Program Manager
Oversee end-to-end aerospace and defense programs for thermal protection systems, coordinating engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams to meet strict delivery and compliance requirements.
- Compensation
- $80K–$140K / yr
- Location
- Irvine, CA
- Work setup
- Onsite
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 4+ years
- Category
- Project management
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Engineering, Business, or a related fields, or equivalent professional experience including certifications in an aerospace or defense
- 4+ years of direct experience in project management, production planning, or technical coordination within the aerospace, defense, or advanced materials industries.
- Direct experience with ERP systems and customer portals, with a proven ability to ensure system data (milestones/delivery dates) aligns with actual shop floor production status.
- Technical familiarity with complex aerospace systems, such as launch vehicles, missile systems, thermal protection systems (TPS), or composite materials.
- Proficiency in project planning and reporting tools (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or Excel), including the ability to run and analyze data to track job status and backlog.
- Demonstrated experience managing program risk and KPIs, with the ability to develop and execute schedule recovery plans in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Strong organizational and follow-through skills, specifically in managing unreleased/hold lists and expediting jobs through internal departments (Manufacturing, Quality, and Materials).
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams and external partners without direct authority.
- Comfortable acting as a technical liaison, with the ability to translate customer feedback into actionable tasks and communicate complex engineering concepts clearly to internal stakeholders.
- Experience in a high-intensity manufacturing environment, with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and drive tasks from concept through final delivery.
- Willingness to travel to customer sites, test facilities, or partner locations as required to support program integration and execution activities.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance (Secret or higher), including meeting all background check and eligibility requirements for access to controlled defense information and facili
Nice to have
- Active U.S. Security Clearance (Secret or higher) is strongly preferred.
- Deep technical knowledge of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS), including experience with launch vehicles, missile systems, soft goods, coatings, and other components designed for extreme thermal enviro
- Subject matter expertise in advanced manufacturing processes related to metallics and superalloys, composites, ablatives, and ceramics used in high-heat aerospace applications.
- Direct experience with qualification and developmental testing (e.g., vibration, thermal vacuum, or high-velocity flow testing), in addition to standard production testing environments.
- Hands-on experience with PLM systems and CAD tools to support engineering collaboration and configuration management.
- PMP or similar project management certification is a plus.
- Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field is preferred but not required.
- Strong background in customer-facing roles or technical business development, with the ability to manage complex partner and stakeholder relationships.
- Demonstrated success in transition-to-production, specifically moving advanced material designs from the R&D phase into a high-rate manufacturing environment.
Full description
About Canopy Aerospace & Defense
Canopy A&D is built to accelerate the future of advanced materials for space, defense, and maritime systems. Canopy delivers specialized materials and components that carry customers from concept through sustainment. Canopy A&D’s advanced signal attenuation technologies and production-scale manufacturing accelerate the fielding of platforms that are faster, cooler, and quieter. Our adaptive approach ensures solutions evolve at the pace of shifting challenges, keeping our customers ahead of the curve.
Role Overview
This is a full-time, on-site Project Manager role located in California, designed for a proactive leader who bridges the gap between high-level program strategy and shop-floor execution. Serving as a critical link between the Program Management Office (PMO) and Production, you will own the end-to-end lifecycle of complex thermal protection systems and aerospace hardware. This role is not just about tracking schedules; it is about active bottleneck resolution, where you will navigate internal departments to expedite jobs, mitigate risks, and ensure that technical milestones translate into on-time delivery for mission-critical defense and space applications.
As a subject matter expert in program flow, you will collaborate with multi-disciplinary engineering teams and production staff to drive advanced material designs from the R&D phase into high-rate manufacturing. You must be a meticulous self-starter capable of managing data integrity within ERP systems while simultaneously acting as a technical liaison for customers and partners. By providing data-driven insights and maintaining a hands-on presence in the manufacturing environment, you will take full responsibility for driving program objectives to resolution, ensuring that stringent performance, safety, and environmental requirements are met at every stage of production.
Key Responsibilities
- Align cross-functional teams including engineering, manufacturing, quality, and supply chain on program goals, timelines, and deliverables to ensure seamless execution from concept through production.
- Proactively identify and resolve execution bottlenecks across internal departments to maintain strict cost and schedule adherence.
- Expedite jobs through the shop floor and internal work centers to prevent schedule delays and drive task completion.
- Serve as the primary bridge between Program Management Office and Production to obtain accurate recovery dates and real-time production schedules.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks early, implementing data-driven contingency plans to maintain technical performance.
- Monitor and manage unreleased or "on-hold" job lists, driving them to immediate resolution to keep production moving.