Lead Program Manager

About the Team

The Sensors Division within STR focuses on the development and analysis of advanced sensor systems in the RF, acoustic, and electro-optical domains. This includes the design and development of novel sensors and advanced information processing techniques from ideation to prototype implementations. The Subsea and Seabed Systems (SSS) Group develops and delivers advanced undersea sensor and signal processing systems related to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and counter-ISR applications.

The Role

The SSS Group is seeking a Lead Program Manager with a highly technical, undersea warfare background to manage a portfolio of programs focused on future undersea systems. This portfolio spans concept generation and prototype development with the goal that programs will continue into low-rate initial production (LRIP) or production. As such, we are looking for applicants with experience traversing that span of technology readiness and an ability to adaptively scale process. In this role you will lead small, highly capable, multidisciplinary teams of researchers, scientists, and engineers across STR campuses, coordinating electrical and mechanical design, software development, system construction, integration, testing, and field execution to meet cost, schedule, and performance objectives on innovative, complex, and challenging national security programs.

A central responsibility is the financial planning and execution of fast-paced, complex programs: developing credible budgets and resource plans, maintaining current forecasts, and making timely cost, schedule, and staffing decisions as technical priorities evolve. Your areas of specific focus will also include building and executing programmatic baselines, including personnel, deliverables, and subcontractor/contract manufacturer management plans while anticipating risks, resolving resource, security, and contracting challenges, and meeting or managing customer, sponsor, and leadership expectations.

A successful candidate will have recent and significant program manager experience building fieldable systems and a working knowledge in several of the following areas: undersea warfare, sonar systems, ocean engineering, modeling and simulation, test and evaluation, hardware design, software architecture, uncrewed underwater vehicles, resource management, signal processing, and/or communications. This position requires competency in leading and managing multidisciplinary teams, briefing senior leadership, cultivating positive, collaborative, and productive work environments, and a strong proficiency in all aspects of program management. Strong interpersonal, communication, mentorship, and peer-leadership skills are also required.

What you will do:

• Execute multiple fast-paced, complex programs against cost, schedule, and technical objectives, with accountability for financial planning and performance
• Develop and maintain program budgets, time-phased spending plans, staffing and resource allocations, and estimates to complete and at completion across labor, materials, travel, subcontractors, and contract manufacturers
• Manage financial execution by reviewing actual costs and commitments, monitoring burn rates and funding availability, analyzing variances, and updating forecasts as program needs change
• Work with technical leads, finance, and contracts to assess cost and schedule tradeoffs, implement corrective actions, and communicate financial risks and resource needs to leadership and sponsors
• Lead proposals by providing expertise in proposal development while ensuring adherence to a gated capture process
• Create subcontractor statements of work and managing and tracking subcontractors to ensure proper execution
• Work with contract manufacturers to build up to LRIP and then meet LRIP milestones with high quality
• Lead multidisciplinary teams through design, build, integration, test readiness, and field execution, coordinating interdependent engineering activities to deliver fieldable systems
• Oversee preparation, planning, and execution of advanced undersea system testing, including test objectives, personnel and resource coordination, readiness activities, at-sea execution, and post-test assessment
• Provide regular program briefs to group and division leadership.
• Create and maintain an environment that fosters collaboration by giving clear direction and constructive feedback to the team
• Monitor progress against goals, anticipating risks, resolving issues, and initiating corrective actions as appropriate

Who you are:

• Current TS/SSBI with SCI preferred; ability to gain and keep SCI/SAP accreditations required, for which U.S citizenship is needed by the U.S government
• Technical degree and 8+ years of prior relevant experience in government contracting, research and development (R&D), or advanced technology production. Equivalent experience will be considered
• Program manager or control account manager experience in a design and development and/or build contract, including work breakdown structure (WBS) definition, schedule generation, financial analysis and reporting, and resource management
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing the finances of fast-paced, complex programs, including budget development, resource planning, financial forecasting, cost and variance analysis, and timely corrective action to meet program objectives within available funding
• Experience in proposal management, including planning and cost estimation
• Experience managing projects larger than $10M for the Department of War
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Experience leading small, highly capable, multidisciplinary teams executing complex advanced-technology programs spanning electrical and mechanical design, software development, system construction, integration, test, and field execution
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate interdependent engineering disciplines and drive systems from design and build through integration, readiness, and successful execution in operationally relevant environments
• Strong presentation and organizational skills

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with advanced undersea warfare system concepts, signal processing, underwater acoustics, and ocean engineering
• Experience with sonar systems
• Experience preparing, planning, and executing testing and fielding of advanced undersea systems and vehicles, including development of test objectives, coordination of personnel and resources, test readiness activities, at-sea execution, and post-test assessment.
• Experience conducting operationally representative testing of advanced undersea systems in realistic maritime environments, working with operators, engineers, and government sponsors to translate mission needs and operating conditions into test scenarios and performance measures, and using results to inform system design, performance improvements, operational employment, and transition toward fieldable capability
• Work experience in government, FFRDC, or defense industry companies and sponsors
• Earned value management system (EVMS) experience
• Contract manufacturing experience
• Risk and opportunity management experience
• Experience managing research and development programs
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications, including but not limited to Microsoft Project, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Why Join Us

This is an opportunity to contribute to the development of groundbreaking undersea systems that will shape the future of undersea defense. You will work alongside a passionate and talented team, tackling some of the most challenging and rewarding problems in the field. If you are passionate about managing programs that deliver advanced undersea technology that sailors depend on working, we want to hear from you.

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $147,000 - $200,000

The salary range listed is based on external market data. Offers are based on factors, such as but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, Carlsbad, CA, Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.

STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.

STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at for more info.

STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at View email address on click.appcast.io and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.