Program Manager

Canopy Aerospace & Defense; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance (including dental &視

401K with company match

Paid sick leave

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Discretionary bonuses

Job summary

Canopy A&D in Irvine, CA is seeking an experienced Project Manager to own end-to-end programs for thermal protection and aerospace hardware. You will coordinate with engineering, manufacturing, and quality to resolve bottlenecks, drive on-time delivery, and maintain data integrity across ERP systems.

The role requires collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams, proactive risk management, and frequent interaction with customers and partners to translate technical milestones into measurable

Qualifications

• 4+ years in project management, production planning, or technical coordination in aerospace/defense.
• Experience with ERP systems and customer portals aligning milestones with production.
• Technical familiarity with TPS, launch vehicles, missile systems, or composites.
• Proficient in MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, and Excel for planning and reporting.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance (Secret or higher).
• Strong communication and cross-functional leadership.

Responsibilities

• Align cross-functional teams on goals, timelines, and deliverables from concept to production.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks to maintain cost and schedule adherence.
• Expedite jobs through shop floors and internal work centers to prevent delays.
• Bridge PMO and Production to obtain recovery dates and real-time schedules.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks with data-driven contingency plans.
• Manage unreleased/ on-hold lists to keep production moving.
• Track progress and backlog with PM tools and report KPIs to leadership.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Data-driven decision making

Schedule coordination

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Aerospace/defense manufacturing certifications

Tools

MS Project

Smartsheet

Jira

Excel

Job description

From Engine Bay to Payload, we protect vital structures and systems.

Hera Technologies is a premier contract manufacturer specializing in high-precision metallic and non-metallic solutions for the Aerospace, Defense, and Space sectors. Our commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction has positioned us as an industry leader in the design, manufacturing and maintenance of thermal support systems. Our team is driven by excellence, integrity, and a passion for advancing aerospace technology.

Take the next step in your career with a company committed to excellence, where your contributions are recognized, and your potential is realized.

Role Overview

This is a full-time, on-site Project Manager role located in California, designed for a proactive leader who bridges the gap between high-level program strategy and shop-floor execution. Serving as a critical link between the Program Management Office (PMO) and Production, you will own the end-to-end lifecycle of complex thermal protection systems and aerospace hardware. This role is not just about tracking schedules; it is about active bottleneck resolution, where you will navigate internal departments to expedite jobs, mitigate risks, and ensure that technical milestones translate into on-time delivery for mission-critical defense and space applications. As a subject matter expert in program flow, you will collaborate with multi-disciplinary engineering teams and production staff to drive advanced material designs from the R&D phase into high-rate manufacturing. You must be a meticulous self-starter capable of managing data integrity within ERP systems while simultaneously acting as a technical liaison for customers and partners. By providing data-driven insights and maintaining a hands‑on presence in the manufacturing environment, you will take full responsibility for driving program objectives to resolution, ensuring that stringent performance, safety, and environmental requirements are met at every stage of production.

Key Responsibilities

• Align cross-functional teams including engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain on program goals, timelines, and deliverables to ensure seamless execution from concept through production.
• Proactively identify and resolve execution bottlenecks across internal departments to maintain strict cost and schedule adherence
• Expedite jobs through the shop floor and internal work centers to prevent schedule delays and drive task completion
• Serve as the primary bridge between Program Management Office and Production to obtain accurate recovery dates and real-time production schedules
• Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks early, implementing data-driven contingency plans to maintain technical performance
• Monitor and manage unreleased or "on-hold" job lists, driving them to immediate resolution to keep production moving
• Track program progress and backlog using project management tools, maintaining full visibility on key milestones, budgets, and resource allocation
• Ensure data integrity within the ERP system, ensuring that system milestones and delivery dates align perfectly with actual production status
• Prepare dashboards, KPIs, and performance metrics for internal leadership and customer review to project program health
• Maintain and update customer portals to support on-time delivery performance and contest late deliveries when necessary
• Facilitate timely decision-making by providing technical context, data-backed insights, and clear trade-off analyses to leadership and engineering teams
• Represent technical content and program status clearly to internal stakeholders, suppliers, and affiliated business units
• Prepare and complete customer Open Order Reports (OOR), ensuring documentation compliance and meeting all submission timelines
• Flexibly support technical execution across engineering and manufacturing as needed to meet aggressive program objectives
• Travel to customer sites, test facilities, and partner locations as required to support program execution and integration activities.

Required Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Engineering, Business, or a related fields, or equivalent professional experience including certifications in an aerospace or defense manufacturing environment
• 4+ years of direct experience in project management, production planning, or technical coordination within the aerospace, defense, or advanced materials industries
• Direct experience with ERP systems and customer portals, with a proven ability to ensure system data (milestones/delivery dates) aligns with actual shop floor production status
• Technical familiarity with complex aerospace systems, such as launch vehicles, missile systems, thermal protection systems (TPS), or composite materials
• Proficiency in project planning and reporting tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or Excel), including the ability to run and analyze data to track job status and backlog
• Demonstrated experience managing program risk and KPIs, with the ability to develop and execute schedule recovery plans in a fast-paced manufacturing environment
• Strong organizational and follow-through skills, specifically in managing unreleased/hold lists and expediting jobs through internal departments (Manufacturing, Quality, and Materials)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams and external partners without direct authority
• Comfortable acting as a technical liaison, with the ability to translate customer feedback into actionable tasks and communicate complex engineering concepts clearly to internal stakeholders
• Experience in a high-intensity manufacturing environment, with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and drive tasks from concept through final delivery
• Willingness to travel to customer sites, test facilities, or partner locations as required to support program integration and execution activities
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance (Secret or higher), including meeting all background check and eligibility requirements for access to controlled defense information and facilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active U.S. Security Clearance (Secret or higher) is strongly preferred
• Deep technical knowledge of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS), including experience with launch vehicles, missile systems, soft goods, coatings, and other components designed for extreme thermal environments
• Subject matter expertise in advanced manufacturing processes related to metallics and superalloys, composites, ablatives, and ceramics used in high-heat aerospace applications
• Direct experience with qualification and developmental testing (e.g., vibration, thermal vacuum, or high-velocity flow testing), in addition to standard production testing environments
• Hands‑on experience with PLM systems and CAD tools to support engineering collaboration and configuration management
• PMP or similar project management certification is a plus
• Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field is preferred but not required
• Strong background in customer-facing roles or technical business development, with the ability to manage complex partner and stakeholder relationships
• Demonstrated success in transition‑to‑production, specifically moving advanced material designs from the R&D phase into a high-rate manufacturing environment.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work in office, lab, and manufacturing environments with occasional exposure to noise, dust, and temperature variations
• Must be able to lift and carry up to 35 lb and perform tasks involving standing, walking, bending, and manual assembly
• Visual acuity required for reading technical drawings, inspecting components, and operating precision instruments.
• Occasional travel to customer or test sites, including outdoor or industrial settings, with adherence to company and OSHA safety protocols.
• Must have professional working proficiency reading, writing, and speaking English

Job Details

Type: Full Time - Exempt

Salary Range: $80,000 to $140,000

Schedule: Core business hours, M-F with additional hours as needed

Base Location: Irvine, CA

Travel: Up to 15%

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Total compensation will also include a comprehensive set of benefits including but not limited to: Company paid employee medical, dental and vision insurance. 401K company match (eligibility required), paid sick leave, paid vacation, paid holidays and discretionary bonuses.

EXPORT CONTROL REQUIREMENTS

To conform to US Government export regulations, the applicant must be a (i) US Citizen, (ii) lawful permanent resident of the U.S. (aka green card holder), (iii) protected individual as defined by U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or (iv) eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Canopy A&D is an Equal Opportunity Employer, employment with Canopy A&D is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.