Program Management Associate Director

About the role

We are seeking a Program Management Associate Director for our Bumblebee program.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end program execution for ground segment development, ensuring cost, schedule, and performance baselines are met across all satellite operations deliverables and contract milestones.
• Own program financial performance, managing budgets, funding profiles, and Estimates to Complete while proactively surfacing variances and corrective actions to senior leadership.
• Serve as the primary customer interface, leading program status reviews, change board discussions, and stakeholder engagements to maintain alignment on ground segment priorities and mission timelines.
• Drive risk and opportunity management by maintaining the program risk register, ensuring mitigations are funded and resourced, and escalating critical items ahead of major decision gates.
• Manage cross-functional dependencies and subcontractor performance, holding internal teams and vendors accountable to integrated schedule commitments and contract deliverable quality.
• Ensure contract compliance and deliverable acceptance, working closely with contracts, finance, and quality assurance to meet all contract deliverables, and performance indicator targets.
• Partner with senior leadership to shape program strategy, including growth planning, follow-on positioning, and alignment of ground segment investments with broader organizational and customer objectives.
• Lead proposal development and capture efforts for follow-on contracts, modifications, and new business pursuits, driving win strategies, basis of estimates, and management volume development.
• Deliver clear, concise briefings to executive leadership and customers on program health, emerging risks, resource needs, and key decisions requiring action.
• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing program team, setting priorities, removing obstacles, and fostering accountability across engineering, operations, and delivery staff.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, or science required; advanced degree preferred
• 12+ years of U.S. Government (USG) program/project management experience, preferably supporting Department of Defense (DoD) and/or Intelligence Community (IC) satellite or ground segment programs
• 5–7 years of engineering or technical foundation experience sufficient to credibly lead multidisciplinary teams and engage in informed program-level trade discussions
• Demonstrated experience managing programs using Scaled Agile (SAFe) or hybrid delivery frameworks
• Proven ability to manage cost, schedule, and performance baselines across complex, multi-vendor programs with competing priorities and firm deadlines
• Strong executive communication skills — able to distill complex program status, risks, and recommendations into clear, confident briefings tailored to diverse audiences
• Strategic thinker with sound judgment and decisiveness, able to assess ambiguous situations and drive effective solutions
• Track record of building trusted relationships with senior leadership, customers, and cross-functional teams to achieve shared program outcomes
• Proactive mindset — consistently identifies process improvements, shares knowledge, and raises the performance of those around them

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI Clearance (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active)

Skills

• Project Management Accreditation (APMP, PMI or equivalent)

Benefits

Base Pay Range: $165,000 - $230,000 USD Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors and this range represents an estimate of compensation at the time of posting.

Employee benefits also include medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage; 401(k) retirement plan options; paid time off and paid holidays; paid parental leave; and other discounts and perks.

Iridium is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.