Associate Program Manager

About the role

Voyager Technologies is an innovative space, defense, and national security technology company. We seek an Associate Program Manager with a strong engineering background to support and/or lead the execution of complex embedded systems programs for defense and space applications.

Responsibilities

• Support and/or lead the planning, execution, and delivery of embedded systems programs, projects, or work packages for defense and space customers.
• Support Program Managers on larger programs and/or manage smaller scoped programs, projects, or work packages with appropriate oversight.
• Help manage program performance across cost, schedule, technical scope, risk, quality, contractual deliverables, and customer satisfaction.
• Work closely with engineering teams to understand technical requirements, track progress, identify risks, and support tradeoff discussions.
• Develop, maintain, and update integrated program plans, schedules, risk registers, action trackers, customer deliverable trackers, and status reports.
• Drive cross-functional follow-up across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, contracts, finance, business development, and customer-facing teams.
• Identify program risks, blockers, dependencies, and execution gaps; support mitigation planning and drive assigned actions to closure.
• Operate effectively in ambiguous environments, helping the team make progress even when information is incomplete or priorities are evolving.
• Support recovery efforts for challenged programs by improving visibility, establishing clear action plans, tracking accountability, and helping return programs to predictable execution.
• Support contract review, proposal inputs, statements of work, deliverables, milestones, and customer communications.
• Help ensure program execution aligns with prime contract requirements, subcontractor flow-downs, customer expectations, and applicable compliance obligations.
• Support compliance with applicable government contracting, export control, and defense program requirements, including DFARS and ITAR-related processes.
• Prepare program status updates, risk summaries, action plans, and leadership briefing materials.
• Support customer meetings, internal program reviews, executive reviews, and cross-functional working sessions.
• Support cost/schedule performance tracking, including Earned Value Management inputs, contract type considerations, and milestone-based execution tracking as applicable.
• Drive a culture of accountability, urgency, attention to detail, and continuous improvement across assigned program activities.

Requirements

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance at the appropriate level (requires U.S. Citizenship)
• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, aerospace engineering, systems engineering, mechanical engineering, or another related engineering discipline.
• Experience working on complex technical programs involving high-reliability (Hi-Rel) embedded hardware, embedded systems, avionics, electronics, hardware/software integration, or similar mission-critical products.
• 5+ years of experience in engineering, systems engineering, or related roles supporting complex technical programs.
• Experience supporting defense, space, or other highly regulated technical environments.
• Demonstrated ability to work across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, resource-constrained, or startup-like environment.
• Strong understanding of technical scope, program cost, schedule, risk, customer deliverables, and execution tradeoffs.
• Experience reviewing or supporting contracts, statements of work, deliverable requirements, milestones, and customer obligations.
• Working knowledge of DFARS, prime contracts, subcontractor flow-downs, and government contracting environments.
• Familiarity with ITAR and export-controlled program environments.
• Proven ability to bring structure to ambiguous situations and drive execution with limited data or direction.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational discipline, and follow-through.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical program status, risks, and recommendations to leadership, customers, and cross-functional teams.
• Working knowledge of Earned Value Management, cost/schedule performance tracking, and execution of defense and/or space programs across contract types such as firm-fixed-price, cost-plus, and milestone-based agreements.

Qualifications

• Basic Qualifications: Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance at the appropriate level (requires U.S. Citizenship); Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, aerospace engineering, systems engineering, mechanical engineering, or another related engineering discipline; 5+ years of experience in engineering, systems engineering, or related roles supporting complex technical programs; Experience supporting defense, space, or other highly regulated technical environments; Demonstrated ability to work across cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, resource-constrained, or startup-like environment; Strong understanding of technical scope, program cost, schedule, risk, customer deliverables, and execution tradeoffs; Experience reviewing or supporting contracts, statements of work, deliverable requirements, milestones, and customer obligations; Working knowledge of DFARS, prime contracts, subcontractor flow-downs, and government contracting environments; Familiarity with ITAR and export-controlled program environments; Proven ability to bring structure to ambiguous situations and drive execution with limited data or direction; Strong attention to detail, organizational discipline, and follow-through; Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical program status, risks, and recommendations to leadership, customers, and cross-functional teams; Working knowledge of Earned Value Management, cost/schedule performance tracking, and execution of defense and/or space programs across contract types such as firm-fixed-price, cost-plus, and milestone-based agreements.
• Preferred Qualifications: Experience in a startup, growth-stage company, or small-company environment where leaders are expected to be hands-on and operate across multiple functions; Experience supporting program recovery, corrective action planning, or turnaround efforts for programs facing cost, schedule, technical, execution, or customer satisfaction challenges; Prior experience as an engineer, systems engineer, technical lead, engineering manager, or technical program manager; Experience supporting programs for prime contractors, government customers, or major defense and space customers; Experience with embedded software, electronics, avionics, spacecraft systems, defense electronics, communications systems, mission systems, or other mission-critical hardware/software products; Experience supporting proposals, customer negotiations, change orders, contract modifications, and program financial reviews; Advanced degree in engineering, business, or a related technical field.