Back to jobs
tags.new

Principal Program Manager

Huntsville, Alabama, United States

STRATOLAUNCH HUNTSVILLE
Help build the next chapter of hypersonic flight.

Stratolaunch is a technology accelerator that engineers operationally realistic testing at Mach 5+. Our air-launched, Talon testbeds are reusable, cost-effective platforms that enable routine access to the hypersonic environment. We deliver flight data critical to validating system performance and achieving rapid technology deployment. Together with our customers, we drive innovations that are imperative to advancing national security.

To achieve these great efforts, Stratolaunch is seeking a Principal Program Manager with at least 20 years of relevant experience. This visible leadership role is responsible for the successful execution of complex, multi-disciplinary programs, including strategic planning, cross-functional team leadership, and direct support of the Program Director in all aspects of program delivery and organizational growth. The role spans the design and modification, manufacturing, and flight test of a fleet of reusable hypersonic test vehicles. A candidate for this role must be comfortable leading cross-functional teams in a strong matrixed environment, driving the execution of highly complex, technical projects. A strong candidate will be able to make difficult programmatic decisions in an environment where not all the desired information is available.  

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Leadership
  • Lead strategic program initiatives and represent the Program Director in executive forums, customer engagements, and internal leadership meetings.
  • Mentor, coach, and develop program managers and team leads across the organization.

 

  1. Program Oversight & Execution
  • Oversee execution of multiple, concurrent programs with full responsibility for cost, schedule, technical performance, and customer satisfaction.
  • Drive the adoption of advanced program management processes, tools, and best practices.
  • Make high-impact decisions affecting program direction, resource allocation, and risk posture.
  • Lead program forecasting and budgeting activities, ensuring accurate financial planning and alignment with organizational goals.
  • Manage revenue recognition and contract invoicing processes, ensuring compliance with accounting standards and timely billing.
  • Monitor and report on program financial performance, proactively addressing variances and risks.

 

  1. Strategic Planning & Business Growth
  • Partner with the Program Director and executive leadership to define long-term program strategies, business plans, and growth opportunities.
  • Lead the development of new business proposals, capture strategies, and customer engagement plans.
  • Identify and pursue opportunities for program expansion, technology insertion, and process improvement.

 

  1. Customer & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for key customers, government agencies, and strategic partners.
  • Negotiate complex contracts, manage high-level customer relationships, and ensure alignment with customer objectives and expectations.

 

  1. Risk, Compliance & Governance
  • Oversee program risk management, compliance, and governance activities, including classified program execution and security requirements.
  • Ensure adherence to all regulatory, contractual, and quality standards.

 

 

  1. Organizational Leadership
  • Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  • Lead cross-functional teams (engineering, operations, procurement, finance, legal) to ensure seamless program execution.
  • Champion overall team growth and development, including talent acquisition, onboarding, training, and professional advancement.
  • Develop and manage senior-level talent pipelines and succession planning to support long-term organizational objectives.
  • Promote team engagement, collaboration, and high performance through effective communication and recognition programs.
  • Implement organizational development initiatives to enhance team capabilities and drive business results.

 

  1. Reporting & Communication
  • Provide regular, comprehensive program status reports and executive briefings to the Program Director, C-suite, and Board of Directors.
  • Communicate program vision, goals, and progress to internal and external stakeholders.

 

  1. Travel
  • Domestic and occasional international travel as required to support program and company objectives.

 

Qualifications

Required:

  • Minimum 20 years of progressive experience in technical and/or program management, with at least 5 years in a senior or principal-level leadership role within aerospace, defense, or high-technology sectors.
  • A strong sense of urgency, with the ability to make tough decisions in a technical environment
  • Demonstrated success managing large, complex, multi-disciplinary programs with annual budgets >$100M.
  • Extensive experience in aerospace program management, subcontracts and procurement, personnel management, aircraft systems, aircraft operations, launch vehicle integration, and ground systems.
  • Proven track record of technical leadership, including oversight of subcontractors and prototype/low-rate production.
  • Advanced risk management expertise and experience with classified programs.
  • Exceptional facilitation, negotiation, and executive communication skills.
  • Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a TS (Top Secret) security clearance.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and drive organizational change.

 

Preferred:

  • Experience working directly with government agencies, regulatory bodies, and major defense contractors.
  • Air-launch, launch vehicle, and/or aircraft integration program experience.
  • Large transport category or military aircraft operations experience.
  • PMP, PgMP, or equivalent advanced project/program management certification.
  • Experience with classified program execution and secure environments.

 

Required Computer Skills:

  • Advanced proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
  • MS Project and other advanced project management tools

 

Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree (B.S./B.A.) in Engineering, Business Management/Administration, or related discipline from an accredited institution.
  • Master’s degree or higher preferred.
  • 20+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

 

Compensation & Benefits

  • Principal Program Manager $127,000 - $225,000 target bonus : Base salary and leveling established on a case-by-case basis, considering location, education, skills, and experience.

Base salary and leveling are established on a case-by-case basis. We consider several factors to ensure a competitive offer, including your location, educational background, and a comprehensive assessment of the skills and experience demonstrated during your interviews.

Benefits and our location(s): 

  • 9/80 schedule
  • Healthcare (medical, dental, vision, prescription drugs)
  • Paid Maternity and Parental Leave
  • 50% company match per contributed dollar into 401(k) savings plan, up to $11,500
  • Tuition reimbursement

This position may involve the operation of company vehicles as part of assigned duties.

Huntsville, Alabama, known as the Rocket City, combines a thriving aerospace and defense community with the affordability, outdoor access, and quality of life of the Tennessee Valley. Home to Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and one of the nation’s largest concentrations of aerospace, defense, and technology organizations, Huntsville has played a major role in America’s space and defense programs for generations—and continues to be at the center of what comes next.

For outdoor enthusiasts, Huntsville offers plenty to explore. Monte Sano State Park sits just minutes from downtown and features miles of hiking and mountain biking trails overlooking the Tennessee Valley. The nearby Tennessee River provides opportunities for boating, kayaking, fishing, and other water activities, while the region’s parks, greenways, and foothills make it easy to get outdoors year-round.

Prefer city life? Downtown Huntsville offers a growing mix of restaurants, breweries, live music, arts, sports, and entertainment. Catch a concert at the Orion Amphitheater, explore the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, or spend an evening at Toyota Field cheering on the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the region’s aptly named Minor League Baseball team. You can also explore the shops and restaurants at MidCity and Bridge Street or experience Huntsville’s growing arts scene. For a weekend getaway, Nashville, Birmingham, and Chattanooga are all within a few hours’ drive, with Atlanta also easily accessible.

Food and drink enthusiasts will find everything from Southern staples and barbecue to an increasingly diverse restaurant scene, local breweries, coffee shops, and cocktail bars. Huntsville blends the welcoming character of the South with the energy of one of the country’s fastest-growing technology and aerospace communities.

Whether you're drawn by the outdoors, the growing city, or the opportunity to build your career in the heart of America's aerospace and defense industry, Huntsville offers a unique place to live, work, and help shape the future of flight.

Stratolaunch is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity at our company. We encourage people from all walks of life to apply, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law. Our management team does not tolerate discrimination or harassment at any point during our employees’ and applicants’ time with us, especially with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment.  For purposes of transparency, U.S. Citizenship may be required for some positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law:
https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Full address including street, city, state, & zip code

Select...
Certain U.S. government contracts supported by our company prohibit employment of individuals who hold citizenship (including dual citizenship) in specific countries designated by the U.S. Department of State. Please indicate whether you currently hold citizenship (including dual citizenship) in any of the following countries: *

If yes, please list all additional countries of citizenship. If no, please enter “N/A.”

Select...
Select...

I understand that if offered employment I may be required to submit to a drug and/or alcohol screen. I further understand that I must successfully pass such a screen as a condition of beginning my employment.   If test results are not received until after I start employment, a positive test will result in my termination. 

Select...

* Please note that our Relationships at Work policy prohibits the creation of a direct or indirect reporting relationship between an employee and a family member or someone with whom they have a personal relationship with.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Stratolaunch- Huntsville’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 07/31/2029

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.