Director, Strategic Project Management

Safran Group; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Safran Group in the United States seeks a Director of Strategic Project Management to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives that align with business goals. You will provide governance, governance, and execution oversight for large programs spanning multiple sites and stakeholders.

This role partners with senior leadership to plan, coordinate, and execute high-priority projects, ensuring on-time delivery while managing risks and regulatory considerations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent with a strong preference for a technical background.
• 10+ years of aerospace experience, especially in integration, separation, and industrial transfers.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and program ownership for enterprise initiatives across sites and functions.
• Coordinate cross-functional workstreams and monitor critical path activities.
• Develop and maintain integrated program plans with milestones, dependencies, and ownership.
• Assess operations options and deliver executive recommendations on requirements and risks.
• Lead readiness activities to ensure understanding of requirements, timelines, and responsibilities.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Project coordination

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

MS Project

MS Office

Job description

Here, we craft excellence together. Your mission? Making the journey the most enjoyable part of the trip.

The Director, Strategic Project Management is responsible for leading and developing highly complex, cross-functional strategic initiatives that support the organization 's business objectives. This role provides overall leadership, governance, and execution oversight for programs requiring significant organizational coordination, operational readiness, regulatory and administrative planning, and business transformation.

The role partners with senior leadership to plan, coordinate, and execute high-priority projects involving organizational change, business restructuring, operational readiness, stakeholder management, and enterprise governance.

The position ensures strategic initiatives remain on schedule, risks are effectively managed, and critical deliverables are achieved while maintaining alignment across internal and external stakeholders.

The role reports to the EVP Sales, Marketing & Strategy.

This position contributes to our vision by:

• Provide strategic leadership and overall program ownership for complex, enterprise-level initiatives spanning multiple sites, functions, and stakeholder groups. Develop and maintain comprehensive integrated program plans defining workstreams, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, decision points, deliverables, ownership, and completion criteria
• Coordinate cross-functional workstreams and monitor critical path activities.
• Conduct business assessments and evaluate operational alternatives, including facility, equipment, and resource considerations.
• Evaluate operational alternatives and develop executive recommendations based on business requirements, risks, financial impacts, operational considerations, resource requirements, and implementation feasibility.
• Oversee the collection, organization, validation, and maintenance of significant volumes of business, operational, financial, contractual, regulatory, and administrative information required to support strategic initiatives.
• Coordinate information gathering and facilitate responses to internal and external stakeholder inquiries.
• Develop and maintain structured electronic repositories for program records and supporting documentation, including appropriate access controls, version management, document ownership, and completion tracking.
• Lead organizational readiness activities to ensure impacted functions understand requirements, responsibilities, timelines, dependencies, and expected deliverables. Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate strategic, operational, financial, and execution risks while driving timely resolution of critical issues.
• Monitor ongoing service, operational, and contractual commitments.

Education:

• Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent with a strong preference for a technical degree.

Experience:

• Experience: 10 years or more experience in the aerospace field with a strong preference for experience in integration, separation, and industrial transfers an

Computer Skills:

• Proficient with MS Project, competent with MS Office programs, and demonstrated ability to establish and maintain structured document repositories and manage significant volumes of business records, project documentation, data, and supporting materials with strong version control, confidentiality, and accessibility standards.

Other Skills:

Previous experience in planning or managing projects, as well as, the ability to develop, lead, and motivate working teams. Solid organizational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills

Additional Preferred Skills (not required):

• PMP certification is a plus.