Program Manager

Honda Research Institute USA; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Honda Research Institute USA seeks a hands-on Program Manager on-site in San Luis Obispo to drive day-to-day execution of a rapid aircraft prototyping program. You will work with engineering, procurement, manufacturing, integration and test to remove blockers and deliver milestones.

You will lead on-site execution with the PMO framework, escalate cross-team priorities, and maintain schedule integrity while coordinating with US–Japan stakeholders and the Program Manager.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related technical discipline or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years in aerospace or complex hardware development programs.
• 3+ years of hands-on execution coordination across engineering, procurement, build, integration and test.

Responsibilities

• Develop and drive a procurement milestone plan with owners for RFP, evaluation, supplier selection and delivery.
• Prepare weekly Steering Committee inputs with milestones, risks and schedule impacts.
• Coordinate design-review inputs and readiness criteria defined by technical owners.
• Manage schedules, risks and actions on-site with the PM team to closure.
• Maintain IMS integration and ensure alignment with US–Japan stakeholders.

Skills

Project coordination

On-site coordination

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related discipline

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Microsoft Project

Job description

Program Manager - Honda Research Institute USA

What We're About Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) develops emerging technologies that expand freedom of mobility. Our HRI-US team works with Honda R&D in Japan to demonstrate Honda's hybrid eVTOL technologies through prototype development and testing. Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) is at the cutting edge of Honda's research and development activities. Inspired by Honda's global slogan - The Power of Dreams - we pursue emerging technologies and bring them to reality to make people happy, even as we are engaged daily in highly scientific, pioneering work. We realize that dreams don't come from organizations, systems, or money. They come from people, and we seek people who have such a challenging nature to work with us.

San Luis Obispo, CA

We seek a hands-on individual contributor based on-site in SLO to drive day-to-day execution of our rapid aircraft prototyping program. You will work directly with engineering, procurement, manufacturing, integration and test teams to remove blockers, accelerate decisions and deliver agreed milestones as requirements and configurations evolve. Success in this role means resolving blockers promptly, securing timely decisions and helping teams meet agreed milestones through active on-site coordination.

This role leads through influence, with no direct reports or PMO team management responsibilities. Under existing PMO leadership, you will work alongside the Program Manager and project coordination team. PMO leadership, in alignment with SLO project leadership, will define your execution scope, priorities, delegated authority and escalation thresholds, with clear responsibilities for each role. Within this framework, you are expected to take initiative and resolve routine execution issues on-site without waiting for case-by-case direction.

You may convene working sessions, request timely updates, drive agreed actions to closure and adjust day-to-day work sequencing with affected teams within approved milestones and resource commitments. Keep the Program Manager informed through shared plans and concise updates. Escalate unresolved cross-team priorities or issues beyond your authority through the established PMO structure, with options and a recommendation. Scope, baseline milestone, budget and cross-team resource changes require the appropriate approvals; technical, safety and purchasing approvals remain with authorized owners.

Key Responsibilities

1. Supply Chain Coordination

Develop and drive a procurement milestone plan jointly with Engineering and Procurement, with clear owners for RFP completion, technical evaluation, supplier selection, contracting, delivery and acceptance. Agree critical need dates and decision deadlines based on build and test milestones. Resolve coordination gaps and follow up directly with responsible owners; supplier negotiations and purchasing commitments remain with Procurement and authorized owners.

Prepare concise weekly Steering Committee inputs with the Program Manager, covering milestones, forecast dates, risks and schedule impacts. Gather technical and commercial inputs and present options, recommendations, decision owners and deadlines. Align stakeholders before the meeting and communicate agreed decisions and actions through established US–Japan channels, respecting confidentiality requirements.

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work directly with on-site functional leads to resolve coordination and interface issues within agreed program priorities. Coordinate design-review inputs and readiness criteria defined by technical owners. Track risks, confirm mitigation status with responsible owners and drive action closure. When delays arise, develop recovery actions with affected teams, implement actions within delegated authority and promptly escalation unresolved trade-offs.

4. On-site Execution

Proactively manage assigned schedules, actions, risks and opportunities with the existing PM team, using shared processes. Identify blockers through regular on-site engagement and initiate working sessions without waiting for direction. Agree owners and deadlines, resolve routine execution issues within delegated authority and follow through to completion. Recommend priority or resource changes when needed. Escalate issues beyond your authority with their impact, a recommendation and the latest date a decision is needed; do not wait for the next scheduled review.

5. Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)

Lead working-level integration and maintenance of the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) for the rapid aircraft prototyping program in coordination with the Program Manager, using one shared PM system. Connect engineering releases, procurement, build, integration and test through realistic dependencies, clear owners and completion criteria. The Program Manager retains overall program planning and reporting responsibility; functional leads remain accountable for their teams' commitments and deliverables.

Review critical-path risks and recovery options weekly, obtain schedule updates from functional leads at least every two weeks and promptly assess significant changes. Keep forecasts current and make emerging delays visible; changes to the approved schedule baseline require approval from the designated owner.

Support the Program Manager and US–Japan stakeholders in maintaining a high-level transition schedule for type-certification (TC) aircraft development, linked to the IMS.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 10+ years in aerospace or complex hardware development programs, including 3+ years of hands‑on execution coordination across engineering, procurement, build, integration and test in physical prototype programs
• Working understanding of aircraft development, configuration control, verification and test‑readiness practices. Ability to support prototype scope tailoring with technical and safety owners while preserving agreed safety requirements.
• Fully onsite

Bonus Qualifications

• Strong influencing and facilitation skills; able to challenge unclear commitments constructively and secure action without line authority.
• Practical technical literacy across aircraft systems and their interfaces; able to identify the schedule effects of design, software, hardware and configuration changes.
• Hands‑on IMS development, critical‑path analysis, risk and action management, procurement milestone planning and recovery planning.
• Ability to balance speed, scope, cost and resources; propose sequencing, COTS or alternate verification options for technical‑owner review.
• Concise written and verbal communication, including decision briefs and effective US–Japan collaboration.
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint and a scheduling tool such as Microsoft Project. PLM/ERP familiarity preferred; able to maintain reliable shared data with minimal administrative overhead.
• Certification program experience

Desired Start Date 12/1/2026

Position Keywords Program Manager, eVTOL, Aero Industry