Program Manager

Steampunk, Inc.; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Steampunk, Inc. seeks a Program Manager to own the end-to-end delivery of a government-focused AI/ML program. You will lead the delivery team, serve as the primary client contact, and drive Agile practices across the lifecycle of solution development.

The role emphasizes responsible AI governance, security, and stakeholder coordination in a complex federal environment. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of program delivery experience, a strong background in Cloud/AI platforms, and exceptional

Qualifications

• U.S. government security clearance the candidate can obtain/maintain.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in cloud/platform infrastructure, virtualization, and cloud integration in large-scale or federal environments.
• Proven track record delivering full program/project delivery with client ownership and team leadership.
• Experience in mission-critical data center operations, disaster recovery, high availability, and scripting.
• Experience managing AI/ML-focused projects and familiarity with AI/ML development lifecycle.
• Knowledge of cloud-based AI/ML services and governance requirements.
• Ability to advise senior government IT leadership on modernization, automation, and AI adoption.
• Strong judgment, organizational, analytical, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently in a complex engineering environment and lead cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day operations of the program: staffing, tasking, schedule, delivery quality.
• Serve as the primary client-facing owner and maintain strong client relationships.
• Lead the full delivery team and coordinate with product owners on backlog prioritization.
• Develop release schedules and roadmaps; establish AI/ML governance and model lifecycle practices.
• Oversee AgileScrum ceremonies and ensure effective Scrum Master support.
• Drive AI/ML acceleration and responsible AI governance within hosting environments.
• Document AI model provenance, data lineage, and governance controls.
• Hire, manage, and develop program staff; monitor performance and risk.
• Collaborate with government stakeholders to ensure performance, security, and compliance.
• Translate AI/ML use cases into actionable user stories and guide staff training.

Skills

Program leadership

Agile project management

Stakeholder management

Written & verbal communication

Team leadership

Negotiation

Risk management

AI/ML project delivery

Cloud awareness

Self-motivation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Azure AI Foundry/Machine Learning

AWS SageMaker/Bedrock

Google Vertex AI

ServiceNow

Job description

Are you a leader? Energetic? Ever worked as part of a program that is Agile? Are you interested in being an agent of change on a team committed to achieving client-focused, mission-driven excellence?

Steampunk is seeking a Program Manager who is creative and is a hands‑on expert with delivering innovative technology solutions, including AI/ML-enabled capabilities.

This individual will own the day‑to‑day running of the program: leading the full delivery team, serving as the primary client point of contact, and holding end‑to‑end accountability for project outcomes. Responsibilities include team leadership for the complete life cycle of solution development and delivery, running Agile Project Management practices across the team, coordinating with product owners and stakeholders on prioritizing the backlog, creating release schedules and roadmaps based on assessment recommendations, and establishing technical practices and release management standards that align with the customer's process. This individual will also ensure the team is following, and effective at, Agile scrum processes, will drive high client satisfaction, and will bring practical experience managing AI‑focused project delivery, including responsible AI governance, model lifecycle management, and integration of AI/ML capabilities into existing systems.

Contributions

As Program Manager, you will own the project's tasking, delivery, staffing, and day‑to‑day client relationship in a government client consulting environment. You are the client's main point of contact, the team's leader, and its coach and mentor.

You Will Also

• Own and manage the day‑to‑day operations of the program, including staffing, tasking, schedule, and delivery quality.
• Manage and maintain successful/results‑oriented relationships with the client, serving as the primary client‑facing owner of the engagement, and identify and pursue new opportunities with existing clients.
• Develop and drive high‑level strategic initiatives, manage the full project delivery team (including remote staff), and facilitate technical discussions to troubleshoot project implementation issues, including issues specific to AI/ML model development, deployment, and monitoring.
• Assess the current organization and delivery environment and recommend optimal Agile practices tailored to the client, including practices suited to AI/ML experimentation and iterative model development (e.g., MLOps‑aligned sprint structures).
• Oversee Agile Scrum practices across the team, attending ceremonies and ensuring Scrum Master support is effective, whether performed directly or by team members.
• Remove blockers to ensure project success.
• Coach the Product Owner and team on backlog refinement and prioritization, including translating AI/ML use cases and data requirements into actionable user stories.
• Handle challenging client situations and offer technical and business guidance and direction to client executives, including guidance on responsible and secure use of AI technologies.
• Lead the automation of operational workflows to improve service resilience, reduce manual labor, and ensure consistency, leveraging AI‑enabled automation and analytics tools where appropriate.
• Develop and maintain system documentation, scripts, and configuration artifacts to support compliance and continuity requirements, including documentation of AI model provenance, data lineage, and governance controls.
• Collaborate with government stakeholders and engineers to ensure performance, scalability, security, and responsible use of AI within the hosting environment.
• Lead and manage all staff on the program, monitor performance, and own hiring/staffing decisions for the team.
• Evaluate project feasibility, eliminate non‑productive tasking, and find creative ways to ensure project delivery and, if feasible, accelerate delivery, including assessing where AI/automation can responsibly accelerate outcomes.
• Assist staff with training needs to create skills expansion and career advancement opportunities, including upskilling in AI/ML tools and practices.
• Hold overall ownership of program health: budget/level‑of‑effort tracking, risk management, and reporting to both client and internal leadership.

Qualifications

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience supporting Cloud Platform infrastructure, virtualization, and cloud integration in large‑scale enterprise or federal environments.
• Demonstrated experience owning full program/project delivery, including client relationship ownership, staffing, budget/LOE tracking, and day‑to‑day team leadership.
• Demonstrated experience supporting mission‑critical data center operations, including disaster recovery planning, high availability (HA), and operational scripting.
• Experience managing or delivering AI/ML‑focused projects, including familiarity with the AI/ML development lifecycle (data preparation, model training, validation, deployment, monitoring, and retraining).
• Working knowledge of cloud‑based AI/ML services (e.g., Azure AI Foundry/Machine Learning, AWS SageMaker/Bedrock, Google Vertex AI) sufficient to manage delivery teams using them.
• Familiarity with federal AI policy and governance requirements (e.g., OMB guidance on AI use in agencies, NIST AI Risk Management Framework) and ability to translate them into project practices.
• Experience advising senior government IT leadership on infrastructure modernization, automation, and AI adoption strategies.
• Strong judgment, negotiation skills, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Experience working in a complex engineering environment with prior experience as a program or project manager owning full‑team and client accountability.
• Ability to establish trust with a variety of stakeholders and customers.
• Self‑managed and self‑starter, ability to work independently.
• Exceptionally strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Local to Washington, DC area, with ability to work on‑site 3 days per week.

Preferred

• Certifications:
  • VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA) in Cloud Management & Automation, Data Center Virtualization, or Network Virtualization
  • Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AI‑900) or equivalent AI/ML certification
  • SolarWinds Certified Professional
  • PMP
  • ITIL Foundation
• Experience with ServiceNow
• Experience with MLOps tooling and practices (e.g., model versioning, CI/CD for ML pipelines, model monitoring)
• Exposure to generative AI/LLM‑based tools and their application to government mission workflows
• Experience establishing or contributing to Responsible AI governance frameworks

About Steampunk

Steampunk relies on several factors to determine salary, including but not limited to geographic location, contractual requirements, education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience. The projected compensation range for this position is $140,000 to $200,000. The estimate displayed represents a typical annual salary range for this position. Annual salary is just one aspect of Steampunk's total compensation package for employees. Learn more about additional Steampunk benefits here.

Identity Statement

As part of the application process, you are expected to be on camera during interviews and assessments. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud.

Steampunk is a Change Agent in the Federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Homeland, Federal Civilian, Health and DoD sectors. Through our Human‑Centered delivery methodology, we are fundamentally changing the expectations our Federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com .

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Steampunk participates in the E‑Verify program.