Senior Program Manager

Job Summary

Join Leonardo DRS as a Senior Program Manager in Melbourne, FL, where you’ll lead the day-to-day execution of multiple programs to ensure contract requirements are met and cost, schedule, and performance commitments are achieved. You will guide integrated product and project teams from kick-off through closeout, serve as a primary interface for internal and external customers, and support bid and proposal activities under the guidance of senior program leadership. Partnering closely with Engineering and cross-functional stakeholders (e.g., operations, supply chain, contracts, and finance), you will plan, track, and execute development programs and technical projects, proactively manage risk, and drive timely, high-quality outcomes across the program lifecycle. 

What You Will Do

• Lead end-to-end engineering development execution from concept through design, integration, verification, and transition to production or deployment, managing scope, schedule, cost, and technical performance.
• Lead project planning and conduct an Integrated Program Baseline Review (IPBR) and perform monitor and control of the baseline throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate cross-functional engineering teams (systems, software, hardware, mechanical, electrical, test, manufacturing, quality, supply chain) to deliver results against plan.
• Manage requirements and technical baseline in partnership with Systems Engineering, ensuring traceability, decomposition, and alignment to contractual and stakeholder needs.
• Control scope and change via formal change management (ECPs, CCBs, contract mods), including impact assessments for cost, schedule, and technical performance.
• Manage budgets and forecasts, including EAC/ETC inputs, labor and material planning, burn-rate monitoring, and corrective actions to maintain plan.
• Oversee subcontractor and supplier execution (SOW development, schedules, deliverables, performance management, and integration of CDRLs/data items).
• Plan and execute technical reviews and gates (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, readiness reviews), ensuring entry/exit criteria are met and artifacts are complete.
• Ensure verification and validation planning and execution, coordinating test strategy, procedures, lab/field events, defect tracking, and closure to acceptance criteria.
• Promote disciplined configuration management for documentation, interfaces, releases, and controlled baselines across the development lifecycle.
• Support proposal and growth activities as needed, including ROMs, BOEs, staffing plans, schedules, and basis-of-estimate documentation.
• Allocate and control contract budgets for labor, material, travel and purchased services. Regularly report program status to senior management in monthly Program Management Reviews.
• Formally identify, assess, monitor and mitigate risk throughout the program life cycle.
• Obtains management approval prior to making decisions that will cause deterioration of established program, cost and schedule objectives.
• Notify and seek senior management assistance in resolving schedule and budget problems as they arise.
• Develop and implement corrective action plans when deviations from budgets and/or schedules are evident.
• Perform variance analysis of schedule and cost on a formal and informal basis and present them to senior management (i.e. earned value management system).
• Coordinate with Contracts Administration on issues pertaining to contract requirements, changes, and interpretations.
• Assure the contract requirements are executed in accordance with appropriate regulations and Company policies and procedures (i.e. federal acquisition regulations).

Job Responsibilities Part II

• Provide leadership to program or project team. Assures communication and cooperation among team members and resolves areas of conflict.
• Ensure a timely closeout of completed programs to ensure that all obligations are satisfied and program documentation is properly recorded.
• Understand and develop leading verses lagging indicators.
• Develop and execute program corrective action strategies.
• May partner with various stakeholders on planning process and system improvements. 

Qualifications

• 7+ years project management experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience 
• Knowledge of program management tools and procedures
• Solid leadership and management skills 
• Experience throughout the program lifecycle from development through sustainment to include: proposal development, requirements decomposition, generation of system and subsystem statements of work and subcontracts, risk management, and continuous improvement efforts including implementation cost reduction and performance improvement efforts
• Experience with earned value cost accounting and reporting; experience with metrics for assessing and reporting program progress, productivity and variance analysis
• Experience in finance, contracting, export regulations, engineering, logistics, manufacturing and supply chain management
• Solid problem-solving skills
• Strong presentation skills
• Experience with managing manpower planning, project reviews, scheduling and budget control
• Ability to manage aerospace/defense programs as a prime or subcontractor to a domestic or foreign military organization   
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Program Management certification preferred (i.e. PMP or DAU)