Senior Program Manager (Federal) (Remote)

Knexus; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Knexus is seeking a Senior Federal Program Manager to lead multi-stream technology programs across Federal Civilian and DoW sectors. This remote role requires a highly communicative, relationship-driven individual contributor who bridges federal clients and software development teams.

You will embed into development processes, align contract deliverables with engineering timelines, manage client expectations about AI capabilities, and ensure clear milestones and mission needs are communicated to

Qualifications

• 6+ years leading government software projects or programs.
• Independent contributor with cross-team execution.
• Familiar with FFP, CPFF, and T&M contracts.
• Experience communicating with Contracting Officers.
• Proficient in Agile, Scrum, and Sprint Planning.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain security clearance.
• EST full-time availability.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary liaison for government clients and CO/COR.
• Translate client needs into contracted deliverables and timelines.
• Develop and present strategic roadmaps and milestones.
• Align engineering timelines with client expectations.
• Maintain clear, professional client communications.

Skills

Agile methodologies

Scrum

Jira

GitLab

Contract management

Client relationship management

Large Language Models awareness

Tools

Jira

GitLab

Job description

Role Overview

Knexus is seeking a Senior Federal Program Manager to lead the execution of multi-stream technology programs across our Federal Civilian and DoW sectors. This is a remote role, designed for a highly communicative, relationship-driven individual contributor who thrives on bridging the gap between federal clients and software development teams.

Rather than managing people, you will embed yourself into our development processes, serving as the steady hand that aligns contract deliverables with engineering timelines. You will build deep, long-lasting relationships with our federal clients, confidently managing their expectations regarding what AI technology can accomplish, while ensuring our development teams have absolute clarity on upcoming milestones, deadlines, and mission needs.

Responsibilities

Client Relationship & Expectation Management

• Federal Liaison: Serve as the principal, direct point of contact for government clients, Contracting Officers (CO), and Contracting Officer's Representatives (COR), establishing strong, long-lasting relationships built on trust.
• Expectation Management: Confidently attend client meetings independently (without relying on tech leads) to navigate discussions when clients ask for too much or misunderstand technology limitations.
• Strategic Communication: Put together clear, professional PowerPoint decks detailing what has been accomplished and what needs to be done, and present them effectively to executive-level client stakeholders.
• Fiscal Alignment: Oversee the operational and milestone health of Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), and Time & Materials (T&M) contracts.

Timeline & Delivery Execution

• Collaborative Roadmapping: Partner closely with Engineering Leads to build comprehensive project timelines aligned directly to contract deliverables. The engineering leads retain control over day-to-day ticket creation but you will work with them to ensure they are aligned to client expectations and contracted deliverables.
• Milestone Accountability: Ensure all contract milestones and project deliverables are strictly hit and kept.
• Clear Team Direction: Translate client expectations into clear, time-bound targets for the development team. You will ensure the team understands all due dates and what they mean.
• Process Integration: Seamlessly integrate into the development team's daily workflows so engineers can rely on you for clear context regarding client needs, timelines, and shifting priorities.

Qualifications

• Experience: At least 6 years within roles supporting government software projects and programs as a Project Manager, Technical Project Manager, Technical Program Manager, Program Manager, or similar is required.
• Role Alignment: Proven track record as a high-performing individual contributor; focus is entirely on cross-team execution and client relationship management.
• AI & Technical Literacy: A highly curious critical thinker who understands the fundamentals of how Large Language Models (LLMs) and Google Gemini work, with an eagerness to learn and discuss AI tools and applications conversationally.
• Contract Mastery: Demonstrated experience managing contract deliverables for FFP, CPFF, and T&M vehicles, with a proven ability to interface directly with Contracting Officers.
• Methodology & Tools: Solid understanding of project management frameworks (Agile, Scrum, Sprint Planning) and experience tracking workflows within enterprise tools (e.g., Jira and GitLab).
• Clearance & Citizenship: Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible for a U.S. government security clearance (Secret).
• Schedule: Must be available and comfortable working full-time on Eastern Standard Time (EST).
• Client Relationship Development: Exceptional interpersonal skills with a natural ability to translate client desires into realistic constraints without fracturing relationships.

Nice to Have

• PMP, CSM, SafeAgile, or equivalent industry-recognized certifications.

About Knexus

At Knexus, we are at the forefront of AI development for the government, with a mission to revolutionize how the government serves its citizens. As a pioneer in the field, we've spent nearly two decades pushing the boundaries of what is possible with artificial intelligence. Our work has a direct, mission-driven impact, and our partnership with Google Cloud gives our team unparalleled access to the latest tools and expertise.