Director; Program Management

Clarity Innovations; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 146,000 - 390,000; Full time

Job summary

Clarity Innovations is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead a large-scale software development program for federal clients. You will oversee 20+ cross-functional personnel across multiple tracks, aligning strategic goals with fiscal objectives and government expectations.

The role requires 10+ years in federal program management, expertise in contract execution, stakeholder engagement, and risk management, plus the ability to coordinate acrossDoD/IC environments.

Qualifications

• Program Scale & Scope: 5-15 years of program management experience within federal software development or cyber domains, with a proven track record of directly managing programs of 20+ full-time personnel.
• Leadership Frameworks: Demonstrated experience managing programs via “lead-of-leads” structures, effectively delegating responsibilities to subordinate technical or team leads.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; OR 4 years of related experience substituted in lieu of a degree.
• Framework Mastery: Deep understanding of Agile development methodologies, SDLC frameworks, lean product management principles, and user-centered design thinking.
• Tools Profile: Direct experience maintaining project backlogs, deliverables, and knowledge bases within the Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence).
• Acquisition Knowledge: General knowledge of Federal acquisition guidelines (FAR, DFARS), OTAs, CSOs, and contract execution rules.
• Financial: Demonstrable understanding of the components of rate build ups, financial health measurements, and how decisions directly impact the P&L of your programs.

Responsibilities

• Strategize, implement, and maintain program initiatives aligned with overall objectives.
• Oversee planning, execution, and delivery of programs within cost, technical, scope, and schedule commitments.
• Synchronize and manage dependencies across multiple, concurrent technical workstreams totaling 20+ personnel.
• Establish governance, communication frameworks, and delivery metrics for mid-to-large scale programs.
• Routinely handle risk, change, and uncertainty across several teams with limited oversight.
• Provide comprehensive program visibility and status reporting to leadership and government stakeholders.
• Lead pricing strategies, budgets, contract modifications, and financial status tracking.
• Understanding of the DoW acquisition lifecycle, FAR-based contracts, and OTAs.
• Mentor team leads to ensure redundancy and backfill capabilities.

Skills

Program scale

Leadership

Agile / SDLC

P&L awareness

Federal acquisition

Earned Value

Kubernetes

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Kubernetes

Job description

Clarity Innovations is a trusted national security partner, dedicated to safeguarding our nation’s interests and delivering innovative solutions that empower the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) to transform data into actionable intelligence, ensuring mission success in an evolving world.

Our mission-first software and data engineering platform modernizes data operations, utilizing advanced workflows, CI/CD, and secure DevSecOps practices. We focus on challenges in Information Warfare, Cyber Operations, Operational Security, and Data Structuring, enabling end-to-end solutions that drive operational impact.

We are committed to delivering cutting‑edge tools and capabilities that address the most complex national security challenges, empowering our partners to stay ahead of emerging threats and ensuring the success of their critical missions. At Clarity, we are people‑focused and set on being a destination employer for top talent, offering an environment where innovation thrives, careers grow, and individuals are valued. Join us as we continue to lead innovation and tackle the most pressing challenges in national security.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced and dedicated Program Manager to lead and oversee complex software development programs supporting federal clients. The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of experience managing technical programs from inception through delivery, with demonstrated expertise across project management, product ownership, contract execution, and stakeholder engagement within classified environments.
In this role, you will provide overarching leadership to a large-scale program consisting of 20+ cross‑functional personnel organized across multiple concurrent technical tracks. You will be responsible for organizational design, resource allocation, stakeholder management, and macro‑level execution, ensuring feature commitments remain realistic, achievable, and strictly aligned with fiscal objectives and organizational strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Programmatic Leadership & Delivery Accountability

• Strategic Execution: Strategize, implement, and maintain program initiatives that adhere to overall Clarity and customer objectives. Lead and influence a balanced, cross‑functional team in daily activities to execute against a mission vision.
• Delivery & Milestone Ownership: Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of programs in strict alignment with cost, technical, scope, and schedule commitments. Ensure project feature and objective commitments are realistic, achievable, and delivered on schedule without errors.
• Multi‑Team Orchestration: Synchronize and manage dependencies across multiple, distinct, concurrent technical workstreams totaling 20+ personnel, ensuring seamless integration and alignment with the overarching mission.
• Scale‑Appropriate Governance: Establish governance, communication frameworks, and delivery metrics tailored for a mid‑to‑large scale program structure to maintain velocity without sacrificing quality.
• Risk & Change Management: Routinely handle risk, change, and uncertainty across several teams with limited oversight. Anticipate, identify, and take early action to acknowledge and mitigate programmatic risks.
• Reporting & Status Visibility: Provide comprehensive program visibility and status reporting on risks, financial insights, governance, quality, and timelines to both internal leadership and government stakeholders.
• Fiscal Management: Partner with the portfolio financial management teams’ Program Control Analysts (PCA) to construct team structures that meet yearly fiscal objectives. Restructure project finances, manage indirect rate structures (G&A, overhead, fringe), and independently mitigate financial risks.
• Contract Lifecycle Execution: Manage the full financial and contractual lifecycle across FFP, T&M, and Cost Plus contract types. Lead pricing strategies, budget forecasts, contract modifications, and financial status tracking (EACs, ETCs, ROMs) in accordance with DCAA/DCMA compliance standards.
• Acquisition Knowledge: Understanding of the DoW acquisition lifecycle, knowledge of the benefits and limitations of RDT&E, O&M, and procurement colors of money, and how FAR‑based contracts differ from the use of OTAs.

Stakeholder Engagement & Requirements Management

• Customer Relationship Building: Serve as the primary liaison and trusted partner for government customers, SCAs, and program representatives. Build a deep understanding of what drives the customer's needs to accurately anticipate desires and maintain high satisfaction.
• Requirements Translation: Effectively translate, decompose, and communicate requirements among multiple project stakeholders, technical delivery teams, and company leadership using platforms like GitLab, Jira, and the Atlassian suite.
• Business Development Growth: Support capture and proposal efforts by shaping ROM/RFP responses, technical narratives, and pricing strategies to safely expand current capabilities and secure steady business growth.
• Culture & Team Advocacy: Build cohesion, continuity, and resiliency across multi‑functional squads. Prioritize the health, happiness, and productivity of the team, encouraging collaboration and facilitating respectful, inquisitive paths through technical disagreements.
• Large‑Scale Personnel Management: Direct the performance and allocation of a 20+ person program roster. Manage organizational structures, including leading through subordinate team leads, Scrum Masters, or technical leads.
• Staff Planning & HR Coordination: Anticipate complex program‑wide staffing models, attrition risks, and resource shifts 6–12 months in advance, coordinating with Talent Acquisition and HR to onboard, transfer, and position personnel for maximum productivity and team satisfaction.
• Knowledge Sharing Networks: Foster a strict culture of documentation and knowledge sharing across several teams, ensuring product information is streamlined and accessible across external development networks.

Qualifications

• Program Scale & Scope: 5‑15 years of program management experience within federal software development or cyber domains, with a proven track record of directly managing programs of 20+ full‑time personnel.
• Leadership Frameworks: Demonstrated experience managing programs via “lead‑of‑leads” structures, effectively delegating responsibilities to subordinate technical or team leads.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution; OR 4 years of related experience substituted in lieu of a degree.
• Framework Mastery: Deep understanding of Agile development methodologies, SDLC frameworks, lean product management principles, and user‑centered design thinking.
• Tools Profile: Direct experience maintaining project backlogs, deliverables, and knowledge bases within the Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence).
• Acquisition Knowledge: General knowledge of Federal acquisition guidelines (FAR, DFARS), OTAs, CSOs, and contract execution rules.
• Financial: Demonstrable understanding of the components of rate build ups, financial health measurements, and how decisions directly impact the P&L of your programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical Domains: Background or general familiarity with Kubernetes applications, cloud infrastructure deployment (AWS, Azure), data transport layers (tagging, ingestion, distribution), or high‑risk research and development projects.
• PMP or EV Experience: Knowledge of traditional PMI‑based methodologies for baselines and measuring earned value.
• Leadership Impact: Proven track record of influencing outcomes across multiple projects and successfully mentoring team members to establish redundancy and backfill capabilities.
• Scale Leadership: Experience scaling a technical program or contract footprint from a small footprint to a multi‑team organization of 20+ people.
• Organizational Design: Experience implementing scaled Agile frameworks (e.g., SAFe, Scrum at Scale, Nexus) or managing complex matrixed resource pools across distinct federal customer touchpoints.

Salary Range: $146,000 - $390,000

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.