Title:  Lead, Project Management (Operations - Program Interface)

Job Title: Lead, Project Management  (Operations – Program Interface)

Job Code: 36427

Job Location: Huntsville, AL (HQ), Orange, VA or Camden, AR

Job Schedule: Varies by location

Job Description:

The Project Manager leads and coordinates multifaceted engineering projects and programs from conception through completion. This hybrid role blends project management, program oversight, and technical project engineering responsibilities, including driving the transition of manufacturing and qualification of new processes and facilities. The manager provides strategic direction, technical leadership, and cross-functional team coordination to achieve key business and technical objectives.

Essential Functions:

• Plan, organize, and execute complex projects and programs across multiple engineering disciplines, ensuring seamless transition into manufacturing environments.

• Lead cross-functional teams in the implementation, qualification, and ramp-up of new manufacturing processes and facilities.

• Serve as primary point of contact for internal stakeholders, supporting external customer engagements and aligning expectations and managing communications.

• Oversee technical project scope, ensuring alignment with contractual customer requirements, adherence to specifications, and compliance with engineering and manufacturing best practices, quality standards, and regulatory requirements.

• Develop and maintain integrated schedules, budgets, and resource plans, ensuring alignment with program and business objectives.

• Coordinate production transfer activities, process validation, and facility readiness with engineering, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams.

• Monitor performance metrics, reporting progress, issues, and solutions to leadership and stakeholders.

• Identify and resolve project constraints, mitigating risks and maintaining momentum toward key manufacturing and program milestones.

• Support process improvement initiatives and implement lessons learned to optimize future executions.

• Support development of systems and standardization of tasks.

• Aggregate and distill reporting to leadership.

• Train and mentor team and colleagues.

• Travel 20%.

• Ability to obtain a US Security Clearance.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree plus 9+ years of experience or Graduate Degree with 7 years prior experience, or in lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience in Engineering, Project Management, or a related technical field in project management, program management, or project engineering.

• 9+ years of experience leading teams through the transition, qualification, and scale-up of new manufacturing processes or facilities.

• 9+ years of experience with integrated scheduling, budget management, and resource coordination.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or relevant professional certification (PMP, PgMP, PE).

• Experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing

• Experience with Earned Value Management, risk management, and systems engineering. 

• Familiarity with manufacturing and engineering compliance standards, process validation, and qualification protocols.

• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., MS Project, EVMS, MS Teams).

• Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills.