Senior Program Manager, Products

CesiumAstro, Inc.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 193,000 - 236,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee stock options

Health, dental and vision insurance

HSA/FSA

Retirement plan

Disability insurance

Job summary

CesiumAstro, Inc. is seeking a Senior Program Manager, Products to transform customer needs into executable programs within the Product Development & Assurance organization.

You will lead program formation from pre-contract solution development through proposal development and transition to execution, coordinating with Product, Technical Architects, Engineering, Finance and Contracts. You will establish program scope, baselines, milestones, and make/buy decisions, ensuring alignment with the

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex technical programs from pre-contract to execution.
• Ability to translate customer needs into executable programs with defined baselines.
• Strong collaboration across Product, Engineering, Finance, Contracts and Supply Chain.

Responsibilities

• Own program execution from initial architecture to transition into execution.
• Develop integrated scope, cost, schedule, staffing, and risk plans.
• Translate architectures into development plans and milestones.
• Provide program content for customer proposals and SOWs.
• Coordinate with Contracts to ensure alignment with baselines.
• Identify risks and resolve issues before they impact execution.

Skills

Program management

Cost & schedule management

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, business administration, or related field

Master's degree or PhD (preferred)

Tools

MS Project

MS Office

SOW development tools

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands‑on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Senior Program Manager, Products to our team. In this role, you will be responsible for transforming customer needs and solution architectures into well‑defined, executable programs. Working within the Product Development & Assurance organization, the Senior Program Manager leads program formation from pre-contract solution development through proposal development, contract definitization, and transition to the execution team.

Partnering with Product, Technical Architects, Engineering, Business Development, Finance, Contracts, Supply Chain, and Program Management, the Senior Program Manager, Products translates the “what” of the solution into the “how” of execution. This includes establishing program scope and requirements, development plans, cost and schedule baselines, risks and opportunities, ground rules and assumptions, Make/Buy plans, and the overall program execution baseline.

This role also contributes to product strategy by identifying opportunities to leverage existing or in-development products, distinguishing reusable product capabilities from customer-specific development, and ensuring program decisions align with the company’s broader product roadmap.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the development of the program execution approach from initial solution architecture through proposal, contract award, and transition into execution.
• Develop integrated scope, requirements, cost, schedule, staffing, risk, and resource plans. Establish ground rules and assumptions and ensure the baseline is supported by the technical and business teams responsible for execution.
• Partner with Technical Architects and Engineering to translate solution architectures into development plans, work packages, milestones, deliverables, and integrated program schedules.
• Evaluate opportunities to leverage existing and in-development products and identify where new reusable capabilities may be required versus customer-specific development. Provide program-level insight to Product leadership to inform roadmap and investment decisions.
• Provide the programmatic and execution content required for customer proposals, including Statements of Work, schedules, cost estimates, risks, assumptions, staffing plans, and execution approaches.
• Partner with Contracts and business leadership during customer negotiations to ensure scope, requirements, deliverables, schedule, assumptions, and contractual commitments are consistent with the planned execution baseline.
• Coordinate Make/Buy trades with Product, Engineering, and Supply Chain and establish supplier scope, requirements, cost, schedule, and assumptions required to support the program baseline.
• Ensure awarded programs transition into execution with a clear SOW, requirements baseline, budget, integrated schedule, risk register, supplier commitments, ground rules and assumptions, and Program Management Plan.
• Remain engaged with the execution Program Manager and Engineering team through transition and early program milestones, including SRR, to resolve gaps between the proposed, contracted, and executable baselines.
• Identify and drive resolution of technical, cost, schedule, contractual, and execution risks before they become downstream program issues. Ensure commitments made during capture and proposal are understood, achievable, and appropriately baselined.
• Serve as a central program integration point across Product, Engineering, Business Development, Finance, Contracts, Supply Chain, and execution teams to drive decisions and maintain alignment throughout program formation.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business administration, program management, operations management, supply chain management, or a related field with 12–15 years of related experience, Master's degree with 8–12 years of related experience, or PhD with 5–8 years of related experience in program management, project management, engineering, manufacturing, operations, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and managing scope, requirements, cost, schedule, risk, and execution baselines for complex technical programs.
• Proficiency in supporting programs from pre-contract or proposal development through contract award and execution.
• Extensive experience collaborating with engineering, finance, contracts, supply chain, and customer-facing organizations to develop and execute integrated program plans.

$193,000 - $236,000 a year

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard torace, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.