineering, operations, program management, and functional teams on complex operational and organizational challenges
• Prepare executive communications, presentations, and briefings for senior leadership
• Support financial performance management including monthly/quarterly business reviews, forecast processes, and program health monitoring across the portfolio
• Partner with sector functions (Finance, Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, HR) to drive affordability, compliance, and execution velocity
• Support major capture and proposal efforts by coordinating resources, facilitating decision-making, and tracking business development pipeline alignment with enterprise growth priorities
• Lead or support special projects, transformation initiatives, and process improvements that enhance organizational effectiveness and cultural accountability
• Ability to travel 10-15% of the time
• Ability to obtain a US Security Clearance

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, or related technical discipline required and 12 years of related experience or Graduate Degree and 10 years of related experience. In lieu of a degree, a minimum of 16 years of prior related experience.
• Minimum 10–15 years of progressive experience in the defense or aerospace industry
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, business operations, or program management roles
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in complex, matrixed organizations with multiple stakeholders

Preferred Additional Skills:

• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-support capabilities
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level presentation development
• MBA or advanced degree in relevant field
• Active Secret clearance preferred
• Prior Chief of Staff, strategy, or business operations leadership experience
• Strong understanding of defense acquisition processes, US Navy stakeholders, and maritime/undersea mission areas
• Experience supporting P&L leadership in multi-site defense business units