Program Manager, U.S. Army - Flight School Next

Robinson Helicopter Company; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Robinson Helicopter Company in Torrance, California seeks a Program Manager for the U.S. Army Flight School Next program.

You will own cost, schedule and technical performance, and serve as the central liaison among engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and the Flight School Next field team at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Based at RHC headquarters, you will lead program reviews, risk and corrective action planning, and ensure on-time, on-budget delivery of a mission-critical training fleet while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, program management, or related field.
• 10+ years of program or project management experience, including defense or aerospace.
• Demonstrated experience managing cost, schedule, and performance on government or DoD contracts.
• Active U.S. citizenship and current passport.
• Onsite work at Torrance, CA; occasional field sites.

Responsibilities

• Own overall cost, schedule, and technical performance for the FSN program.
• Develop and maintain the integrated master schedule and baselines.
• Lead program reviews, milestone gates, and executive status briefings.
• Manage program risk, opportunity, and corrective action planning.
• Coordinate contract modifications and supplier performance.

Skills

Program management leadership

Cost & schedule management

DoD/government contracts

Stakeholder communication

Cross-functional coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Project

ERP software (Epicor, SAP)

Jira

MS Office Suite

Job description

Role Title: Program Manager, U.S. Army - Flight School Next

Location: Robinson Helicopter Company Headquarters, Torrance, California.

Reporting To: VP, Business Development

Travel: Up to 33% as required

Range: $130,000-$150,000 (Dependent on Experience and Qualifications)

The Program Manager serves as the overall program lead for Robinson Helicopter Company’s (RHC) execution of the U.S. Army Flight School Next (FSN) program. Based at RHC Headquarters in Torrance, California, this role owns cost, schedule, and performance across the program and serves as the central point of coordination between RHC engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, customer success, and the Flight School Next field team at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The ideal candidate possesses strong program management discipline, defense contracting experience, and the leadership presence to represent RHC to Army stakeholders, the contracting prime, and internal executive leadership while driving on‑time, on‑budget delivery of a mission‑critical training fleet and sustainment program.

Essential Job Functions

Program Leadership & Execution

• Own overall cost, schedule, and technical performance for the RHC Flight School Next program.
• Develop and maintain the integrated master schedule, program plans, and performance baselines.
• Lead program reviews, milestone gates, and executive status briefings.
• Manage program risk, opportunity, and corrective action planning to ensure mission success.

Contract & Financial Management

• Manage program budget, financial forecasting, and earned value against the approved baseline.
• Ensure compliance with contract requirements, deliverables, and applicable federal regulations.
• Coordinate contract modifications, renewals, and option‑year exercises with the contracting prime.
• Oversee subcontract and supplier performance in support of program objectives.

Stakeholder & Customer Engagement

• Serve as the RHC primary program point of contact for the contracting prime and Army stakeholders.
• Coordinate closely with the Business Development Director and Flight School Site Manager on field execution.
• Represent the program to RHC executive leadership and the Vice President of Business Development.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with military, government, and contractor partners.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Direct and integrate RHC engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and customer success teams.
• Ensure field, technical, and account support resources are aligned to program requirements.
• Drive process improvements that reduce cost of operation and improve customer satisfaction.
• Support deployment, fielding, and sustainment activities across all Flight School Next locations.

Documentation & Reporting

• Prepare program status reports, executive briefings, and performance dashboards.
• Maintain program documentation, records, and configuration management compliance.
• Track, monitor, and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) established by RHC.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, program management, or related field.
• 10+ years of program or project management experience, including defense or aerospace programs.
• Demonstrated experience managing cost, schedule, and performance on government or DoD contracts.
• PMP certification or equivalent program management credential preferred.
• Experience with Robinson helicopters or rotary‑wing platforms preferred.
• Strong leadership, organization, and risk management skills.
• Demonstrated strong and effective verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Project, ERP Software (e.g. Epicor, SAP, or like software) and Atlassian Jira (or like software).
• Ability to work independently and lead within a cross‑functional team environment.
• Must be able to work onsite at Torrance, California, including hangar and flight line environments at headquarters and Fort Rucker, Alabama. Work hours are assigned by business needs Monday through Friday; occasional weekend work may be required based on operational demand.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Possess current passport.