Senior Program Manager

Education Requirements:

Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience is required, plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree, plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience to meet managerial expectations.

Clearance Requirements:
Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

General Dynamics Mission Systems is building the enterprise that will own the optical communications layer of the modern battlespace - and this role is at the center of it.

We are standing up a new cross-Line of Business Free Space Optics (FSO) organization that unifies laser communications programs, IRADs, and product development spanning tactical ground, airborne, space payload, and space ground domains. This is not a single-program PM role. This is a portfolio leadership position with direct accountability for significant pipeline opportunities across six active programs, five IRADs, and multiple active captures - all built on a common modem and aperture product architecture.

The Senior Program Manager will serve as the operational backbone of this cross-LoB construct, working alongside a Chief Engineer and VP to drive disciplined execution across programs that today sit in different business areas and different Lines of Business. You will not inherit a steady-state organization - you will help build one. The programs exist. The engineering talent exists. The captures are live. What this organization needs is a PM who can weave them into a coherent, integrated operation with unified cost, schedule, staffing, and technical performance visibility.

Technology flows across programs in non-obvious ways: a 3uVPX modem developed under one IRAD becomes the production baseline for an airborne pursuit, while waveform IP from tactical systems feeds into a major space ground opportunity. No single program tells the full story. The PM must hold the complete picture. The PM who fills this role will shape outcomes that define GDMS's position in optical communications for the next decade.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own cross-program execution across six active programs spanning two Lines of Business, establishing integrated WBS-based baselines, management reserve, and earned value frameworks where the portfolio has historically operated as disconnected efforts.
• Drive a unified product pipeline - common modem and aperture product lines in three form factors (COTS server-based, 3uVPX ruggedized, and VPX space) - ensuring that engineering investment in one program flows systematically to others.
• Manage resource allocation across a ~30+ person engineering team that supports all programs and IRADs simultaneously, resolving the schedule conflicts and key-person dependencies that arise when a lean team serves a broad portfolio.
• Drive capture and proposal execution for active pursuits, translating IRAD-matured technology into competitive proposals.
• Serve as the primary programmatic interface to internal stakeholders across business areas as well as many external customers  
• Build the management infrastructure for a new organizational construct - staffing plans, financial reporting, IRAD governance, and operating rhythms that don't exist yet because this group is being formed now.
• Coordinate cross-LoB technical alignment with the Chief Engineers to ensure that waveform architecture decisions, turbulence mitigation research, and manufacturing readiness efforts are leveraged enterprise-wide rather than siloed by business area.

WHAT YOU'LL EXPERIENCE

• A portfolio-level PM role with direct impact on GDMS's strategic position in a rapidly growing $1B+ market
• Technology at the leading edge of laser communications - from coherent 100G space modems to AI-accelerated adaptive optics
• The opportunity to build a cross-LoB organization from the ground up alongside senior executive leadership
• A team of deeply technical engineers, scientists, and capture professionals who have been waiting for the organizational structure to match the ambition of the technology

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience to meet managerial expectations
• Demonstrated experience managing a portfolio of programs (not just a single program) with shared resources, interdependent technology, and multiple customers
• Fluency in earned value management, integrated baseline reviews, and WBS-based planning for programs where scope is evolving and management reserve is essential
• Experience coordinating across organizational boundaries - business areas, sites, or Lines of Business - where you have influence but not always direct authority
• Strong technical fluency in hardware/software systems development (optical communications or adjacent RF/EW/space domains preferred)
• Proven ability to stand up program management infrastructure for new or restructured organizations

WHAT SETS YOU APART

• Prior experience in optical communications, directed energy, or space payload programs
• Background in cross-LoB or cross-business-area program management within a large defense prime
• Experience managing both IRAD investment portfolios and production transition simultaneously
• Familiarity with DoW acquisition processes, OTA/OT contracting, and product management
• Active TS/SCI clearance or the ability to obtain one (multiple programs in this portfolio are compartmented)
• Track record of building teams and management systems in greenfield or restructured organizations - you've done the "first 90 days" work of standing up cadence, reporting, and governance before

OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

• An exciting career path with opportunities for continuous learning and development
• Flexible schedules with every other Friday off work, if desired (9/80 schedule)
• Competitive benefits, including 401k matching, flex time off, paid parental leave, healthcare benefits, health & wellness programs, employee resource and social groups, and more
• See more at gdmissionsystems.com/careers/why-work-for-us/benefits

Workplace Options: This position offers a hybrid work model with a core presence at our Annapolis Junction, MD facility. Travel to partner sites may be required periodically to support cross-LoB coordination.

#LI-JH1

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans