Aerospace Production Program Director

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems; Poway (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 289,000; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is a world leader in remotely piloted aircraft and surveillance systems.

We seek a Program Director to lead major production programs from contract award through delivery, shaping strategy and coordinating across Engineering, Operations, and Supply Chain. The role requires deep program management expertise, strong leadership, and the ability to manage complex production streams while ensuring on‑time, on‑budget delivery and protection of

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD in engineering, science, or related technical field with 15+ years of program administration experience.
• Extensive technical expertise in program management principles and practices, including planning and coordinating complex production workloads.
• Single-point leadership over all production execution activities across PM, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, and Engineering.
• Experience translating contract and customer requirements into production plans, capacity and staffing needs.
• Proven track record of owning production cost, schedule, and performance baselines to deliver aircraft on time and on budget.
• Experience overseeing transitions from development to full-rate production, including change control and design/process improvements.
• Ability to coordinate long-lead procurement and mitigate supply chain risk.
• Ability to monitor production metrics and drive corrective actions and continuous improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead major production programs from contract award through delivery.
• Develop and maintain program strategy, roadmap, and execution plans.
• Define design concepts, criteria, and engineering efforts for R&D, testing, integration, and production.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain to ensure material availability and on-time delivery.
• Serve as primary customer and senior management contact for program matters.
• Prepare proposals, budgets, and contract terms; oversee acquisitions and negotiations.
• Identify and mitigate program risks and drive cost-reduction initiatives.
• Provide technical leadership and develop key management and technical talent.
• Drive new business opportunities and partnerships.

Skills

Strong communication

Leadership

Presentation

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/science

Master's degree

PhD in engineering/science

Job description

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is a world leader in remotely piloted aircraft and surveillance systems.

We seek a Program Director to lead major production programs from contract award through delivery, shaping strategy and coordinating across Engineering, Operations, and Supply Chain. The role requires deep program management expertise, strong leadership, and the ability to manage complex production streams while ensuring on‑time, on‑budget delivery and protection of