Senior Program Manager, Airborne Maritime ISR Systems

KBR Careers; Lexington Park (MD); On-site; USD 170,000 - 207,000; Full time

Job summary

KBR seeks a Senior Program Manager, ISR Systems, to lead execution for airborne maritime ISR programs at Pax River, MD. You will direct cross-functional teams across engineering, cybersecurity, testing, and transition activities to deliver interoperable capabilities for manned and unmanned aircraft.

The role requires deep program-management discipline, strong leadership, and experience with defense programs, with clear liaison to government stakeholders and contractors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, business administration, program management, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of experience managing complex government or defense programs with cost, schedule, and technical performance accountability.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams supporting systems engineering, R&D, systems integration, test and evaluation, or lifecycle support.
• Experience developing and managing program schedules, resource plans, financial baselines, risk registers, and customer deliverables.
• Experience supporting U.S. Navy, NAVAIR, naval aviation, ISR, C4ISR, or comparable defense acquisition programs.
• Active Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall program execution across cost, schedule, technical performance, quality, staffing, risk, and contractual requirements.
• Serve as the primary management interface with government program leadership, contracting representatives, technical stakeholders, subcontractors, and mission partners.
• Establish and maintain resource-loaded program baselines, including schedules, budgets, deliverables, dependencies, assumptions, risks, and other direct costs.
• Direct cross-functional teams supporting mission analysis, systems engineering, digital engineering, rapid prototyping, hardware and software integration, cybersecurity, test and evaluation, logistics, and technology transition.
• Coordinate the development and integration of responsive, interoperable ISR capabilities for manned and unmanned maritime aviation systems.
• Monitor program performance, analyze variances, implement corrective actions, and communicate status, decisions, risks, and forecasted outcomes through recurring customer and executive reviews.
• Oversee virtual modeling, laboratory integration, hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop activities, and virtual or live demonstrations used to reduce risk and evaluate mission capability.
• Manage capability-transition planning, including configuration control, technical data, training, airworthiness coordination, depot-maintenance development, sustainment, and government acceptance.
• Ensure program activities and deliverables comply with contract requirements, security controls, data-rights obligations, quality processes, and applicable government policies.
• Other duties as assigned in support of mission and business requirements.

Skills

Program management

Systems engineering

Leadership

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering / CS / business / PM

Master's degree in related discipline

Job description

Senior Program Manager, Airborne Maritime ISR Systems

KBR is seeking a Senior Program Manager, ISR Systems to lead program execution supporting a PAE Aviation Program Office. This position provides leadership for research, development, integration, demonstration, and transition of innovative intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities for manned and unmanned maritime aviation systems. The Senior Program Manager oversees cost, schedule, technical performance, risk, staffing, quality, and contractual deliverables across rapid hardware and software development, digital engineering, test, and lifecycle-support activities. The role coordinates closely with government customers, technical leaders, functional organizations, subcontractors, and mission partners to align resources and execution plans with evolving operational priorities. Effective performance requires disciplined organization, clear communication, collaborative leadership, and careful attention to program data, commitments, and mission outcomes.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Lead overall program execution across cost, schedule, technical performance, quality, staffing, risk, and contractual requirements.
• Serve as the primary management interface with government program leadership, contracting representatives, technical stakeholders, subcontractors, and mission partners.
• Establish and maintain resource-loaded program and project baselines, including schedules, budgets, deliverables, dependencies, assumptions, risks, and other direct costs.
• Direct cross-functional teams supporting mission analysis, systems engineering, digital engineering, rapid prototyping, hardware and software integration, cybersecurity, test and evaluation, logistics, and technology transition.
• Coordinate the development and integration of responsive, interoperable ISR capabilities for manned and unmanned maritime aviation systems.
• Monitor program performance, analyze variances, implement corrective actions, and communicate status, decisions, risks, and forecasted outcomes through recurring customer and executive reviews.
• Oversee virtual modeling, laboratory integration, hardware-in-the-loop and software-in-the-loop activities, and virtual or live demonstrations used to reduce risk and evaluate mission capability.
• Manage capability-transition planning, including configuration control, technical data, training, airworthiness coordination, depot-maintenance development, sustainment, and government acceptance.
• Ensure program activities and deliverables comply with contract requirements, security controls, data-rights obligations, quality processes, and applicable government policies.
• Other duties as assigned in support of mission and business requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, business administration, program management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of experience managing complex government or defense programs with cost, schedule, and technical performance accountability.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams supporting systems engineering, research and development, systems integration, test and evaluation, or lifecycle support.
• Experience developing and managing program schedules, resource plans, financial baselines, risk registers, and customer deliverables.
• Experience supporting U.S. Navy, NAVAIR, naval aviation, ISR, C4ISR, or comparable defense acquisition programs.
• Active Top Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in engineering, computer science, business administration, program management, or a related discipline.
• Project Management Professional certification.
• Experience supporting Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft or manned and unmanned maritime ISR systems.
• Experience with rapid prototyping, digital engineering, model-based systems engineering, modeling and simulation, or Modular Open Systems Approach implementation.
• Experience managing research, development, test and evaluation programs involving hardware, software, sensors, communications, networking, data fusion, or autonomous systems.
• Experience transitioning prototype capabilities into operational use, depot maintenance, or lifecycle sustainment.

Work Environment

• Location: On-site in Patuxent River, Maryland
• Travel Requirements: Minimal 0-20%
• Working Hours: Standard

Basic Compensation

$169,600.00 - $207,300.00 (This is for the Pax River, MD area only)

The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

Additional Compensation

KBR may offer bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation to certain job titles or levels, per internal policy or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be in the form of sign on bonus, relocation benefits, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team's philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver - Together.

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.