Program Manager

Job Posting Title:
Program Manager
----

Hiring Department:
Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
----

Position Open To:
All Applicants
----

Weekly Scheduled Hours:
40
----

FLSA Status:
Exempt from FLSA
----

Earliest Start Date:
Immediately
----

Position Duration:
Expected to Continue
----

Location:
UT MAIN CAMPUS
----

Job Details:
General Notes

About the SDA TAP Lab Texas


The Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Tools, Applications, and Processing (TAP) Lab Texas is a U.S. Space Force initiative hosted at the University of Texas at Austin and funded by a $9.27 million grant from the Texas Space Commission. The lab accelerates the delivery of space battle management software to operational units by transforming academic and commercial research into mission-ready capabilities through a structured accelerator program similar to SDA TAP Lab in Colorado Springs (see sdataplab.org).


The lab pioneers next-generation defenses for the nation's critical space architecture, integrating AI, astrodynamics, cyber-informed engineering (CIE), and decision intelligence. The GaiaVerse GaiaGraph platform anchors the decision intelligence architecture, providing explainable, real-time analytics across space and cyberspace domains. TAP Lab Texas operates in close coordination with U.S. Space Force System Delta 85, Task Force-Futures, SSIO, AFRL, and other mission partners.

Purpose

The Program Manager (PM) is the day-to-day operations officer of the SDA TAP Lab Texas, working in close, seamless partnership with - and under the technical direction of - Prof. Moriba Jah, the Principal Investigator and Director of TAP Lab Texas. The PM serves as the hub through which cohorts, USSF mission partners, university administration, and external stakeholders connect, translating the PI's strategic and technical vision into executable operational plans. The PM is accountable for cost, schedule, and performance delivery across all grant-funded activities, and is the first point of contact for cohort teams as they prototype, integrate, and validate their tools and applications within the lab environment.


This role requires a disciplined project-management professional who can operate with minimal friction alongside a technically demanding PI, receive and execute on technical direction without requiring extensive re-explanation, and represent the lab's mission credibly to both DoD leadership and academic innovators. Deep familiarity with federally funded research administration, a collaborative and proactive working style, and the flexibility to travel as mission requirements dictate are essential.


Working Relationship with the PI/Director


The PM reports directly to Prof. Moriba Jah, who serves concurrently as Principal Investigator and Director of SDA TAP Lab Texas. This dual role means the PI/Director sets both the scientific and technical vision and the programmatic priorities for the lab. The PM is the operational complement to that leadership - converting direction into schedules, actions, and outcomes - and must be able to receive, internalize, and execute technical guidance with minimal hand-holding.


The ideal candidate functions as a trusted operational partner - proactive, technically literate, and deeply aligned with the PI/Director's mission priorities. Effective candidates will:

• Internalize and operationalize the PI/Director's technical direction without requiring re-explanation of underlying scientific rationale.
  
  

• Anticipate the PI/Director's needs, surface emerging issues before they escalate, and bring proposed solutions rather than problems alone.
  
  

• Represent the PI/Director's technical and programmatic positions accurately and confidently to cohort teams, USSF partners, and UT Austin administration.
  
  

• Maintain a seamless operational cadence with the PI/Director through regular briefings, shared dashboards, and a mutual commitment to mission success over bureaucratic friction.
  
  

• Exercise independent judgment on day-to-day operational matters within the boundaries set by the PI/Director, escalating strategic or technical decisions appropriately.
  
  

Responsibilities

Day-to-Day Operations & Cohort Integration

• Serve as the resident operations officer for TAP Lab Texas, maintaining daily situational awareness of all active cohort activities, resources, and timelines.
  
  

• Sit with cohort teams during sprint cycles to facilitate the integration of their tools, applications, and datasets into the SDA TAP Lab Texas infrastructure and data environment.
  
  

• Coordinate access to lab computational resources, secure data feeds, and GaiaGraph integration pipelines on behalf of cohort teams.
  
  

• Manage onboarding and off-boarding of cohort participants, including data-sharing agreements, lab access, and orientation to USSF mission context.
  
  

• Serve as the primary operational interface between cohort teams and TAP Lab technical leads, ensuring that technical direction from the PI/Director is clearly communicated, understood, and executed by cohort participants.
  
  

Cost / Schedule / Performance Management

• Own the integrated master schedule (IMS) for all TAP Lab Texas activities, tracking milestones across cohort cycles, infrastructure buildout, and reporting obligations.
  
  

• Monitor grant expenditures against the approved budget, coordinate with UT Austin Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) on financial reporting, and proactively flag variances and risks to the PI/Director to enable timely course correction.
  
  

• Prepare and deliver periodic programmatic and financial status reports to the Texas Space Commission, USSF mission partners, and UT Austin leadership.
  
  

• Maintain risk registers and mitigation plans; proactively escalate issues that threaten cost, schedule, or performance baselines.
  
  

• Ensure deliverables comply with TSC grant terms, UT Austin sponsored project policies, and applicable federal regulations (2 CFR Part 200, DoD flow-down clauses).
  
  

Stakeholder Coordination & Liaison

• Serve as the primary liaison to U.S. Space Force System Delta 85 and the SDA TAP Lab national program office located in Colorado Springs, CO (sdataplab.org).
  
  

• Coordinate with the SDA TAP Lab Maui node on shared cohort resources, joint activities, and cross-site programmatic alignment.
  
  

• Represent TAP Lab Texas at USSF headquarters meetings, program reviews, and coordination sessions as directed by the PI/Director.
  
  

• Cultivate and maintain productive relationships with DoD program officers, AFRL, AFWERX/SpaceWERX, DIU, and other innovation ecosystem partners.
  
  

• Interface with UT Austin's Office of Sponsored Projects, Office of Research, and legal/contracts offices on sub-award, teaming, and compliance matters.
  
  

Technology Transition & Reporting

• Track the technology readiness levels (TRLs) and transition status of cohort solutions, maintaining an up-to-date capability mapping aligned to USSF mission threads.
  
  

• Support the PI and GaiaVerse GaiaGraph team in benchmarking cohort performance and identifying gaps relative to operational priorities.
  
  

• Contribute to after-action reports, cohort outcome summaries, and transition packages submitted to TSC and USSF mission partners.
  
  

• Support preparation of presentations, white papers, and briefings for DoD audiences under the direction of the PI/Director and in coordination with JDIG staff.
  
  

Travel

• Travel as mission requirements demand to:
  
  

• U.S. Space Force Headquarters, Colorado Springs, CO - program reviews, partner coordination, and SDA TAP Lab national program office meetings.
  
  

• SDA TAP Lab Maui node - cross-site coordination and joint cohort activities.
  
  

• Other locations as required for conferences, technology demonstrations, or stakeholder engagement.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, business administration, public administration, or a closely related field.
  
  

• Minimum five (5) years of experience in program/project management, research administration, or a related role within a federally sponsored research or DoD program environment.
  
  

• Demonstrated experience managing cost, schedule, and performance for multi-year, multi-stakeholder programs (>$1M annual budget).
  
  

• Familiarity with federal grant regulations (2 CFR Part 200) and sponsored project administration processes.
  
  

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear briefings and reports for both technical and executive audiences.
  
  

• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent) and standard office productivity software.
  
  

• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.
  
  

• Willingness and ability to travel domestically as required (estimated 15-25% travel).
  
  
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance required.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or PMP / PMI-ACP certification.
  
  

• Prior experience working with or within the U.S. Space Force, Air Force Research Laboratory, DoD innovation hubs (AFWERX, SpaceWERX, DIU), or a university-affiliated defense research center.
  
  

• Familiarity with Space Domain Awareness, astrodynamics, cybersecurity, or AI/ML applications in defense contexts.
  
  

• Experience with technology accelerator or cohort-based R&D programs.
  
  

• Active DoD security clearance (Secret or higher).
  
  

• Experience with sub-award management, teaming agreements, and SBIR/STTR program administration.
  
  

Core Competencies

• Mission Orientation: deep commitment to national security, space sustainability, and the U.S. Space Force mission.
  
  

• Operational Discipline: rigorous adherence to cost/schedule/performance baselines with a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.
  
  

• Collaborative Leadership: ability to convene and align various stakeholders-researchers, Guardians, engineers, and administrators-around shared objectives.
  
  

• Technical Literacy: capacity to engage substantively with space technology, AI/ML, and cybersecurity topics without being a domain expert.
  
  

• Adaptability: comfort operating in a fast-paced, sprint-cycle environment with evolving sponsor requirements.
  
  

• Integrity & Trustworthiness: highest ethical standards consistent with handling sensitive government program information.
  
  

Salary Range

$150,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in a standard office environment.
  
• Repetitive use of keyboard at workstation.
  
• Occasional on-call/travel duties.
  
• This is a TX-based position.
  

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
  
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
  
• Cover Letter
  

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility:
Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:
The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

----

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

----

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.