Director of Project Management Office (PMO)

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions; Columbia Falls (MT); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance Coverage

401(k) Savings Plan

Paid Time-Off (PTO)

Education Reimbursement

Job summary

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions seeks a Director of the Project Management Office to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for project management functions. This role ensures disciplined execution and successful delivery of critical programs supporting national defense and public safety.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in project management and leading cross-functional teams. Benefits include medical insurance, 401(k), and education reimbursement.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of project/program management experience, with 5+ in a senior leadership role.
• Proven experience leading large project portfolios and cross-functional teams.
• Deep understanding of PMBOK frameworks and enterprise PM best practices.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all project management functions.
• Set the vision and governance for project excellence.
• Drive portfolio strategy and cross-functional collaboration.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Management, or related field

Tools

PMBOK frameworks

Lean principles

Agile methodologies

Job description

Job Description

The Director of the Project Management Office (PMO) provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all project management functions across Nomad GCS. This role ensures disciplined execution, organizational alignment, and the successful delivery of mission critical programs that support national defense, first responders, public safety agencies, and other essential customers.

The Director PMO is responsible for building and leading a high performing team of project managers, implementing enterprise grade project management standards, and embedding PMBOK best practices into Nomad’s operational and strategic workflow. This leader acts as a critical partner to Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, and Executive Leadership, driving clarity, accountability, and high quality outcomes across all projects and portfolios.

The Director of PMO sets the vision and governance for project excellence, ensuring Nomad’s projects are delivered on time, within scope, within budget, and aligned to organizational objectives. This role drives portfolio strategy, strengthens processes, accelerates maturity, and ensures cross functional collaboration that supports Nomad’s purpose: delivering reliable, world class mission critical platforms to those who protect and serve.

This leader provides direction for project managers, defines organizational standards, leads risk management culture, drives transparency across the enterprise, and ensures Nomad has the project governance structures necessary to scale.

Essential Functions / Responsibility (PMBOK Process Group Alignment)

Initiating & Strategic Alignment

• Define PMO strategy, enterprise project management standards, and long range objectives for project governance.
• Partner with executives to define project scope, value, priority, and resource expectations.
• Evaluate opportunities, requests, and initiatives for strategic fit within Nomad roadmaps.
• Establish project selection, portfolio decision criteria, and intake processes.

Planning

• Oversee development of project plans, schedules, staffing models, risk registers, budgets, and communication plans.
• Lead PMO-level capacity planning, workforce forecasting, and portfolio balancing across departments.
• Standardize PMBOK-aligned methods, templates, workflows, tools, and documentation.
• Ensure forecasting accuracy and alignment between PMO, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Finance.

Executing

• Provide direct leadership to PMO staff, including coaching, training, mentoring, and performance management.
• Oversee execution of complex projects and programs across multiple technical disciplines.
• Resolve cross-functional obstacles, resource conflicts, and schedule impacts through decisive leadership.
• Build trusted partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, including customers, vendors, and Kratos program leaders.

Monitoring & Controlling

• Establish PMO dashboards, metrics, KPIs, and governance cycles for project health.
• Oversee risk management, issue resolution, change control, and escalation processes.
• Ensure projects adhere to schedule, cost targets, quality requirements, and contract terms.
• Conduct reviews at portfolio, program, and project levels—ensuring transparency to executive leadership.

Closing & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure structured project closure, contract compliance, deliverable acceptance, and lessons learned facilitation.
• Lead organizational maturity efforts: process refinements, quality audits, workflow improvements, and PM training.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in partnership with Operations, Quality, and Engineering leadership.
• Document PMO performance, operational impact, and strategic outcomes for executive reporting.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior leader, trusted advisor, and organizational integrator.
• Drive communication discipline, executive-ready reporting, and crisp problem solving.
• Lead change management efforts tied to scaling the business within Kratos.
• Build a high performance PMO culture rooted in accountability, clarity, and continuous improvement.
• Advance Nomad’s mission by ensuring the PMO is a stabilizing force for alignment and execution excellence.

Physical Demands

• Ability to stand and sit for extended periods.
• Manual dexterity to operate office equipment.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.

Working Environment

• Professional office environment with regular interaction with guests, clients, team members, and vendors.
• Typical indoor manufacturing environment. Noise level is usually moderate. Safety glasses and closed-toe shoes are required when on the production floor. Subject to temperature fluctuations if/when job duties require time on the production floor.
• Everyday workwear must be business casual/smart casual and appropriate for the office environment.
• Occasional travel for partner, supplier, customer, and/or multi-site coordination. Periodic visits to manufacturing, integration, and test environments.

Required Experience and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Management, or related field.
• 10+ years of project/program management experience, with 5+ in a senior leadership role.
• Proven experience leading large project portfolios and cross-functional teams.
• Deep understanding of PMBOK frameworks and enterprise PM best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in fast-paced, engineering/manufacturing or mission-critical environments.
• Strong financial acumen (budgets, forecasts, cost controls).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across all levels.

Preferred

• PMP, PgMP, or equivalent certification.
• Experience in defense contracting, highly technical manufacturing, or integrated systems programs.
• Experience building or scaling a PMO. Familiarity with Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, or similar frameworks.

Job Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance Coverage
• Life/ADD & Short/Long Term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Savings Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Paid Time-Off (PTO)
• Holidays
• Education Reimbursement

Kratos Defense is an Equal Opportunity Affimative Action Employer. EOE, Minorities, Females, Vet, Disabled, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or any other protected class. All qualified job seekers are encouraged to apply. Kratos Defense is committed to America's veterans by providing opportunities for them to continue contributing after service to our nation. We also work to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

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