Role Overview

PacSci EMC is seeking a Head of Program Management to lead the Program Management Office (PMO) responsible for sustaining programs within a complex, highly engineered defense environment. This role is accountable for ensuring strong, consistent execution across cost, schedule, quality, and customer commitments, while serving as a key connector across engineering, operations, quality, and supply chain.

This is a leadership role with broad ownership, operating with a business mindset across program execution and organizational capability. You will lead a distributed team of program managers while strengthening an established PMO framework, elevating execution rigor, and driving alignment across a highly matrixed environment where success depends on both direct leadership and influence.

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end execution of sustaining programs from contract award through delivery, ensuring performance across cost, schedule, quality, and customer commitments
Operate with a business ownership mindset, taking accountability for program performance, customer outcomes, and execution tradeoffs
Translate contract requirements into executable program plans, schedules, and delivery frameworks
Lead, develop, and elevate a team of ~14 program managers across multiple sites, setting clear expectations and raising the bar on performance
Assess and strengthen an existing PMO framework to improve scalability, consistency, and execution discipline
Build organizational capability through talent assessment, coaching, onboarding, training, and continuous improvement
Drive cross-functional alignment across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, and finance, ensuring coordinated execution
Influence without authority in a matrixed environment, establishing accountability and clarity across teams that do not directly report to you
Introduce and scale performance metrics, dashboards, and reporting to improve visibility into program health, risks, and outcomes
Ensure execution aligns with contractual and regulatory requirements, supporting disciplined and predictable delivery

Qualifications

Significant experience in defense or government contracting environments, with strong understanding of contract execution and customer expectations
Background in prime or sub-prime defense organizations strongly preferred
Proven leadership of program management or PMO functions, including direct team leadership
Demonstrated experience leading teams while influencing cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority
Track record of building or elevating organizational capability (teams, processes, systems, training)
Experience improving or scaling execution in growing or evolving environments, with measurable impact
Demonstrated business ownership mindset, including managing performance, tradeoffs, and outcomes tied to programs
Technical credibility through experience in engineering, manufacturing, quality, or similarly complex environments
Experience with program controls (e.g., EVM, IMS, or similar frameworks) in defense or highly regulated environments
Thrives in fast-paced, high-accountability environments with competing priorities and ambiguity

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