Program Manager VI

General Atomics; Poway (CA); Hybrid; USD 191,000 - 334,000; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics is seeking a Senior Program Director for MQ-9 Global Sustainment. You will lead cross-functional teams delivering sustainment and training across MQ-9 fleets worldwide, including international customers.

You will shape policies, drive programs, and coordinate with executive leadership, customers, and internal stakeholders. The role requires extensive program management experience, strong leadership, and the ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related discipline is typically required.
• 15+ years of progressively complex program management experience, with senior leadership exposure.
• Experience with budgeting, scheduling, and resource planning.

Responsibilities

• Oversee MQ-9 sustainment and training policies, procedures, and practices.
• Lead development, fielding, and sustainment of MQ-9 training devices and solutions.
• Direct the PSS Center and other shared-support functions for MQ-9A/B customers.

Skills

Executive leadership

Program management

Budget management

Proposal development

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related discipline

Tools

FAR familiarity

DCMA oversight

Internal controls

Job description

57024BR

Job Summary:

This position is responsible for overseeing cross-functional efforts focused on the delivery and sustainment of MQ-9 products, solutions, training devices, and services for U.S. Government and international customers, and for ensuring supporting internal processes, tools, and business systems enable effective execution. This includes direction of teams providing logistics/sustainment program management, training system development, technical publications integration, and shared engineering and software support across MQ-9A and MQ-9B customer fleets.

The role supports multiple customers including, but not limited to, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Taiwan, Japan Coast Guard, India, Poland, Canada, USAF, USN, and USMC, and will support any future MQ-9B sustainment/training customers.

The Senior Director oversees major product lines such as:

• Sky Guardian Support Solution (SGSS) – the MQ-9B shared sustainment construct

• SkyGuardian Mission Trainer and SkyGuardian Mission Trainer (+)

• Predator Mission Trainer and Predator Mission Trainer (+)

• Virtual Maintenance Training

• Program Sustainment Services (PSS) Center – executing shared engineering, technical publications, program management, and software maintenance across MQ-9B and MQ-9A customers

The directorate’s program managers and staff currently execute over 300M USD annually in customer programs and approximately 3M USD per year in internal research and development (IRAD) programs.

The Senior Director consistently demonstrates strong leadership, critical thinking, and sound judgment, making decisions with consideration for the implication and effect on other functions, programs, the Company, and Customers. The role ensures that policies and procedures align with corporate vision and MQ-9 product line strategies, and consistently demonstrates good judgment in all forms of communication, ensuring timely, clear, accurate, and respectful messaging to executive leadership, customers, and internal stakeholders. The position exerts influence across P&Ls and functional organizations and serves as a key interface to executive leadership on matters of MQ-9 sustainment and training.

Essential Functions:

• Oversees MQ-9 global sustainment and training policies, procedures, and practices, including logistics/sustainment program management, technical publications integration, and training product development, ensuring company and customer objectives are met.

• Leads the development, fielding, and sustainment of MQ-9 training devices and solutions (flight simulators, par-task trainers, virtual reality applications) and associated systems and processes across multiple U.S. and international customers.

• Directs the Program Sustainment Services (PSS) Center and other shared-support functions providing engineering, technical publications, program management, and software maintenance for MQ-9A and MQ-9B customers, ensuring consistent, reliable, and timely support and deliverables.

• Provides leadership and excellence by overseeing the planning, recruiting, hiring, training, retention, and career development of logistics/sustainment program managers and other staff. These program managers are matrixed to multiple profit-and-loss (P&L) organizations for program execution.

• Sets vision, direction, and priorities for the MQ-9 sustainment and training portfolio, aligning team objectives with corporate and P&L strategies and driving a high-performance, collaborative culture across geographically dispersed teams.

• Coordinates departmental and cross-functional teams to assign and prioritize tasks focused on delivering new or upgraded products and services, resolving resource conflicts, and balancing competing priorities across product lines and customers.

• Develops and delivers executive-level reports, proposals, requirements documentation, and presentations; leads and supports DCS (Direct Commercial Sales) and FMS (Foreign Military Sales) proposal development for international MQ-9 customers, including management of proposal efforts.

• Assess project and program issues and provides decisions and solutions to meet productivity, quality, cost, schedule, and customer satisfaction goals and objectives across the MQ-9 sustainment and training portfolio.

• Ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, environmental requirements, and company policies; promotes safe work practices and maintains the strict confidentiality of sensitive information.

• Other duties as assigned or required.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Program Director, MQ-9 Global Sustainment! We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications:

• Typically requires a bachelor’s degree in business administration, or related discipline, and fifteen or more years of progressively complex experience in the program management field, with at least eleven of those years in senior management positions. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.

• Must demonstrate an extensive understanding of program/portfolio management processes and procedures, planning and scheduling methods, and budget management, as well as the ability to organize, schedule, and coordinate workloads to meet established milestones and budgets.

• Must possess:

• The ability to initiate, plan, and manage projects and programs.

• The ability to identify issues, analyze and interpret data, and develop solutions to a variety of non-routine matters of diverse scope and nature.

• Strong analytical, communication, documentation, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

• The ability to work independently and lead as an executive in a team environment.

• Must be able to resolve complex management and technical problems using innovative and practical solutions and serve as a spokesperson for MQ-9 sustainment and training programs with internal and external stakeholders.

• Must have experience in leading projects which provided aircraft fleet sustainment/logistics support.

• Must have proposal experience; management of proposal effort is highly desirable.

• Experience with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) program oversight, and company internal process controls.

• Must be able to work extended hours and travel domestically and internationally as required to support MQ-9 customer programs and internal business needs.

Job Category:

Engineering

Experience Level:

Management

Workstyle:

Hybrid

Full-Time/Part-Time:

Full-Time Salary

Pay Range Low:

191,000

Pay Range High:

334,250

Travel Percentage Required:

0% - 25%

Relocation Assistance Provided?

Yes

US Citizenship Required?

Yes

Clearance Required?

No

General Atomics is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, ancestry, gender, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, transitioning status, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, medical condition, mental disability, physical disability, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. In accordance with applicable federal law, General Atomics takes affirmative action to employ and advance the employment of qualified protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. We also prohibit compensation discrimination under all applicable laws. U.S. Citizenship is required for certain positions. To learn more, please review the EEOC’s "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal" poster.