Program Manager, Defense Programs

Jobtailor; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead DoD contracts in Massachusetts. You will own performance metrics, schedules, budgets, and cross-functional coordination across engineering, contracts, finance, and logistics teams.

The role requires handling SOW/CLINs, ECPs, and changes, while ensuring compliance with FAR/DFARS and customer expectations. Travel up to 15–20% may be required; a PMP and advanced degree are preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree strongly preferred.
• 5–8+ years of program management experience.
• 5+ years supporting DoD contracts.
• Experience managing SOW/PWS, CLINs, and deliverables.
• Ability to monitor and explain program financial performance; travel 15–20%.

Responsibilities

• Own program performance including cost, schedule, and deliverables.
• Lead operating rhythm: team meetings, reviews, action tracking.
• Serve as primary customer point of contact.
• Manage customer expectations and contractual commitments.
• Translate requirements into practical program plans and schedules.
• Develop budgets, staffing plans, risk registers, and recovery plans.
• Track funding, burn rate, and cash flow impacts.
• Coordinate across engineering, supply chain, contracts, finance, quality, and logistics.
• Support contract negotiations and scope changes.
• Present status to senior leadership and customer stakeholders.
• Identify follow-on opportunities and lessons learned.
• Build an organized, delivery-focused team environment.

Skills

Program Management

DoD Contract Management

Financial Performance Tracking

Cross-Functional Leadership

PMP Certification

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Project

Jira

Confluence

SharePoint

Box

Job description

Responsibilities

• Own assigned program performance including cost, schedule, contract commitments, customer satisfaction, and delivery results
• Lead the regular operating rhythm, including team meetings, program reviews, risk reviews, action tracking, and leadership updates
• Serve as the primary customer point of contact
• Manage customer expectations and ensure contractual commitments are understood, tracked, and met
• Translate contract requirements, SOW language, CLINs, CDRLs, deliverables, milestones, and customer commitments into practical program plans
• Develop and maintain program schedules, budgets, staffing plans, risk registers, issue logs, action trackers, and recovery plans
• Track financial performance including funding status, burn rate, actuals, forecasts, ETC/EAC inputs, revenue, margin, and cash flow impacts
• Identify risks, issues, and performance gaps and drive corrective action
• Coordinate work across engineering, software, supply chain, contracts, finance, quality, security, and logistics teams
• Manage subcontractor and supplier performance
• Support contract negotiations, modifications, REAs, ECPs, and scope changes
• Ensure alignment with contract requirements, company procedures, quality standards, security requirements, and applicable DoD regulations
• Present program status, financial performance, risks, staffing needs, corrective actions, and decision points to senior leadership and customer stakeholders
• Support proposal and capture activities, including technical inputs, BOEs, schedule development, risk inputs, reviews, and transition planning
• Identify follow-on opportunities, customer needs, contract growth areas, and lessons learned
• Build an organized, accountable, delivery-focused team environment

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, management, or a related field strongly preferred
• 5-8+ years of relevant experience in program management, project management, engineering program leadership, defense operations, or a related field
• 5+ years supporting or managing U.S. Government or DoD contracts
• Experience managing program cost, schedule, customer communications, technical coordination, risks, issues, and corrective actions
• Experience executing DoD contracts in a FAR/DFARS environment, including FFP, CPFF, T&M, IDIQ, OTA, prototype, production, sustainment, or services contracts
• Experience managing SOW/PWS requirements, CLINs, CDRLs, deliverables, milestones, funding, and change control
• Ability to monitor and explain program financial performance, including budget, actuals, forecasts, funding status, burn rate, ETC/EAC inputs, revenue, margin, and cash flow impacts
• Experience coordinating subcontractor, supplier, or vendor performance
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization
• Experience briefing program status to senior leadership and/or government customers
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience with Microsoft Project or similar schedule management tools
• Ability to travel domestically up to 15–20%
• PMP certification preferred
• Master’s degree in business, engineering, management, or a related field preferred
• Experience with EVMS, ETCs, EACs, variance analysis, or formal program controls preferred
• Experience supporting proposals, recompetes, ROMs, BOEs, gate reviews, color team reviews, or capture activities preferred
• Experience developing or supporting integrated master schedules, resource-loaded schedules, or program baseline reviews preferred
• Experience with Engineering Change Proposals, Requests for Equitable Adjustment, contract modifications, and formal change management preferred
• Experience managing troubled program recovery, corrective action plans, baseline resets, or customer escalation recovery preferred
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, SharePoint, Box, or other collaborative program execution tools preferred
• Active or prior DoD security clearance preferred
• Applicants must be either a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, legal permanent resident, asylee, refugee or must be eligible to apply for and obtain the appropriate export control license from the U.S. Departments of State or Commerce

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in program management, including cost and schedule management, customer communication, and risk mitigation within a DoD contract environment. Proficient in leading cross-functional teams and managing program performance to meet contractual commitments and customer satisfaction.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Program Management
• DoD Contract Management
• Financial Performance Tracking
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• PMP Certification

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Program Scheduling
• Budget Management
• Risk Management
• SOW/PWS Management
• Change Control
• EVMS
• Variance Analysis
• Corrective Action Plans
• Integrated Master Schedules
• Contract Negotiation

Soft Skills

• Strong Communication Skills
• Organizational Skills
• Analytical Skills
• Problem-Solving Skills

Certifications & Qualifications

• PMP Certification
• Active DoD Security Clearance

Industry Keywords

• FAR/DFARS
• FFP
• CPFF
• T&M
• IDIQ
• OTA
• Defense Operations
• Customer Satisfaction
• Program Reviews
• Action Tracking

Tools & Technologies

• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft Project
• Jira
• Confluence
• SharePoint
• Box