Lead Program Manager

STR is seeking a Lead Program Manager (PM) in the Systems Development Division who is passionate about working with a team to develop cutting-edge solutions to emerging national security challenges. The PM will initially work with a more senior Program Director responsible for the planning and execution of a complex portfolio of programs, and will have opportunities to manage stand-alone programs from proposal development / contract initiation through program close-out and transition. The PM will also be responsible for facilitating business operations across the portfolio to enable successful execution.

We believe that each candidate has a unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives that could enable us to provide our customers with innovative solutions. The skills listed below are intended to give you a sense for the position. If you see an overlap with your skills, go ahead and apply!

PM responsibilities will include understanding requirements from our program customer(s), establishing the program schedule and milestones to meet those requirements, managing the budgets and expenditures of the program, and coordinating the preparation of deliverables such as presentations, test plans, and reports. It also includes identifying and mitigating risks to ensure timely, successful deliveries of products to customers.

You will work closely with STR Contracts, Finance, Security, and IT teams and partner with the program’s Chief Engineer to manage sub-contractors and vendors, ensuring smooth integration and accomplishment of assigned tasks. Additionally, the PM will routinely collaborate across multi-disciplinary teams to support the Portfolio Lead and other key stakeholders on staff planning, financial planning, recruiting and onboarding, and continuous improvement of internal security and IT processes.

What you will do:

• Effectively execute programs to ensure cost, schedule and technical program metrics are being tracked and are progressing according to plan.  Identify and analyze variances and develop approaches to address issues and achieve a successful outcome.
• Aid in proposal development by leading the capture and proposal writing/delivery while ensuring adherence to gated capture process
• Lead and manage multi-functional teams across broad areas of expertise
• Provide regular program briefs to System Development Portfolio Leadership and external stakeholders
• Create and maintain an environment that fosters collaboration by giving clear direction and constructive feedback to the team
• Monitor progress against goals: anticipate risks, resolve issues, and initiate corrective actions as appropriate
• Work in a fast-paced environment to enable successful contract execution
• Build strong customer relationships and establish open lines of communication

Who you are:

• This position requires the ability to obtain a Top Secret security clearance, for which U.S. citizenship is needed by U.S. Government. 
• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in Government contracting or research and development
• Project management experience in a design and development environment including Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) definition, schedule generation, financial analysis/reporting, and resource management
• Ability to travel up to 25% time (1 week/month) locally and domestically, which will require flexible hours beyond a standard work day/week during key milestone events
• Experience in Proposal Development including planning and cost estimation
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including but not limited to MS Project, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Technical background and experience leading and managing multi-disciplinary engineering teams including software- and hardware-based capabilities
• Strong presentation and organizational skills

Even Better:

• Active Security Clearance (Top Secret preferred)
• Experience with Department of Defense projects and working knowledge of DoD acquisition process
• Familiarity with ISR, Cyber and/or EW missions
• Experience in Risk and Opportunity Management
• Experience managing Research and Development (R&D) programs through all phases from ideation to research and product prototyping, development and deployment
• Demonstrated ability to simultaneously manage multiple, technically diverse programs and teams
• Entrepreneurial spirit and eager to engage in technical marketing and business development

STR is a growing technology company with locations near Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, near Dayton, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Carlsbad, CA. We specialize in advanced research and development for defense, intelligence, and national security in: cyber; next generation sensors, radar, sonar, communications, and electronic warfare; and artificial intelligence algorithms and analytics to make sense of the complexity that is exploding around us.

STR is committed to creating a collaborative learning environment that supports deep technical understanding and recognizes the contributions and achievements of all team members. Our work is challenging, and we go home at night knowing that we pushed the envelope of technology and made the world safer.

STR is not just any company. Our people, culture, and attitude along with their unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives put us on a trajectory to change the world. We can't do it alone, though - we need fellow trailblazers. If you are one, join our team and help to keep our society safe! Visit us at www.str.us for more info.

STR is an equal opportunity employer. We are fully dedicated to hiring the most qualified candidate regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any portion of the employment process, email us at appassist@str.us and provide your contact info.

Pursuant to applicable federal law and regulations, positions at STR require employees to obtain national security clearances and satisfy the requirements for compliance with export control and other applicable laws.