Senior Aerospace & Defense Program Leader

Qnity; Carlsbad (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 173,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Qnity is seeking an experienced Senior Program Manager - Aerospace & Defense to lead commercial and operational engagements, including SOW administration, security oversight, SAPF operations, and customer relationship management. This role guides both classified and unclassified programs, ensuring contractual compliance, operational excellence, and growth in a highly secure environment.

The successful candidate will be based onsite in Carlsbad, CA, working closely with government agencies,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Security Management, Program Management, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of Aerospace & Defense industry experience.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing customer programs, security operations, or government contracts.
• Experience administering Statements of Work (SOWs), government contracts, and customer program execution.
• Experience supporting classified U.S. Government programs.
• Strong financial, operational, and customer management capabilities.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and executive stakeholder management skills.
• Active U.S. Government Secret Security Clearance or ability to obtain and maintain one.
• Ability to obtain Special Access Program (SAP) eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead Aerospace & Defense customer programs, ensuring successful execution of contractual requirements, budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
• Own and administer Statements of Work (SOWs), contract modifications, customer commitments, and program performance metrics.
• Serve as the primary customer interface, building strategic relationships with government agencies, defense contractors, and key stakeholders while driving customer satisfaction and issue resolution.
• Provide oversight of classified programs, including CPSO responsibilities, SAP compliance, security audits, access management, and classified information protection.
• Lead SAPF operations, ensuring facility accreditation, compliance, operational readiness, and support for secure customer engagements.
• Manage program financial performance, including revenue, margin, forecasting, risk mitigation, and business growth opportunities.
• Support proposal development, capture activities and strategic account growth initiatives.
• Lead and develop cross-functional teams while driving collaboration, operational excellence, compliance, and continuous improvement across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Contracts, Finance, and Security functions.

Skills

Leadership

Executive relationships

Communication

Project governance

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Engineering/Security Management/Program Management

Job description

Qnity is seeking an experienced Senior Program Manager - Aerospace & Defense to lead commercial and operational engagements, including SOW administration, security oversight, SAPF operations, and customer relationship management. This role guides both classified and unclassified programs, ensuring contractual compliance, operational excellence, and growth in a highly secure environment.

The successful candidate will be based onsite in Carlsbad, CA, working closely with government agencies,