Aerospace Program Lead — Government & Defense

SES Space & Defense; Virginia; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SES Space & Defense in United States, Virginia, is seeking a program management professional to lead complex aerospace and government programs. You will coordinate across engineering, contracts, finance, and supply chain to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery while managing risk and stakeholder expectations.

The role requires strong organizational and communication skills, a solid understanding of program lifecycle, and the ability to operate in a regulated environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 7+ years or Master’s with 6+ years in government or aerospace programs.
• Experience leading project teams, IPTs, cost accounts, or cross-functional execution.
• Strong understanding of program lifecycle including planning, scheduling, risk, budgeting, and customer coordination.
• Strong analytical skills translating requirements into executable action plans.
• Demonstrated conflict resolution and negotiation abilities.
• Experience in regulated government contracting and handling contractual deliverables.
• Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM), forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Proven ability to lead matrixed teams in fast-paced environments.
• U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.
• PMI certification preferred.
• Proficiency with MS Office, Visio, MS Project; familiarity with Costpoint, Salesforce, FAR/DFAR.

Responsibilities

• Support end-to-end execution of complex aerospace and government programs, ensuring alignment to objectives.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional IPTs across engineering, contracts, finance, and supply chain.
• Partner with leadership to manage execution, risk, and priorities across the program lifecycle.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and EVM tracking.
• Lead risk and opportunity management and periodic reviews.
• Interface with government customers to communicate status and resolve issues.
• Support change management to document and control baselines and scope.
• Coordinate delivery of contractual deliverables and program reporting.
• Present metrics and updates to leadership and customers.
• Assist in proposals, business plans, and contract terms.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Leadership of IPTs

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree with 7+ years

Master’s degree with 6+ years

Tools

Microsoft Office

Visio

Microsoft Project

Costpoint

Salesforce

FAR/DFAR environments

Job description

SES Space & Defense in United States, Virginia, is seeking a program management professional to lead complex aerospace and government programs. You will coordinate across engineering, contracts, finance, and supply chain to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery while managing risk and stakeholder expectations.

The role requires strong organizational and communication skills, a solid understanding of program lifecycle, and the ability to operate in a regulated environment.