The Aerospace & Defense Program Manager leads mission-critical field services, manufacturing services, and sustainment programs for prime contractors, large OEMs, and Tier-1 suppliers across commercial and defense aerospace. This role owns senior-level delivery leadership for complex technical engagements spanning operations, sustainment, testing, design integration, aircraft maintenance/modification, avionics, engines, electrical systems, airframes, and structures. The Aerospace & Defense PM leads the implementation and execution of Insight Global Consulting’s full Program Delivery Lifecycle, including emphasis on ensuring clear scope and deliverables, identifying and managing risks through robust risk management processes, development and use of project schedules and PM tools to monitor and control delivery.

Scopes of work currently managed include managed services across electrical, mechanical and structural engineering disciplines (ex. non-conformance report (NCR), liaison engineering, stress analysis, software and system testing, process improvement and SOP design and documentation) across commercial and defense market customer programs.  

This leader serves as the accountable interface between customer leadership, engineering, operations, field teams, vendors, and internal delivery executives, translating mission requirements into executable programs with disciplined governance, measurable outcomes, and clear executive visibility. The ideal candidate brings aerospace or defense delivery credibility, sound technical judgment, a passion for teamwork and team development, and the ability to lead through ambiguity in highly regulated, safety-critical environments.

Strategic Program and Customer Delivery Leadership

• Senior Program Ownership — Lead concurrent aerospace and defense programs across flightline, depot, MRO, manufacturing, and sustainment environments with accountability for customer commitments and portfolio-level delivery outcomes.
• Customer and Mission Alignment — Translate customer priorities, contract commitments, operational constraints, and mission readiness needs into clear execution priorities for cross-functional delivery teams.
• Technical Delivery Integration — Partner with engineering, maintenance, quality, manufacturing, and field service leaders to align work packages, technical decisions, acceptance criteria, and delivery milestones.

Execution Governance and Performance Control

• Integrated Program Planning — Establish integrated master schedules, milestone gates, resource plans, and operating cadences that provide leadership visibility and drive disciplined execution from kickoff through closeout.
• Performance Management — Use program dashboards, action registers, financial forecasts, and delivery metrics to identify variance early and drive corrective action with accountable owners.
• Operational Readiness Coordination — Balance aircraft availability, downtime windows, staffing, tooling, parts readiness, and site constraints to protect execution flow and customer mission needs.

Stakeholder & Executive Communication

• Executive Customer Interface — Represent delivery performance with senior customer and internal stakeholders, communicating progress, tradeoffs, decisions, and escalations in a concise executive-ready manner.
• Governance Leadership — Maintain program charters, RAID logs, reporting rhythms, decision records, and escalation paths that keep leadership aligned and delivery risk transparent.

Safety, Quality & Delivery Assurance

• Safety & Airworthiness — Champion a safety-first culture across all field operations; ensure work adheres to applicable safety, maintenance, and airworthiness standards and that documentation and sign-offs are complete and auditable.
• Risk, Issue, and Trade Leadership — Lead proactive risk management, dependency resolution, and technical/programmatic trade discussions before safety, quality, cost, schedule, or customer outcomes are compromised.
• Quality & Compliance — Ensure deliverables meet acceptance criteria, technical standards, regulatory expectations, and mission-assurance requirements through disciplined documentation, change control, and configuration management.
• Business and Resource Stewardship — Partner with account and delivery leadership to manage forecasts, staffing, change activity, margin health, and resource strategies across assigned programs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical, engineering, aviation, or related field — or equivalent military/field service experience and technical training.
• 10+ years of combined aerospace, defense, field service, engineering, manufacturing, sustainment, or program delivery experience, including 5+ years leading complex technical programs.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, field service, customer leadership, and executive stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of aerospace manufacturing, sustainment, modification, MRO, depot, or flightline operating environments.
• Experience managing integrated master schedules, milestone gates, financial forecasts, delivery metrics, risk registers, and executive-level program reviews.
• Proven ability to hire, manage, coach, and develop technical teams in matrixed delivery environments.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence senior customers, internal leaders, technical SMEs, and delivery teams through clear, fact-based communication.
• Proficiency with program management, scheduling, collaboration, and reporting tools such as MS Project, Primavera P6, Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• S. citizenship and/or ability to obtain a security clearance may be required based on program assignment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Former military aviation maintenance, aerospace operations, aircraft modification, depot, MRO, or flightline leadership experience strongly preferred.
• PMP certification; ScrumMaster (CSM/PSM) or SAFe credential a plus given the Agile-hybrid environment.
• FAA A&P certification or equivalent military maintenance qualifications.
• Strong working knowledge of aircraft maintenance operations, sustainment, and/or modification environments (flightline, depot, or MRO).
• Familiarity with aerospace and defense compliance environments, including ITAR, FAR/DFARS, NIST 800-171/CMMC, DoD sustainment, airworthiness, or controlled technical data requirements.
• Experience supporting proposal development, statements of work, contract transitions, customer QBRs, or growth opportunities with primes, Tier-1 suppliers, depots, or government stakeholders.

Success Measures

• Programs deliver mission-critical outcomes predictably against customer commitments, financial expectations, and operational constraints.
• Strong safety performance with complete, auditable maintenance documentation and sign-offs.
• Customer mission readiness and operational availability are protected through disciplined planning, issue resolution, and cross-functional alignment.
• Leadership receives timely, decision-ready insight into performance, risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs.
• High client and stakeholder confidence through clear, consistent executive-ready reporting.