Lead Defense Programs Manager - Space & Missiles

Karman Space and Defense- Huntington Beach; Huntington Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Health Savings Account

Flexible Spending Accounts

Life and AD&D insurance

Disability coverage

Job summary

Karman Space & Defense in Huntington Beach is seeking a Program Manager to lead complex defense-focused programs from planning through delivery. You will coordinate cross-functional teams to meet cost, schedule, technical, quality, and customer objectives, while interfacing with customers, prime contractors, and government stakeholders.

The role focuses on integrating missile, propulsion, launch, payload, and defense-system hardware, with responsibilities spanning development through production

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, business program management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
• 5+ years of experience supporting or managing aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, or similarly complex technical programs.

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.
• Serves as a primary interface for customers, prime contractors, government stakeholders, suppliers, and internal leadership.
• Identifies programmatic, technical, supply-chain, cost, and schedule risks and drives mitigation and recovery plans.
• Leads recurring program reviews and communicates financial performance, risks, decisions, dependencies, and corrective actions.
• Supports proposals, estimates, contract negotiations, follow-on opportunities, and program-growth activities.

Skills

Program management

Education

Bachelor of Science in engineering or related field

Job description

Karman Space & Defense in Huntington Beach is seeking a Program Manager to lead complex defense-focused programs from planning through delivery. You will coordinate cross-functional teams to meet cost, schedule, technical, quality, and customer objectives, while interfacing with customers, prime contractors, and government stakeholders.

The role focuses on integrating missile, propulsion, launch, payload, and defense-system hardware, with responsibilities spanning development through production