Director of Program Management - Defense

Job Duties And Responsibilities

The individual in this role will be a seasoned Program Manager responsible for leading the planning, execution, and delivery of a large-scale, global ground systems program for defense. This role is critical to ensuring disciplined delivery of mission-critical capabilities, bridging program execution excellence with technical rigor to meet stringent national defense requirements and to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.

This position is primarily located at our Gaithersburg, MD office, though frequent travel to both CONUS and OCONUS customer locations may be required.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, maintenance, and execution of all program plans (PMP, IMP, IMS) to ensure alignment with contractual milestones, deliverables, compliance standards, and customer requirements
• Lead cross-functional, multi-contractor teams across engineering, integration, test, operations, and sustainment; this includes all aspects of a satellite ground system – civils, physical construction, outdoor and indoor equipment, and complex satellite communication and network components
• Partner with Engineering leadership to manage system architecture, integration, and technical baselines, and ensure the implementation of rigorous system engineering practices
• Manage program cost, schedule, and performance using Earned Value Management (EVM), driving successful completion of major program reviews and on-time delivery of all CDRL items
• Implement structured risk and opportunity management processes, leading issue resolution and escalation processes across stakeholders
• Implement quality management processes across all phases of the lifecycle, and ensure adherence to DoD standards, cybersecurity, and mission assurance requirements
• Serve as the primary interface with the government program leadership
• Report regular program status to internal executive level stakeholders

Basic Requirements

• Skills, Experience and Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, aerospace, or a related field
• 18+ years of relevant work experience (15+ years with Master’s degree)
• Prior experience with the U.S. DoW, space, and/or satellite communications programs
• Must hold a U.S. government security clearance at TS/SCI

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven leadership of large, complex programs involving ground systems and/or space architecture procurements in excess of $150M
• Project Management Institute (PMI) PMP certification or equivalent
• Expertise with Earned Value Management (EVM) and reporting
• Strong background in systems engineering processes and lifecycle management

Salary Ranges

Compensation: $131,000.00/Year - $187,000.00/Year

Benefits

We offer versatile health perks, including flexible spending accounts, HSA, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, career opportunities, and a flexible time away plan; all benefits can be viewed here: EchoStar Benefits.