Lead Program Manager, Lazuli Space Telescope

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and coordination of the Lazuli program management team, including subsystem program managers (spacecraft, telescope, instruments, ground, mission ops).
• Work hand-in-hand with the Chief Engineer to align technical decisions with programmatic commitments.
• Own the integrated master schedule and rolling-wave budget.
• Track Rec/Del commitments across suppliers and internal teams; enforce accountability and corrective actions.
• Monitor cost center health, report variances to Program Executive Director.
• Support program reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, ORR), ensuring readiness, documentation, and stakeholder confidence.
• Oversee subcontractor performance (Raytheon, UofA, SSTL, Teledyne, Bertin, etc.), ensuring delivery windows align with spacecraft/instrument integration needs. Manage vendor relationships.
• Cooky Compliance to manage ITAR/EAR frameworks and international partner data flows.
• Implement incentive structures that encourage on-time, high-quality performance; maintain rigorous monitoring of contractual deliveries; and establish a disciplined process for tracking, resolving, and preventing corrective actions across the program.
• Develop Mission Assurance and success by overseeing quality, risk management, and compliance across all program activities.
• Communicate progress, issues, and decisions effectively to executive leadership, sponsors, and stakeholders.
• Foster urgency, collaborative, and accountable culture across distributed teams (U.S. and international).
• Anticipate challenges, propose mitigation strategies, and drive rapid decision-making to maintain momentum.

Qualifications

• Over 12 years of experience in aerospace, space missions, or equivalent program management, with a proven track record of delivering complex, multi-partner programs successfully.
• Familiarity with NASA, DoD, ESA, or comparable mission lifecycles, reviews, and systems engineering practices.
• Demonstrated expertise in cost/schedule management, contracts, risk registers, and WBS structures.
• Experience managing multiple subcontractors and international partners under ITAR/EAR frameworks.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence across technical, scientific, and executive domains.
• Degree in engineering, physics, or related field preferred.

Pay

$250,000 - $300,000 a year

Schedule

This role requires access to U.S. export controlled information. Candidates must be a U.S. person (i.e. a citizen of the United States, a permanent resident, or a legal asylee or refugee) OR receive approval from the U.S. Government to work with U.S. export controlled information. This is an exempt role.