Senior Space Tech Program Manager – Laser Communications

InvestedintheMission; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 81,000 - 123,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in Albuquerque, NM, is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to support laser communications programs within the Space Technologies unit.

The role is full-time and on-site, leading cross‑functional teams across engineering, systems, and manufacturing to deliver hardware that meets stringent space-qualified standards. You will drive project plans, manage scope and budgets, coordinate with stakeholders, ensure compliance with DoD standards, and mentor team members to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• 8–12 years leading large-scale multi-million-dollar programs.
• Understanding of project management methodologies and risk mitigation.
• Knowledge of project lifecycle from requirements to completion.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influence without direct authority.
• Proficient in MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint; Jira and GitLab helpful.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to summarize for customers.
• Ability to define schedule metrics and drive decisions.
• Some travel (~20%).
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary teams to design and deliver hardware for space electronics programs.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities across engineering, systems, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain.
• Develop and manage detailed project plans, identifying critical path activities and risk mitigation.
• Serve as primary contact between team, product lead, and stakeholders.
• Oversee requirements, system architecture, reviews, verification, and validation.
• Ensure compliance with space, aerospace, or defense standards and specs.
• Apply PMI/PMBOK/ANSI/ISO project management practices.
• Monitor progress with metrics and report status to management.
• Foster clear communication and timely decision-making across the team.
• Mentor team members; drive innovation and accountability.
• Document roles, responsibilities, and authority; ensure plan execution.
• Support resource allocation, budget tracking, and risk/issues management.
• Manage scope, schedule, and budget for control accounts; negotiate scope.
• Implement corrective actions while maintaining baseline integrity.
• Establish and integrate change management processes.
• Negotiate major project parameters like deliverables and performance.
• Perform any other duties as assigned.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Leadership

Project management know-how

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Engineering/Info Systems

Tools

Microsoft Project

Excel

PowerPoint

Jira

GitLab

Job description

AeroVironment, Inc. in Albuquerque, NM, is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to support laser communications programs within the Space Technologies unit.

The role is full-time and on-site, leading cross‑functional teams across engineering, systems, and manufacturing to deliver hardware that meets stringent space-qualified standards. You will drive project plans, manage scope and budgets, coordinate with stakeholders, ensure compliance with DoD standards, and mentor team members to