Program Manager in Dayton

Energy Jobline ZR; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

CONFIDENTIAL, an aerospace and defense component manufacturer, seeks a Program Manager to build a formal program management function from scratch. You will design tools, cadence, and cross-functional processes, training under a senior mentor in the initial six months, then handle progressively larger projects toward autonomy within a year.

The role emphasizes coordinating engineering, planning, sales, and quality, developing scalable workflows, and ensuring clear communication of customer

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in engineering or technical program coordination
• Background in mechanical, materials, aerospace, or textile engineering; some design engineering experience
• Demonstrated ability to influence and coordinate cross-functional teams without formal authority
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills; comfortable building process from scratch

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary coordination point across engineering, planning, sales, and quality for assigned programs.
• Design and implement formal program management processes and tools to replace informal tracking methods.
• Manage multiple simultaneous projects of varying size and duration, including multi-year programs.
• Ensure timely, accurate communication of customer expectations and internal changes to all stakeholders.
• Support compliance with quality and planning requirements across program milestones.
• Partner with a senior technical mentor during ramp period, then operate with increasing independence.
• Help memorialize workflows and communication practices to support organizational scaling.

Skills

Cross-functional coordination

Engineering background

Mechanical engineering

Aerospace experience

Project coordination

Stakeholder management

Autonomous working

Communication

Education

Engineering degree or equivalent

Job description

Job Description

CONFIDENTIAL

Client name withheld pending mutual interest — details shared only after initial conversation

PROGRAM MANAGER

Aerospace & Defense Component Manufacturing

Presented by Boaz Partners on behalf of a confidential retained search client

The Opportunity

Our client supplies composite and textile reinforced components to the aerospace and defense industry. They are creating a newly defined Program Manager role to bring structure, formal process, and dedicated coordination to a program portfolio that has, to date, been managed almost entirely through the hands-on expertise of one overloaded senior leader.

This is a rare chance to build a program management function largely from scratch — designing the tools, cadence, and cross-functional communication processes that don't yet exist — while training directly under that leader for the first six months and taking on progressively larger projects toward full autonomy within a year.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary coordination point across engineering, planning, sales, and quality for assigned programs.
• Design and implement formal program management processes and tools to replace informal, ad hoc tracking methods.
• Manage multiple simultaneous projects of varying size and duration, including multi-year programs.
• Ensure timely, accurate communication of customer expectations and internal changes to all stakeholders.
• Support compliance with quality and planning requirements across program milestones.
• Partner closely with a senior technical mentor during an initial ramp period, then operate with increasing independence.
• Help memorialize workflows and communication practices to support organizational scaling.

Candidate Profile

• 3–5 years of experience in engineering or technical program/project coordination, ideally with exposure to complex, multi-disciplinary projects.
• Background in mechanical, materials, aerospace, or textile engineering; some design engineering experience .
• Demonstrated ability to influence and coordinate cross-functional teams without formal authority.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills — this role requires working well with others as much as technical competence.
• Comfortable operating with limited formal process today and motivated to help build that process.
• Proactive, autonomous, and results-driven, with the confidence to push objectives forward independently.