Principal Program Manager

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Business Unit: Land Electronics
Location: Melbourne, FL
Career Functional Area: Program Management
Telework Type: Hybrid
Type: Full-time Employee
Schedule: 9/80
Shift: 1st Shift

Our Mission

At Leonardo DRS Land Electronics, we build rugged, cutting-edge electronic systems that keep our warfighters connected, protected, and dominant on every battlefield. From advanced vehicle electronics and power management to tactical communications and sensor integration, our gear is engineered for the harshest environments – and the highest stakes. We move fast, innovate relentlessly, and deliver solutions that turn technology into tactical advantage. Join us and own the edge where innovation meets mission. 

Job Summary

Help shape the next wave of military technology and products by advancing next-generation computing solutions that support military missions and company growth. Working in close partnership with the Director of Programs, you will lead proposal development and demonstration projects while processing and monitoring the internal research and development (IRAD) budget. You will guide engineering-development work across the program lifecycle, keeping cost, schedule, technical performance, and risk visible to leadership and the teams responsible for delivery. This role brings engineering, business development, operations, and customers together to connect product decisions with business priorities and line-of-business strategy. As you strengthen program practices and develop team capability, you will gain broader exposure to strategic decisions and opportunities to expand your leadership scope.

Essential Functions

• Lead bid and proposal development and management for medium- to high-complexity opportunities; partner with business development, marketing, sales, and engineering to align customer needs, technical solutions, and portfolio strategy.
• Direct the day-to-day execution of multiple programs and next-generation computing demonstration projects within contractual requirements; coordinate engineering teams and project plans from start through completion to meet cost, schedule, and performance commitments.
• Own program planning and financial oversight, including processing and monitoring the IRAD budget, tracking project cost and forecasts, reviewing cash flow, and managing schedules and performance against established milestones.
• Lead regular and monthly program reviews for leadership; use progress metrics and leading and lagging indicators to surface risks, identify root causes, drive corrective actions, and recover programs with schedule or technical-performance concerns.
• Guide development work within the full program lifecycle, from requirements and technical planning through production and sustainment, while following program management directives and coordinating material execution, inventory, and cross-functional handoffs where the program requires them.
• Build and maintain program-wide risk processes to identify, assess, monitor, and mitigate technical, financial, and execution risks; drive continuous improvement and practical process or system changes.
• Strengthen customer and internal stakeholder relationships, gather feedback on program performance, and collaborate with business development to expand opportunities with existing and prospective customers.
• Develop program management talent through coaching, mentoring, and team development while reinforcing the organization’s mission, values, and culture.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience, and 10 or more years of relevant experience.
• Experience developing and managing medium- to high-complexity proposals, including requirements decomposition, system and subsystem statements of work, subcontracts, risk management, cost reduction, and performance improvement.
• Experience managing program financials and execution, including earned value cost accounting and reporting; progress, productivity, and variance metrics; manpower planning; project reviews; schedules; and budget control.
• Strong experience leading engineering-development projects or programs across the full lifecycle, from development through production and sustainment. Technical understanding of complex products and the ability to translate engineering discussions into clear requirements, risks, tradeoffs, and decisions for program stakeholders.
• Experience across finance, contracting, export regulations, engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain management.
• Ability to manage aerospace or defense programs as a prime contractor or subcontractor for a domestic or foreign military organization.
• Mature program management judgment and a strategic business and product-roadmap perspective: ability to assess technical, financial, and schedule tradeoffs, set priorities beyond day-to-day project administration, and quickly learn and apply DRS technologies and processes. Knowledge of program management tools, procedures, and governance.
• Strong leadership, customer orientation, problem-solving, and team-building skills, with clear written, verbal, and presentation communication; ability to explain technical and financial program information to varied stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications / Additional Skills

• Program management certification such as PMP or DAU.
• Familiarity with process-improvement methods such as Lean Six Sigma; DoD FAR procurement rules or MRP/ERP and material planning experience where applicable to the program.