Senior Program Manager

York Space Systems; Greenwood Village (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

York Space Systems in Greenwood Village, CO seeks an experienced Senior Program Manager to lead cross-program execution across multiple space missions. The role emphasizes FFP discipline, customer relationship management, and scalable process development, with a preference for leaders who have delivered complex aerospace systems.

You will mentor Program Managers, coordinate cross-functional teams, and guide program health with data-driven dashboards and executive communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a technical field.
• 10+ years leading complex aerospace/defense programs with multi-vehicle scope.
• TS/SCI eligibility or active clearance considered a major plus.
• Ability to work full-time onsite in Greenwood Village, CO.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end lifecycle execution for large constellation programs with scope, schedule, budget, risks and deliverables.
• Maintain FFP discipline, manage customer expectations, and navigate difficult tradeoffs.
• Mentor PMs and DPMs on readiness events (SRR, PDR, CDR, PSR, O&S) and NRE execution.
• Develop scalable processes and data-driven program rhythms to de-risk execution.

Job description

The Senior Program Manager leads execution for one or more space missions or constellations, scaling beyond a single program to ensure consistent outcomes across multiple efforts. The Sr PM maintains FFP discipline, manages customer relationships and expectations, and directs cross-program resources as needed - without implying portfolio-director responsibilities. This role requires deep scar tissue from delivering complex systems, mastery of lifecycle events, and strong judgment in difficult tradeoffs. You will mentor our Program Managers, build scalable processes, and embody our mission to deliver breakthrough space capabilities faster and more efficiently than anyone else.

This role will be fully on-site in our Greenwood Village, Colorado office.

Key Responsibilities

Classified Program Leadership

• Strong experience in understanding security governance and documentation for execution on a program
• Clearly demonstrates the ability to provide guidance and processes for managing access and handling data transfers
• Ability to proactively identify security concerns in non-York facilities for testing and integration
• Ability to work with the security team to protect the program and company from security violations

Strong Contract Acumen

• Clear experience in leading the customer expectations on FFP (Firm Fixed Price) contracts with the USG
• Proactively managing contract updates for additional scope requests and maintain program milestone payments
• Defend the program from unnecessary scope growth by actively leveraging your in depth knowledge of all the contractual documents
• Define customer expectations through clear, proactive communication and evidence-based options when issues arise

Clear Executive Communication

• Regularly and proactively communicate effectively and efficiently with York executives on all financial/programmatic/technical facets of the program to resolve issues quickly
• Strategically communicate clearly with customer counterpart’s leadership on the issue resolution
• Lead strategic discussions for all key program suppliers and supplier executive leadership for resolving delays and obstacles

Programmatic and Technical Breadth and Depth

• Lead full lifecycle execution for a large constellation, managing scope, schedule, budget, risks, and deliverables
• Own the FFP baseline: track performance to plan, manage changes for added scope/revenue, and leverage contract documents in difficult customer conversations
• Experience driving closure on programs with significant NRE
• Drive agile, data-driven program rhythms (dashboards, metrics) to maintain program health and de-risk execution early

Driving Internal Progress in Matrixed Organization

• Coordinate integrated teams (engineering, production, supply chain, finance, operations) and influence progress
• Experience in high-autonomy, high-complexity environments
• Ensure the ball won't drop - experience in working outside your swim lane or standard work background
• Ability to find innovative and low cost solutions to internal issues as they arise across the life of the program
• Mentor PMs/DPMs on event readiness (SRR, PDR, CDR, PSR, O&S), NRE execution, and TRL maturation
• Guide risk management for multiple efforts; lead resets/redesigns and accelerate recovery using data-driven decisions
• Direct cross-program resourcing when needed; align teams on priorities and resolve conflicts constructively

This role will not have direct reports.

Qualifications

Required for the Role

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, technical discipline, or related field.
• 10+ years leading complex aerospace/defense programs with multi-vehicle or multi-program scope.
• Prior clearance experience; TS/SCI eligibility required.
• Ability to work full-time onsite in Greenwood Village, CO.

Preferred for the Role

• Experience in high-autonomy, high-complexity environments (aircraft/aerospace manufacturing, oil & gas operations, high-reliability industrial systems).
• Master's degree in engineering or management.
• Experience in high-growth startup environments.