Senior Program Manager - Carriage & Release

Eleven Recruiting is searching for a Senior Program Manager to join a leading aerospace and defense manufacturer onsite in Mukilteo, Washington. This company designs, engineers, and manufactures advanced mechanical systems used to secure, deploy, and release mission-critical payloads from aircraft and defense platforms — hardware that must perform flawlessly when it matters most. Role Overview The Senior Program Manager sits within the Carriage & Release IPT and reports to the IPT Lead. This role owns the programmatic execution of assigned programs — cost, schedule, EVM, customer communications, and contract deliverables — while operating within the broader technical and strategic direction set by the IPT Lead. The Senior PM is the day-to-day face of the program to the customer and the primary driver of on‑time, on‑budget delivery across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality. Responsibilities Own programmatic execution across assigned carriage, retention, dispense, and deployment system programs — managing cost, schedule, and deliverables in support of the IPT Lead. Serve as the day‑to‑day customer interface for your programs — managing technical interchange meetings, design reviews, CDRs/PDRs, status reporting, and written communications. Develop and maintain Earned Value Management (EVM) metrics; report CPI/SPI, variance analysis, and EAC forecasts to the IPT Lead, program leadership, and customers. Build and maintain integrated master schedules (IMS) for assigned programs, tracking critical path, milestones, and dependencies across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and quality. Track contract deliverables and ensure proper documentation of system requirements, CDRLs, and configuration control artifacts. Coordinate qualification and acceptance testing activities for assigned programs; support test readiness reviews, anomaly documentation, and test report preparation. Manage subcontract and supplier activity in support of program deliverables, coordinating with procurement on technical requirements and schedule. Support ITAR compliance across program documentation and customer communications. Author and execute recovery plans for schedule or technical anomalies; present findings to customers and leadership as directed. Support proposal writing, BOE development, and new business activities as assigned by the IPT Lead. Required Qualifications B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field. 10+ years of experience in aerospace and/or defense, with at least 3 years in a program management capacity. Demonstrated experience managing hardware development programs — from design through qualification and delivery. Hands‑on experience with Earned Value Management (EVM) — CPI/SPI reporting, variance analysis, and EAC forecasting. Experience building and maintaining integrated master schedules across cross‑functional teams. Direct customer interface experience — must have represented programs in formal reviews such as CDRs, PDRs, or program status reviews. U.S. citizenship required; must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD SECRET clearance. Preferred Qualifications Experience with carriage and release systems, stores management, weapons integration, payload deployment, or separation/dispense mechanisms. Background in propulsion, pyrotechnic, ordnance‑adjacent, or precision mechanical hardware development. Familiarity with MIL‑SPEC and MIL‑STD qualification standards for airborne hardware. Experience on MDA, USAF, USN, or prime contractor (Raytheon, Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop) programs. Experience managing subcontract and supply chain activity on a government contract. M.S. in a technical discipline or MBA. Experience within an AS9100‑certified manufacturing environment. #J-18808-Ljbffr Eleven Recruiting