Senior Program Manager
Senior Program Manager at an aerospace company building long-endurance unmanned aircraft systems. Owns delivery of customer programs end to end (scope, schedule, cost, risk), builds and matures the PMO, mentors junior project managers, and coordinates Engineering, Production, Operations, Finance, and customers. Remote with up to 25% travel.
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Remote, United States
- Work setup
- Remote
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Contract
- Experience
- Not specified
- Category
- Project management
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 8+ years of program/project management experience, including 3+ years leading complex technical programs across multiple functions
- Delivered aerospace, defense, unmanned systems, robotics, or comparable hardware/software programs from planning through customer acceptance
- Experience managing program budgets, forecasts, integrated schedules, contractual deliverables, risks, and changes
- Ability to lead through influence, resolve competing priorities, and secure commitments from functional teams
- Strong customer-facing communication and executive briefing skills, including explaining technical tradeoffs and escalating with actionable recommendations
- Working knowledge of engineering development, systems integration, verification and validation, manufacturing, and field operations
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, program management, or related discipline, or equivalent professional or military experience
Nice to have
- Experience with unmanned aircraft, autonomy, intelligence and surveillance systems, payload integration, or airborne communications
- Experience supporting U.S. government or international defense customers, including product deliveries and contractor-operated services
- Familiarity with government contracting, subcontract management, and applicable export or security requirements
- PMP certification or equivalent training; experience introducing practical program controls and reporting in a scaling company
Full description
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace (KHA) is an aerospace company specializing in long-endurance unmanned aerial platforms for a wide variety of industries. KHA supports a number of customers to carry out missions involving aerial reconnaissance, survey, communication relay and communications provisioning. Endurance, enabled by effective design, is key to these applications and KHA aircraft utilize cutting-edge aircraft design together with on-board intelligence to deliver value for these customers.
Kraus Hamdani Aerospace develops autonomous unmanned aircraft systems that provide persistent aerial intelligence and communications for defense, public safety, and commercial missions.
The Senior Program Manager owns delivery of assigned customer programs, from proposal planning and contract award through development, production, fielding, sustainment, and closeout. This hands-on leader is accountable for scope, schedule, cost, risk, and customer commitments, translating mission needs into executable plans and coordinating teams across Engineering, Production, Operations, Finance, and Client Success.
Work Location & Travel
This is a remote position requiring up to 25% travel to support customer engagements, program execution, and company operations.
Key responsibilities
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PMO Development & Governance: Establish, implement, and mature the company’s Program Management Office (PMO) while concurrently managing assigned programs; develop standardized program management processes, governance, reporting, and tools to drive accountability, cross-functional alignment, predictable execution, and on-time delivery across the organization.
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Project Manager Development & Mentorship: Train, mentor, and develop junior Project Managers by providing hands-on coaching, establishing standardized project management practices, and reinforcing best practices in planning, scheduling, risk management, stakeholder communication, and execution. Build organizational project management competency through structured training, performance feedback, and progressive delegation of responsibilities to develop a capable, accountable, and self-sufficient project management team aligned with PMO standards.
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Lead one or more complex programs, establishing integrated schedules, budgets, milestones, deliverables, acceptance criteria, and clear ownership across functional teams.
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Manage, train, and mentor individual Project Managers. Set clear priorities and performance expectations, provide regular coaching and feedback, and develop their skills in planning, financial management, risk mitigation, and customer communication.
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Partner with Business Development and Solutions Engineering on proposals, rough-order-of-magnitude estimates, execution assumptions, and achievable customer commitments; lead the transition from award into execution.