Sr. Development Program Manager

Who is Senior plc?

Senior plc is an international, market-leading, engineering solutions provider with 19 operating businesses in 11 countries. Traded on the London Stock Exchange, Senior designs and manufactures high-technology components and systems for the worldwide aerospace, defense, land vehicle and power & energy markets.

Senior Aerospace SSP, a division of Senior plc, is the world’s largest aerospace high-pressure ducting system supplier. Starting as ‘Stainless Steel Products’ in 1945, and acquired by Senior plc in 1995, we are vertically integrated with our own foundry, fabrication shop, and ISO-certified engineering lab, allowing us to design, manufacture, and qualify complex ducting systems for space launch, defense, and commercial aerospace applications worldwide.

Why join SSP?

Senior Aerospace SSP is the recognized global leader in high-pressure bleed air ducting systems. We provide "total resource" system solutions for complex ducting requirements, with our components found on most aircraft operating worldwide.

We are committed to the highest standards of ethics, safety, quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement. At SSP, we believe in building strong relationships with our customers, suppliers, and most importantly, our employees. We foster a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environment with ample opportunities for professional growth. Join us and find your future in a company that values innovation and integrity.

Summary: The Sr. Development Program Manager manages and improves new and existing programs through strong leadership, disciplined process management, and excellent customer relations. The role drives continuous improvement for system-level projects, trains Integrated Product Team (IPT) leaders on phase-gate execution, and leads delivery from concept through full-rate production. The right candidate will be a visible, key contributor to the future success of the organization who will train ITP team leaders in program management while leading the execution of programs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Under general supervision, must be able to perform a variety of job duties including, but not limited to:

• Program ownership - Own end-to-end launch and execution to scope, schedule, cost, and technical requirements. Operate within the Product Development Process (PDP) and phase-gate model; establish truthful baselines and keep plans current. Build and maintain the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), risk register, and change log. Run a disciplined weekly/monthly cadence. Apply EVMS (CPI/SPI, ETC/EAC) to forecast outcomes, publish clear status, and drive recovery plans when off track. Protect the Statement of Work, prevent scope creep, and secure timely, documented change orders. Maintain requirements traceability and configuration control across engineering, operations, and supply chain.
• Partner with VP, Finance/CFO to develop budgets/BOEs, manage NRE and recurring spend, meet invoice milestones, and support cash collection. Flag cost/schedule variance early and implement corrective actions. 
• Lead cross-functional IPTs using an approved Program Management Plan and gate criteria. Chair structured reviews with metrics (ETC, risks/issues/actions). Mentor IPT leaders on executive-level communication, customer interface, and decision quality. 
• Reduce cycle time by streamlining workflows, eliminating non-value-add steps, and partnering with Manufacturing/Engineering on efficient solutions. Standardize program artifacts (schedules, risk registers, dashboards) and capture lessons learned for reuse.
• Take pro-active actions to resolve issues affecting the programs.
• Serve as the single point of contact for status, variances, and recovery plans. Translate Voice of the Customer into clear requirements and acceptance criteria. Support proposals and T&C negotiations with fact-based recommendations. Drive design-for-manufacture/assembly, readiness for qualification/FAI, and smooth transition to production. Coordinate procurement, test, and manufacturing plans to de-risk builds and protect rate.
• Follow all Senior policies and procedures.
• Other duties with the work as assigned.

In addition to the above, Program Managers are to maintain an organized, clean and safe work area using safety standards and expectations while adhering to all quality practices. Senior is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering preferred) or Business Administration (Finance/Marketing).
• Minimum 7 years progressive experience in aerospace/defense or complex industrial manufacturing, including 3 years directly managing cross-functional programs from NPI through production..
• Hands-on leadership of IPTs in a phase-gate/PDP environment with formal risk management and change control.
• Demonstrated EVMS application (ETC/EAC, CPI/SPI) and program financials (budgeting, milestone billing, collections).
• Customer-facing experience with primes/Tier-1s (proposal support, contract/SoW change management).
• Working knowledge of AS9100 and export controls (ITAR/EAR)

Preferred

• MBA or MS (Engineering/Systems), or equivalent combination of education/experience.
• 10 years total experience, including 5 years as accountable Program Manager on multi-million-dollar, multi-year aerospace programs.
• PMP and/or Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt; formal training in AS9145/APQP, QFD, and DFX.
• Manufacturing familiarity: sheet-metal fabrication; joining/welding/brazing; heat treat; CNC machining (turning, milling, lathes); laser/water jet; press brake; tube bending; drop-hammer forming; chemical processes; exposure to titanium, stainless, Inconel, aluminum, nickel alloys.
• Prior success turning around at-risk programs.

Annual Target Salary = $150,000.00

Monday - Friday         7:00am  - 4:30pm

Joining our team will provide you with a rewarding career with a tight-knit and collaborative team. You will also enjoy a competitive compensation package that includes a market-led base salary, comprehensive benefits package along with wellness benefits, matching 401K plan and paid time off. Apply today for an opportunity to join our team!

Trade Compliance Statement Access to our facilities is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to U.S. Persons (U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents, U.S. Nationals, U.S. refugees, asylees, or temporary residents under amnesty provisions ), and to properly licensed foreign persons. Applicants receiving a conditional offer of employment will be required to provide information to determine whether they are subject to these regulations and, if so, to assess their country of chargeability for export control purposes. Additionally, potential employee names will be screened against the Consolidated Screening List (maintained by the United States government) to determine eligibility to receive controlled technical data.

To ensure there is no unexpected delay to your start date with our Company and due to the potential need to obtain an export license, we would like to promptly assess whether such a license is needed to access our facility and/or systems.  Such licenses can take several weeks/months to obtain from the U.S. Government. Our Trade Compliance department may reach out to you with a Licensing Assessment form, which we request you kindly complete and return as soon as possible.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. EOE M/F/D/V/VEVRAA Federal Contractor