Sr. Program Manager - Missile Defense

True Anomaly, Inc.; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity + Benefits

Health, Dental, Vision

PTO and paid holidays

401K

Parental Leave

Job summary

True Anomaly, Inc. in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Senior Program Manager to partner with customers and guide missile-defense programs from concept to execution, aligning technical, schedule, and cost baselines.

You will lead cross-functional teams, manage risk, engage stakeholders, and ensure customer needs drive decisions while overseeing subcontractor performance; the role requires active security clearance eligibility.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience delivering a complex space vehicle or weapons system through the full engineering life cycle.
• Proven track record building strong customer relationships through effective team building and communication.
• Experience managing DoW or USSF contracts with close customer coordination.
• Experience managing large contracts (typically $50M+) with risk, budget, and milestone oversight.
• Hands-on risk management and oversight of baselines in aerospace, engineering, or software development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire teams, drive innovation, and foster collaboration while adapting to dynamic situations.
• Create and own the program baseline (cost, schedule, technical) with the chief engineer.
• Liaise with customers to align program goals with mission objectives and understand needs.
• Lead cross-functional teams to integrate missile defense missions and deliver tailored products.
• Direct program team activities across engineering, IT, operations, facilities, security, contracts, and supply chain.
• Set priorities to keep projects on time and within budget, and manage day-to-day issues.
• Perform risk assessments and ensure rapid, transparent escalation when needed.
• Develop innovative solutions for cost, schedule, and technical challenges.
• Deliver presentations and lead bids, proposals, and reviews with a clear value proposition.
• Oversee subcontractor activities to meet high-quality standards.

Skills

Space program

Program management

Customer relations

Risk management

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Graduate Degree

Job description

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

OUR MISSION

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES

• Be the offset.We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
• What would it take?We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
• It’s the people.Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

YOUR MISSION

True Anomaly is seeking a Senior Program Manager who will serve as a trusted partner to our customers, guiding mission-critical missile defense programs from concept to execution while seamlessly integrating technical, schedule, and cost baselines. In this customer-centric leadership role, you will foster strategic relationships, ensuring that customer needs are at the heart of every decision as you lead cross-functional teams, direct program support functions, and oversee subcontractor performance. You will work closely with the chief engineer and teams across systems engineering, mission operations, and program support to provide transparent, agile solutions that directly support our clients' goals. Your proven expertise in risk management, stakeholder engagement, and program execution will be key to advancing our national security mission and delivering exceptional value in the missile defense domain.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage complex situations, delegate authority, lead and inspire your team, drive innovative thinking, instill collaboration, drive for success, challenge status quo, anddemonstratethe ability to adapt to dynamic situations
• Create, implement, and own the coordinated program baseline (cost, schedule, technical) with the chief engineer
• Serveasaliaison, withother customer facing team members,between our company and our customers—developing deep relationships to understand their needs and align our program goals with their missionobjectives.
• Lead cross-functional teams to successfully integrate and executemissile defensemissions as well as deliver tailored products and services that meet and exceed customer expectations.
• Direct the responsibilities and activities of the program team including program management, systems engineering, communications and IT, mission operations, facilities management, security, safety, and contracts/financial/supply chain support functions
• Provide strategic direction and setting priorities that reflect customer goals while managing day-to-day issues to keep projects on time and within budget.
• Perform risk and issue assessments with a focus on minimizing customer impact, ensuring rapid resolution and transparent escalation when needed.
• Develop innovative solutions to resolve difficult program challenges including cost, schedule, and technical performance
• Deliver compelling presentations and lead preparations of bids, proposals, studies, and deliverables, effectively communicating our value proposition during customer reviews and engagements.
• Oversee and manage subcontractor activities to ensure all external contributions meet the high-quality standards our customers expect
• Develop and lead internal and external program management reviews

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstratedexperience deliveringa complex space vehicle or weapons systemthrough the entire engineering life cycle—frominitialconcept and design through integration, testing, and final deployment.
• A proventrack recordin building strong customer relationships through effective team building, conflict resolution, and communication—both internally and externally.
• Experience managing Department of War (DoW) or U.S. Space Force (USSF) contracts, especially those that require close coordination with the customer program office.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale, high-value contracts (typically $50M+), with deepexpertisein the research and development phase including budget oversight, risk management, and milestone-driven execution.
• Hands-on experience managing risk and overseeing cost, schedule, and technical baselines in aerospace, engineering, or software development programs, all with a clear focus on delivering customer value.
• Strong analytical background with the evaluation of requests for proposals and/or quotes.
• Experience working within a cross-functional, geographically dispersed team environment to meet contractual commitments and create outstanding customer experiences.
• Active Secret and eligibility to obtainTop Secret/SCI Security Clearance
• Bachelor’s Degree and a minimum of 9 years of prior relevant experience;Or,Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience; Or, in lieu of a degree, a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree
• Experience working missile defense, including experiencewith discrimination of threats from a target field and/or autonomous navigation of multi-object systems
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring that every projectmaintainsa strong customer focus.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a strong background in customer interfacing and experience in National Security aerospace programs.
• Ability toestablishnew & further refining existing templates, tools, & guidelines for program documentation & execution
• Experience with ensuring compliance with approved Corporate and ISO 9001:2000 Policies and Processes
• Senior Program Manager: BS degree or higher in Management or Engineering or a related field isrequiredplus 14 or more years related experience.
• Active TS/SCI US government security clearance with SCI eligibility strongly preferred

COMPENSATION

• Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Your actual level and base salary will bedeterminedon a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Work Location — Successful candidates will be located near Long Beach. While we observe a hybrid work environment, some work must be done on site.
• Work environment — the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
• Physical demands — the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting,liftingand driving.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

True Anomaly is committed to equal employment opportunity on any basis protected by applicable state and federal laws. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us.

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