Defense Programs Manager — Hypersonics & Space Systems

Karman; California (MO, UT); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

HSA with company contribution

FSA

Life and AD&D insurance

Short/Long-term disability

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Program Manager to lead defense programs from planning through production, coordinating cross-functional teams and interfacing with customers and government stakeholders to deliver mission‑critical hardware that meets cost, schedule and technical goals.

This role requires travel up to 50% to our California and Utah facilities, a BS in engineering or related field with 5+ years in aerospace, and a DoD Secret clearance or ability to obtain one.

Qualifications

• BS in Engineering or related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of aerospace/defense program experience.
• Current DoD Secret clearance or ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

• Leads assigned programs through planning, development, qualification, production, delivery, and contract completion.
• Owns performance against cost, schedule, technical, quality, contractual, and customer objectives.
• Develops and maintains integrated program plans, schedules, budgets, milestones, resource requirements, and performance metrics.
• Coordinates cross‑functional execution across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, contracts, finance, and test organizations.
• Serves as a primary interface for customers, prime contractors, government stakeholders, suppliers, and internal leadership.
• Identifies technical, programmatic, supply‑chain, cost, and schedule risks and drives mitigation and recovery plans.
• Leads composite material development, fabrication, and integration activities to ensure alignment with program objectives.
• Coordinates cross‑functional execution for composite tooling, layup, curing, inspection, and qualification processes.
• Leads recurring program reviews and communicates financial performance, risks, decisions, dependencies, and corrective actions.
• Supports design reviews, test‑readiness reviews, qualification activities, production‑readiness reviews, and customer acceptance events.
• Manages contractual deliverables, statements of work, program changes, customer requests, and scope changes.
• Supports proposals, estimates, contract negotiations, follow‑on opportunities, and program‑growth activities.

Skills

Program management

Aerospace experience

Security clearance

Education

BS in Engineering or related field

Job description

Karman Space & Defense is seeking a Program Manager to lead defense programs from planning through production, coordinating cross-functional teams and interfacing with customers and government stakeholders to deliver mission‑critical hardware that meets cost, schedule and technical goals.

This role requires travel up to 50% to our California and Utah facilities, a BS in engineering or related field with 5+ years in aerospace, and a DoD Secret clearance or ability to obtain one.