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Program Manager
Full Time Germantown, Germantown, MD, US
4 days ago Requisition ID: 1048
Salary Range: $120,000.00 To $160,000.00 Annually
Program Manager – Simulator Deployment and Sustainment
Job Description
Position Summary
The Program Manager is the senior frontline management position responsible for leading a team of Deputy Program Managers, Product Support Specialists and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for a multi-year program delivering training simulators to a national footprint of US Government facilities. This role focuses on the overall program health and performance ensuring the firm-fixed price program is delivered on time, within budget, and to customer satisfaction. This program carries significant contract value, hardware and software procurement, configuration-managed baselines, and milestone deadlines with direct schedule, financial, and liquidated-damages accountability.
While the Program Manager role primary focus is to lead a strategically important program, there is also emphasis on team leadership, portfolio oversight, resource allocation, and alignment with organizational objectives. The Program Manager serves as a key link between program execution and executive leadership, and as a senior point of contact for prime contractors, Government stakeholders, and end customers on a high-consequence program.
Responsibilities
Direct Program Management
- Directly manage strategically important program with national multi-site rollouts under firm-fixed-price terms.
- Provide hands-on program leadership during critical phases, installations, test events, or resource constraints.
- Own scope, schedule, cost, and quality on assigned programs and manage milestone deadlines where slips carry contractual, financial, and liquidated-damages exposure.
- Serves as the senior customer-facing point of contact; running program reviews, IPRs, and customer briefings
- Manage customer expectations and satisfaction through installation and site activation.
- Handle change requests, exceptions, and scope conversations with the prime and the Government.
- Build long-term customer relationships that position follow-on work and option-year exercise.
- Align project/program priorities with organizational strategy and objectives.
- Communicate program status, risks, and strategic issues to executive leadership.
- Serve as an escalation point for critical customer issues and program decisions.
- Interface with prime contractors and Government stakeholders, managing flow-down obligations, submittals, approvals, and deliverable commitments.
Program Oversight & Project Health
- Monitor the health, status, and performance within the program, including multi-site national deployments and long-duration programs with option years.
- Review project schedules, budgets, and risk profiles to identify issues requiring intervention.
- Ensure consistent application of project management, systems engineering, test and evaluation, and configuration management (CCB-governed baseline) methodologies and standards.
Cost, Schedule & Procurement Management
- Oversee cost and schedule baselines, applying earned value and other performance measures to keep firm-fixed-price program within budget.
- Guide management of Other Direct Costs, including procurement, vendor coordination, and supply-chain risk.
- Ensure integrated master schedule is maintained and that critical-path risks to installation, testing, and site activation are identified and mitigated early.
- Oversee contract deliverables required for the prime contractor to meet its obligations to the customer.
Resource & Capacity Management
- Allocate project management resources based on project priorities to identify capacity constraints.
- Coordinate with cross-functional teams (development, systems engineering, test and evaluation, installation, and operations and maintenance) to ensure adequate staffing and support for project delivery.
- Directly manage and supervise Deputy Program Managers, Product Support Specialists and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance reviews, and career development discussions with direct reports.
- Provide coaching, mentorship, and guidance on project management best practices.
- Identify training needs and support professional development of team members.
- Foster a collaborative team environment and promote knowledge sharing across the organization.
- Participate in hiring, onboarding, and resource planning.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Aviation, Business, or related field.
- 15+ years of experience in program or project management, including large-scale, multi-site technical systems.
- 5+ years of experience in a management or team leadership capacity, leading project managers or technical leads.
- Demonstrated experience delivering firm-fixed-price programs of significant value (multi-million dollar) with multi-year periods of performance and option years.
- Experience as a subcontractor program manager interfacing with a prime contractor and a Government end customer, including managing flow-down requirements and deliverables.
- Strong understanding of systems engineering, test and evaluation, and configuration management / controlled baselines (CCB) processes.
- Experience with cost and schedule control, including integrated master scheduling.
- Experience managing milestone-driven contracts, including risk and issue management under schedule, financial, and liquidated-damages accountability.
- Experience with project management and work management tools (e.g., MS Project, JIRA), and proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio).
- Strong leadership, coaching, interpersonal, and written and verbal communication skills.
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a Position of Public Trust Clearance.
- Must be able to comply with U.S. trade and export-control requirements (ITAR, EAR, OFAC, FTR).
- Must be a U.S. citizen.
Preferred Qualifications
- MBA or Master’s degree in engineering, management, or a related field.
- Direct experience on U.S. Government programs, including FAA or National Airspace System (NAS) programs.
- Working knowledge of ATC concepts, airfield/tower operations, and simulation/training environments.
- Aviation certifications or background (e.g., FAA Control Tower Operator, Pilot License, or equivalent controller/aviation experience).
- Experience managing hardware/software procurement and supply-chain logistics on large-value programs.
- Active or recently held Public Trust or higher clearance.
Travel Requirements
Domestic and international travel may be required, including travel to customer and installation sites across a national footprint to support deployments, test events, site activations, and program reviews.