Program Director

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD); Simsbury (CT); On-site; USD 175,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement benefits

PTO & holidays

Life and disability insurance

Employee assistance & wellness

Incentive compensation eligibility

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD) seeks an experienced Program Director to lead major defense programs within EBAD’s Warfighter Division. You will own customer relationships, program execution, and financial performance while driving long-term account growth across a complex portfolio.

The role requires strong cross-functional leadership across program management, operations, engineering, quality, and contracts, with a focus on risk, schedule, and margin.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 5–7 years of progressive program management experience, preferably in aerospace/defense.
• Proven experience leading complex mechanical, electro-mechanical, energetics, or defense-related programs.
• Demonstrated success managing customer-facing programs with high visibility and mission importance.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end performance across programs, including customer satisfaction, cost, schedule, quality, technical execution, risk, and profitability.
• Serve as the primary customer interface and key account leader, building trusted relationships, anticipating customer needs, and strengthening EBAD’s long-term position.
• Establish and execute long-range program and account strategies while balancing near-term commitments and broader objectives.
• Lead cross-functional teams across program management, operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, finance, contracts, and business development.
• Drive execution discipline, urgency, and accountability by ensuring actions are clearly owned, actively managed, and closed before they affect commitments.
• Effectively prioritize across multiple programs, customers, and competing business demands to maximize enterprise outcomes.
• Partner with business leaders to support growth, margin expansion, pricing strategy, contract structure, risk management, and long-term account development.
• Hold internal teams accountable for delivering customer demand and meeting cost, schedule, quality, and technical commitments.
• Identify and resolve issues proactively while maintaining clear communication with customers and internal leadership.
• Build performance-driven customer credibility that supports follow-on work, expanded opportunities, and long-term growth.
• Contribute to Warfighter Division strategy and demonstrate leadership and cross-functional influence for future P&L roles.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Commercial acumen

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Ownership and accountability

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Job description

At Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD), we believe that our strengths are built on our most important resource - our people. Join EBAD and you'll be a part of a team who creates cutting edge technology that will blast us into the future. No other company can match the innovative energetic solutions that we provide. At EBAD you will actively contribute to successful missions putting men, women and satellites into space, and protecting our armed service men and women around the world. If this is the culture and work environment you are seeking, then EBAD is the place for you!

Job Description

At Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD), we believe that our strengths are built on our most important resource—our people. Join EBAD and you’ll be part of a team creating cutting-edge technology that will blast us into the future. No other company can match the innovative, energetic solutions that we provide. At EBAD, you will actively contribute to successful missions, putting men, women, and satellites into space while protecting our armed service men and women around the world. If this is the culture and work environment you are seeking, then EBAD is the place for you!

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced, strategic, and commercially minded Program Director to lead major programs within EBAD’s Warfighter Division. This individual will own customer relationships, program execution, financial performance, and long-term account growth across a complex portfolio of defense programs. The Program Director will operate with an ownership mentality, balancing customer success, cost, schedule, quality, technical execution, talent development, and business growth. This leader will establish trusted customer relationships, drive accountability across cross-functional teams, and position EBAD as a differentiated partner capable of delivering on critical defense missions. The ideal candidate will bring strong program leadership, commercial acumen, a sense of urgency, and the leadership potential to progress into broader business or General Manager responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end performance across assigned programs, including customer satisfaction, cost, schedule, quality, technical execution, risk, and profitability.
• Serve as the primary customer interface and key account leader, building trusted relationships, anticipating customer needs, and strengthening EBAD’s long-term position.
• Establish and execute long-range program and account strategies while balancing near-term customer commitments and broader business objectives.
• Lead cross-functional teams across program management, operations, engineering, quality, supply chain, finance, contracts, and business development.
• Drive execution discipline, urgency, and accountability by ensuring actions are clearly owned, actively managed, and closed before they affect customer commitments or business performance.
• Effectively prioritize across multiple programs, customers, and competing business demands to maximize enterprise outcomes.
• Partner with business leaders to support growth, margin expansion, pricing strategy, contract structure, risk management, and long-term account development.
• Hold internal teams accountable for delivering customer demand and meeting cost, schedule, quality, and technical commitments.
• Identify and resolve issues proactively while maintaining clear communication with customers and internal leadership.
• Build performance-driven customer credibility that supports follow-on work, expanded opportunities, and long-term account growth.
• Contribute to Warfighter Division strategy and demonstrate the leadership, business acumen, and cross-functional influence required for future broader business or P&L leadership roles.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive program management experience, preferably in aerospace, defense, space, or other complex manufacturing industries.
• Proven experience leading complex mechanical, electro-mechanical, energetics, or defense-related programs.
• Demonstrated success managing customer-facing programs with high visibility, accountability, and mission importance.
• Strong commercial acumen, including experience with margin expansion, pricing strategy, contract structure, risk management, and long-term account growth.
• Demonstrated ability to balance customer needs, business performance, and internal capability development.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders across all levels of an organization.
• Strong strategic thinking, business judgment, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Demonstrated sense of urgency, ownership, follow-through, and ability to drive actions to closure.
• Evidence of building customer trust and winning follow-on work through consistent, performance-driven execution.
• Military service or military program experience is a plus.

Compensation & Benefits:

The anticipated yearly wage range for this position is $175,000 - $250,000. The salary range represents the range EBAD has established in good faith for this position and may vary based on qualifications, experience, education, skills, internal equity, and business needs.

EBAD offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance; retirement benefits; paid time off and holidays; life and disability insurance; employee assistance and wellness resources; and incentive compensation eligibility, subject to applicable plan terms and conditions.

• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• retirement benefits
• paid time off and holidays
• life and disability insurance
• employee assistance and wellness resources
• incentive compensation eligibility, subject to applicable plan terms and conditions.

Benefit eligibility may vary based on position, work location, employment status, and applicable plan provisions.

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, or veteran status.