Program Manager

Hire Road, Inc.; Pascagoula (MS); On-site; USD 100,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Trident is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead multi-year defense and maritime programs from award through delivery. This high-impact role requires strong leadership and the ability to manage scope, schedule, and cost across large, matrixed teams.

You will own customer relationships, drive risk mitigation, and coordinate with engineering, planning, and finance to ensure on-time, on-budget execution. Travel as needed; PMP/PgMP preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and six (6) years of relevant professional experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of three (3) years of direct program management experience with ownership of complex programs and customer relationships, cost, schedule, risk, and performance
• Ability to analyze and manage program schedules, financial performance, forecasts, risks, and contractual deliverables
• Experience managing large-scale programs with significant impact to the business
• Proficiency with program management tools including Microsoft Project, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Ability to travel as needed

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary customer-facing leader throughout the program lifecycle and manage the overall customer relationship
• Lead cross-functional teams across Engineering, Supply Chain, Planning, Production, Quality, Finance and other functions
• Own program financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, EAC, ETC, revenue and invoicing
• Identify and develop follow-on and new business opportunities and support proposals and captures
• Provide senior leadership with clear, concise program performance updates and key risks

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Master’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering Management, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Project

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Our client is a leading provider of heavy-duty maritime equipment, specializing in the design, engineering, and installation of mission-critical systems for ships and offshore platforms. Our client is looking to add an experienced Program Manager to their team. The Program Manager high-impact leadership role with responsibility for complex, multi-year programs from award through successful execution and delivery

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the role
• Minimum of three (3) years of direct program management experience, with demonstrated ownership of complex programs and responsibility for customer relationships, cost, schedule, risk, and overall program performance
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and manage program schedules, financial performance, forecasts, risks, and contractual deliverables and take corrective action when performance deviates from plan
• Demonstrated success managing large-scale programs with significant financial, technical, or operational impact to the business
• Proficiency with program management and business tools, including Microsoft Project, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Ability to travel as needed

Stand-Out Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline
• Master’s degree in business administration, Engineering Management, or a related field
• PMP or PgMP certification
• Experience managing complex programs within the maritime, shipbuilding, defense, or heavy industrial sectors
• Experience managing government or major defense-prime customers and complex contractual requirements
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization
• Demonstrated success identifying, developing, or capturing follow-on and new business opportunities
• Own the successful execution and performance of multiple complex programs concurrently, with accountability for cost, schedule, quality, technical performance, and customer commitments
• Establish clear program priorities, milestones, and accountability across cross-functional teams. Drive execution and ensure commitments are understood, measured, and achieved
• Proactively identify program risks and opportunities, establish mitigation strategies, and drive issues to resolution before they impact customer commitments or business performance
• Hold functional teams accountable for program commitments while creating alignment across Engineering, Supply Chain, Planning, Production, Quality, Finance, and other supporting organizations.

Customer Leadership & Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary customer-facing leader throughout the program lifecycle, owning the overall customer relationship and ensuring clear, proactive, and professional communication
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with key customer stakeholders by understanding their priorities, anticipating challenges, and consistently delivering against commitments
• Lead customer discussions and negotiations involving program performance, schedule, pricing, scope, and contractual matters
• Serve as the critical link between the customer and Trident’s functional leadership, ensuring customer requirements and priorities are clearly understood and translated into executable actions across the organization.

Business Growth & Strategic Development

• Take an active role in identifying and developing new business opportunities within existing and prospective customer accounts
• Leverage customer relationships, program knowledge, and market awareness to identify emerging requirements and position Trident for follow-on and new business opportunities
• Support and lead proposal development, pricing strategy, customer negotiations, and capture activities as appropriate
• Own program financial performance, including budget management, forecasting, Estimate at Completion (EAC), Estimate to Complete (ETC), revenue and invoicing performance, and overall program profitability
• Maintain a thorough understanding of the scope of work, estimate assumptions, contract requirements, terms and conditions, schedule obligations, risks, and customer commitments to ensure disciplined program execution
• Proactively identify cost, schedule, and scope variances and lead corrective actions before they materially impact program or financial performance
• Lead the identification and management of scope changes and contract adjustments
• Protect the company’s contractual and financial position by identifying out-of-scope work and ensuring changes are documented, communicated, and appropriately addressed

Executive Communication & Accountability

• Provide senior leadership with clear, concise, and fact-based assessments of program performance, financial outlook, customer priorities, key risks, and required decisions
• Escalate significant risks and issues early, with clearly defined impacts, mitigation plans, and recommended courses of action