Senior Space & Defense Program Leader

Amro-A-Division-of-Karman-Space-; Mukilteo (WA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401k

Paid Time Off

HSA

FSA

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Job summary

The Principal Program Manager (Strategic Integration) role at Karman Space & Defense is based in Mukilteo, WA, with responsibilities spanning enterprise-level aerospace programs and strategic initiatives across sites. You translate executive priorities into executable plans, drive accountability, and navigate ambiguity to ensure disciplined execution and strong stakeholder communication.

This role demands extensive leadership experience and a deep understanding of cost, schedule, and technical

Qualifications

• BS in Engineering or related field, or equivalent leadership experience in aerospace/defense.
• 12+ years of progressive aerospace/defense leadership experience including program execution and cross-functional leadership.
• Experience leading complex, multi-site integration with executive visibility and accountability.
• Extensive experience managing aerospace/defense programs involving mission-critical hardware.
• Hands-on leadership in manufacturing, NPI, industrialization, production-rate growth and cross-site execution.
• Strong financial acumen: budgeting, forecasting, cost/schedule tradeoffs, and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Leads enterprise-scale aerospace/defense programs from planning through qualification, ramp, and delivery.
• Owns integrated performance across cost, schedule, technical, quality, and contractual commitments; drives corrective actions.
• Develops and maintains integrated master plans connecting engineering, manufacturing readiness, staffing, and supply chain.
• Leads cross-site transfers, ensuring strategy, readiness, configuration control, tooling, and approvals.
• Drives new product introduction and production transitions, ensuring design maturity and producibility.
• Partners with engineering, manufacturing, and site leadership to establish executable manufacturing plans and recovery actions.
• Identifies and manages technical, manufacturing, supply-chain, cost, schedule, quality, and customer risks with mitigation plans.
• Leads recovery efforts for late hardware, quality escapes, supplier disruption, or schedule compression.
• Serves as principal interface for customers, suppliers, and government stakeholders, reporting program status.
• Prepares and leads executive program reviews, manages contractual scope, supports proposals, and growth strategies.

Skills

Executive leadership

Program management

Cross-site coordination

Risk management

Budgeting & forecasting

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Job description

The Principal Program Manager (Strategic Integration) role at Karman Space & Defense is based in Mukilteo, WA, with responsibilities spanning enterprise-level aerospace programs and strategic initiatives across sites. You translate executive priorities into executable plans, drive accountability, and navigate ambiguity to ensure disciplined execution and strong stakeholder communication.

This role demands extensive leadership experience and a deep understanding of cost, schedule, and technical