Senior Defense Program Manager Hardware, Supply Chain Lead

QinetiQ US (formerly Avantus Federal); Lorton (VA); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

QinetiQ US is seeking an experienced Sr Program Manager to lead end-to-end defense production programs in a hybrid role based in Lorton, VA or Franklin, MA. You will drive scope, schedule, cost, and supplier relationships, ensuring compliance with government regulations and coordinating with government agencies, primes, and internal teams.

Responsibilities include managing WBS/IMS, material program plans, supplier evaluations, and production execution while applying Lean, Six Sigma, and risk

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, science, mathematics, or related field.
• 10+ years of Project/Program lead experience with defense customers.
• PMP, EVMS, CAM, CSCP, APICS, or equivalent.
• FAR, DFARS, ITAR knowledge; risk management and cost control; supplier quality and delivery eval; Deltek CostPoint or similar; Jira, Windchill.
• Strong leadership, negotiation, and cross-functional communication skills.
• Excellent people skills; experience leading a team of technical personnel and resolving conflicts.
• Strong customer management skills; ability to meet customer needs without scope growth.
• Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills; clear collaboration across teams.
• Excellent Windows/Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, etc.
• Hybrid office/remote from Lorton, VA or Franklin, MA area.
• Willing to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Program Oversight: Define scope, objectives, and deliverables for multi‑phase defense programs and align with requirements.
• Program Management: Develop WBS and IMS; manage schedule, budget, risks; coordinate with functions to meet objectives.
• Material Program Management: Create and maintain Material Program Plan with quality, scheduling, and supply chain teams.
• Supplier & Sourcing Management: Evaluate supplier quality and delivery; perform TCO analyses.
• Production Execution: Coordinate resources to ensure on-time, in-scope, and within-budget delivery.
• Compliance & Risk Management: Ensure FAR/DFARS/ITAR compliance; identify and mitigate risks.
• Stakeholder Communication: Lead liaison with government, primes, internal teams, and suppliers; report progress.
• Quality & Process Improvement: Apply Lean, Six Sigma; reduce waste and improve efficiency.
• Analysis and Decision‑Making: Manage programs with complex requirements and multiple relationships.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Cross-functional communication

Program management

Cost control

Risk management

Supplier evaluation

Customer management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Business, Science, Mathematics, or related field

Master’s degree in engineering, Business, Science, Mathematics, or related field

Tools

Deltek CostPoint

Jira

Windchill

Microsoft Project

Job description

QinetiQ US is seeking an experienced Sr Program Manager to lead end-to-end defense production programs in a hybrid role based in Lorton, VA or Franklin, MA. You will drive scope, schedule, cost, and supplier relationships, ensuring compliance with government regulations and coordinating with government agencies, primes, and internal teams.

Responsibilities include managing WBS/IMS, material program plans, supplier evaluations, and production execution while applying Lean, Six Sigma, and risk