SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER

Industry: Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Performance Center
Product Focus: Advanced circuit cards for aerospace and defense applications
Travel: Up to 30%

Position Overview

Our client, a leading manufacturer of advanced circuit cards for the aerospace and defense industries, is seeking an experienced Senior Program Manager to oversee and drive the successful execution of customer programs.

This individual will serve as the primary point of contact for customers, ensuring programs are delivered in accordance with contractual obligations, technical requirements, schedules, quality standards, and financial objectives.

The Senior Program Manager will lead cross-functional Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), coordinate internal resources, manage customer relationships, oversee contract performance, and drive continuous improvement initiatives. This role requires a strong combination of program management, customer relationship management, contract administration, financial oversight, and operational leadership.

Key Responsibilities

1. Customer Relationship & Program Leadership

• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers throughout the program lifecycle.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships while ensuring expectations and contractual commitments are met.
• Lead Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) and ensure customer requirements are communicated and executed across all functional departments.
• Monitor customer scorecards, surveys, and performance metrics.
• Provide timely communication to customers and senior leadership regarding program costs, quality concerns, schedule changes, and potential risks.
• Lead customer program reviews and presentations.
• Coordinate customer inquiries and ensure timely, accurate responses.
• Oversee New Product Introduction (NPI) activities and phase-gate processes.

2. Internal Coordination & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Coordinate with Engineering, Operations, Quality, Finance, Contracts, and other departments to ensure successful program execution.
• Lead program teams to achieve established objectives while maintaining alignment with corporate policies, budgets, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure customer requirements are accurately translated into internal operational and technical deliverables.
• Develop and coordinate program schedules, recovery plans, status reports, and performance updates.
• Partner with leadership to align company capabilities and resources with customer expectations.
• Communicate customer cost-reduction and process-improvement objectives throughout the organization.
• Lead Lean, Kaizen, and continuous improvement initiatives across operational and administrative functions.
• Oversee program bookings and backlog inputs into the MRP system.
• Present program performance updates to senior leadership.

3. Contract & Commercial Management

• Review and analyze customer contracts, purchase orders, and contractual requirements, including terms and conditions, scope of work, funding, performance periods, and deliverables.
• Coordinate contract reviews with the Director of Contracts and other relevant stakeholders.
• Develop negotiation strategies and lead customer contract negotiations.
• Monitor program compliance with contractual and purchase order requirements.
• Prepare and manage customer claims, assertions, and other contractual communications as needed.

4. Operations & Resource Management

• Partner with Operations leadership to ensure production and operational requirements support program commitments.
• Coordinate staffing, resource allocation, and Integrated Product Team development.
• Support operational planning, capital expenditure requirements, and preventative maintenance initiatives.
• Identify potential production constraints and work with cross-functional teams to develop solutions that protect program schedules and customer commitments.

5. Financial & Fiscal Management

• Monitor program financial performance, including costs, margins, budgets, and schedules.
• Analyze actual versus projected performance and identify potential financial risks.
• Provide input to Finance for program cash flow forecasting and planning.
• Partner with Finance to support customer invoicing, resolve payment delays, and address customer claims or disputes.
• Ensure program financial objectives remain aligned with contractual commitments and company profitability goals.

6. Business Development & Program Growth

• Oversee business unit bookings, backlog, past-due orders, receivables, and sales forecasts.
• Maintain accurate booking and sales tracking systems to support monthly business reporting.
• Identify opportunities for follow-on business and coordinate planning to meet customer lead-time requirements.
• Partner with Business Development to identify, pursue, and capture new business opportunities.
• Support customer cost-reduction initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.
• Travel to customer locations as needed, approximately 30%.

7. Proposal Development & Customer Audits

• Lead cross-functional proposal teams in developing and submitting proposals for new and follow-on business.
• Coordinate with Estimating to establish pricing, cost structures, schedules, and capital investment requirements.
• Ensure proposals meet customer requirements and align with company business objectives.
• Support customer, DCAA, and DCMA audits as required.

Required Skills & Qualifications

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following:

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to communicate effectively with customers, senior leadership, and employees across all organizational levels.
• Experience in program management, production control, contract administration, or related manufacturing functions.
• Strong customer service orientation and attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Working knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Familiarity with Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems.
• A collaborative, team-oriented mindset with a focus on operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) required; MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 7+ years of experience in program management within an aerospace, defense, or manufacturing environment.
• PMP or CAPM certification preferred.
• Additional training or certification in contract administration or project management is a plus.
• Experience overseeing programs valued at $25 million or more is highly desirable.
• Previous supervisory or people management experience is preferred.
• Experience managing complex customer programs involving multiple departments, contractual requirements, budgets, and production schedules is strongly preferred.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel up to 30% to support customer relationships and program activities.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong commitment to customer satisfaction, program execution, and continuous improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced program management professional to take ownership of strategic aerospace and defense programs while working with advanced manufacturing technologies and high-profile customers.