Head of Programs

Cerebras; Arvada (CO); On-site; USD 195,000 - 298,000; Full time

Job summary

Loft Federal is seeking a Head of Programs to lead customer contract execution and build the program management function for Loft Federal.

This role serves as the senior program execution leader for the Federal business, driving disciplined execution across active contracts, proposals, subcontracts, internal reviews, and cross-functional cadence. The Head will define the operating model and scale the federal portfolio.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive experience in program management or related execution roles.
• Experience leading customer-facing programs in government contracting or national security sectors.
• Strong understanding of program finance, risk, and governance.
• Ability to establish or improve program operating cadences and executive reporting.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer contract execution across Loft Federal programs and commitments.
• Establish the Federal program management operating model with leadership.
• Build and run a clear program cadence across reviews, risk, schedule, and budget.
• Own program execution visibility across cost, schedule, performance, and staffing.
• Partner with program managers to ensure baselines, plans, risks, and escalations.
• Serve as senior escalation point for cross-functional execution issues.
• Support proposals and transition from award to execution.
• Improve handoff from proposal to execution with aligned assumptions.
• Coordinate with finance on budgets, forecasts, and burn rates.
• Collaborate with contracts/legal on compliance and closeout.
• Partner with engineering and mission teams on technical readiness and acceptance.
• Build a program management team and develop career paths.
• Define templates, dashboards, and control mechanisms for execution.

Skills

Program management

Communication skills

Leadership

Customer-facing experience

Education

PMP certification

Tools

NetSuite

Salesforce

Jira

Confluence

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

Deltek

Unanet

Job description

About Loft Federal

Loft Federal is committed to delivering theU.S. national security space communityafast, affordable, and streamlinedpathway to orbit. As awholly owned U.S. subsidiaryof Loft Orbital Solutions, Inc., we specialize in providing mission-ready space infrastructure with unmatched efficiency.

At Loft, we empower our team withautonomy, ownership, and bold problem-solving opportunitieswhile fostering atight-knit, supportive environment. We believe thatdiversity, inclusivity, and communityare the foundation of an open and innovative culture. We valuekind, collaborative, and mission-driven teammateswho excel inproblem-solving and communication—because great solutions come from great teams.

Are you ready to embark on this exciting journey with us?

Loft Federal is seeking a Head of Programs to lead customer contract execution and build the program management function for Loft Federal.

This role will serve as the senior program execution leader for the Federal business. The Head of Programs will be responsible for driving disciplined execution across active customer contracts, proposals transitioning into award, subcontractor-supported programs, internal program reviews, customer commitments, and cross-functional operating cadence.

The Head of Programs will define and mature the program operating model needed to support a growing U.S. government and national security business. This includes clarifying roles and responsibilities, establishing program management rhythms, improving program controls, strengthening customer-facing execution, integrating Inc and Federal delivery teams, and building the Federal programs team as the business scales.

The person in this seat must be able to directly manage complex program execution today while building the team, processes, tools, and operating cadence required for a larger federal portfolio tomorrow.

Final title and leveling will be determined based on the selected candidate’s experience and demonstrated operating depth. Likely leveling ranges from Director to Senior Director, with potential VP-level consideration for an exceptional candidate with proven business-unit program leadership in government contracting, aerospace, defense, space, or national security technology.

The Head of Programs will partner directly with Federal leadership, the Loft Orbital Inc VP of Programs, Growth, Engineering, Mission teams, Contracts, Legal, Finance, Security, Quality, Supply Chain, and external customers.

Why This Role Matters

Loft Federal is scaling from a small, operator-led business unit into a more mature federal operating organization. The business needs stronger customer contract execution, clearer program accountability, better program controls, tighter Inc-Federal integration, and a repeatable operating model for delivering complex national security space missions.

Program execution is where strategy becomes customer trust. Spacecraft, hosted payloads, mission software, security requirements, subcontractors, mission operations, revenue timing, and federal contract obligations all have to come together in a disciplined operating rhythm.

The person in this seat will have direct influence on how Loft Federal delivers current customer commitments, scales future programs, protects margin, builds customer confidence, and creates the execution credibility required to win larger federal work.

What You Will Own

• Lead customer contract execution across Loft Federal programs, task orders, studies, demonstrations, hosted payload efforts, mission software efforts, and other federal customer commitments.
• Establish the Federal program management operating model in partnership with the Loft Orbital Inc VP of Programs.
• Build and run a clear program cadence across internal reviews, customer reviews, program status, risk reviews, schedule reviews, financial reviews, subcontractor reviews, and executive operating reviews.
• Own program execution visibility across cost, schedule, technical performance, contract deliverables, risks, issues, decisions, staffing, subcontractors, revenue timing, and customer commitments.
• Partner with Program Managers to ensure each program has a clear baseline, execution plan, schedule, budget, risk register, deliverable tracker, stakeholder map, and escalation path.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for program execution issues that cut across engineering, mission operations, finance, contracts, security, quality, suppliers, and customers.
• Partner with Growth and Capture to ensure proposals are executable, properly scoped, and connected to real delivery assumptions.
• Support proposal strategy, execution planning, staffing assumptions, BOEs, schedules, risks, customer commitments, subcontractor inputs, and transition from award into execution.
• Improve proposal-to-execution handoff so contract scope, assumptions, risks, pricing logic, deliverables, staffing plans, and customer expectations carry cleanly into program startup.
• Partner with Finance on program budgets, forecasts, EACs, ETCs, burn rates, margin visibility, labor utilization, material needs, subcontractor spend, accruals, invoices, and revenue timing.
• Partner with Contracts and Legal on contract execution, deliverables, modifications, funding status, periods of performance, flowdowns, compliance obligations, customer correspondence, and closeout.
• Partner with Engineering and Mission teams to manage technical execution, dependencies, interface control, verification, test readiness, delivery readiness, mission readiness, and customer acceptance.
• Partner with Security and Quality to ensure program execution accounts for classified work, CUI, export controls, facility needs, personnel security, mission assurance, documentation, and customer requirements.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain and subcontract management to ensure critical suppliers are integrated into program schedules, budgets, deliverables, risks, and recovery plans.
• Build a program management team appropriate to Loft Federal’s growth stage, including role definitions, hiring priorities, leveling, development plans, and operating expectations.
• Coach and develop Program Managers, project coordinators, and other execution leaders as the organization scales.
• Define practical program management templates, dashboards, artifacts, reviews, and control mechanisms that improve execution without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Identify program risks early and drive corrective action with clear owners, dates, and escalation paths.
• Provide executive reporting for Federal leadership, Corporate leadership, and board-level discussions as needed.
• Help leadership understand where the business is executing well, carrying delivery risk, overcommitting resources, losing margin, or needing investment.

Required Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in program management, program operations, technical program leadership, project management, engineering program management, or related execution roles.
• Experience leading customer-facing programs in government contracting, aerospace, defense, space, national security technology, complex hardware, complex software, or similar program-based businesses.
• Experience managing programs against cost, schedule, technical, contractual, deliverable, staffing, risk, and customer requirements.
• Experience leading program managers, project managers, IPT leads, technical teams, or cross-functional execution teams.
• Strong understanding of program financial control, including EACs, ETCs, burn rates, margin analysis, labor planning, subcontractor spend, material costs, forecast inputs, and revenue timing.
• Working knowledge of federal contract types, including T&M, FFP, cost-plus, IDIQ/task order, OTA, subcontract, and other government contracting structures.
• Experience supporting proposals, execution planning, BOEs, schedules, risks, assumptions, resource plans, and award-to-execution transition.
• Experience establishing or improving program operating cadences, program reviews, dashboards, risk management processes, schedule discipline, and executive reporting.
• Ability to partner directly with customers, general managers, engineering leaders, finance leaders, contracts, legal, security, growth, suppliers, and executive leadership.
• Strong customer-facing communication skills, including the ability to brief program status, risks, recovery plans, tradeoffs, and decisions clearly.
• Ability to operate in a scaling business where systems, processes, team structures, and data are still maturing.
• High ownership, sound judgment, and willingness to engage directly in the operating details.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in national security space, spacecraft, hosted payloads, satellite systems, mission software, mission operations, RF systems, autonomy, edge processing, ground systems, or complex hardware/software integration.
• Experience leading programs for DoD, Intelligence Community, Space Force, AFRL, NRO, DARPA, NASA, or other federal customers.
• Experience building or leading a program management function in a growing business unit.
• Experience partnering with a corporate programs organization while building a business-unit-specific execution model.
• Experience managing programs involving spacecraft development, payload integration, launch, ground systems, mission operations, software delivery, or on-orbit operations.
• Experience with classified, CUI, export-controlled, or national security programs.
• Experience with FAR/DFARS, DCAA/DCMA expectations, CMMC, government property, security requirements, export controls, and federal contract compliance environments.
• Experience with integrated master schedules, risk registers, program controls, earned value environments, CAM responsibilities, customer program reviews, and executive operating reviews.
• Experience with ERP, planning, CRM, scheduling, and reporting systems such as NetSuite, Salesforce, Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Deltek, Costpoint, Unanet, or similar platforms.
• PMP, program management, systems engineering, contracts, finance, or relevant advanced certification.
• MBA, technical master’s degree, or relevant advanced degree.
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.

Per Colorado law, we are required to disclose the base compensation range for this role. This range is intentionally wide as we assess individuals based on their unique abilities and experience to find the best fit for our needs. Ultimately, your compensation will be determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.

In addition to a competitive salary and benefits package, you will find a truly remarkable culture guided by transparency and collaboration and work that is challenging and meaningful. We can't wait to meet you and see what you may add to our team!

Salary Range

$195,000—$298,000 USD

Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action

Loft Federal is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, veteran status, genetic information, disability, pregnancy, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility & Accommodations

If you require a reasonable accommodation due to a disability when applying for an open position, please contact us at [e-mail] for assistance.

We Hire for Talent, Not Just Resumes

Research shows that while men apply for jobs when they meet about60% of the qualifications, women and other underrepresented groups tend to apply only when they meet100% of the listed criteria. At Loft Federal, wevalue diverse perspectives, respectful debate, and people who challenge assumptions. If you’re excited about a role but don’t meet every requirement, we strongly encourage you to apply.