Position Summary
The Vice President of Program Management leads Program Management and Customer Success for Skyeton’s U.S. function and is accountable for one result: mission partners who are ready, confident, and successful operating Skyeton systems. This leader owns the mission-partner experience from pre-contract requirements shaping through delivery, fielding, and sustainment, ensuring commitments are met and customers achieve their intended mission outcomes.
As a member of the leadership team, the Vice President builds a customer-first program organization, serves as the mission partner’s advocate inside Skyeton, and works closely with Product and Engineering to turn field experience into better products and services.
Key Responsibilities
· Own mission-partner outcomes across Skyeton’s U.S. portfolio, including operational readiness, system availability, satisfaction, and on-time delivery of commitments
· Build and lead the customer success strategy, operating cadence, and standards needed to scale with Skyeton’s growth
· Translate contract requirements and mission-partner objectives into clear program plans with defined measures of customer success
· Lead the end-to-end mission-partner journey, including onboarding, operator and maintainer training, fielding, and in-service support
· Monitor mission-partner health, identify at-risk relationships early, and lead proactive recovery plans
· Oversee program schedule and risk as the foundation for reliable delivery to mission partners
· Serve as the senior advocate for mission partners, maintaining trusted relationships and transparent communication on performance, risks, and recovery plans
· Bring the mission partner’s voice into Skyeton, working with Product, Engineering, and Executive Leadership to turn field feedback and unmet needs into product and service improvements
· Ensure contractual deliverables, acceptance events, and compliance obligations, including AS9100, ITAR/EAR, and FAR/DFARS, are met accurately and on time
· Resolve complex customer issues quickly and transparently, driving root cause and corrective action to closure
· Recruit and develop program and customer success leaders, and build a high-accountability, customer-first culture
· Define and report key performance indicators for mission-partner success, and give the CEO and executive team candid assessments of customer health and recommended actions
Required Qualifications
· 15+ years of progressive program, project, engineering, operations, or business leadership experience, including at least 10 years leading managers or major programs
· Demonstrated success building and leading complex technology solution through development, production, delivery, and sustainment
· Executive-level experience owning program cost, schedule, scope, risk, customer performance, and cross-functional execution
· Experience developing integrated program plans, schedules, budgets, forecasts, risk registers, change-control processes, and executive performance reporting
· Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience with estimates, budgets, margins, forecasts, cost-to-complete, contractual milestones, and corrective action
· Experience working directly with government, defense, prime-contractor, or mission-critical customers in high-accountability environments
· Working knowledge of U.S. government contracting and compliance requirements, including applicable FAR/DFARS, ITAR/EAR, cybersecurity, quality, and records obligations
· Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity, resolve cross-functional conflict, make timely decisions, and communicate candidly with executives and customers
· Strong written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and executive-stakeholder management skills
· Ability to travel domestically and internationally as business and customer needs require
· Must qualify as a U.S. Person under applicable ITAR/EAR regulations and be able to obtain and maintain required customer or government clearances
Preferred Qualifications
· PMP, PgMP, Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act certification, or comparable program-management credential
· Experience leading a portfolio of complex technology, manufacturing, and/or services programs
· Experience in a startup, rapid-growth, new-product-introduction, facility stand-up, or international technology-transfer environment
· Knowledge of AS9100, AS9102, configuration management, production readiness, flight test, airworthiness, and product-lifecycle management
· Experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense programs, international defense customers, foreign military sales, or direct commercial sales
· Active or previously held U.S. security clearance
Work Environment
· Full-time role, with regular engagement across Skyeton locations and customer sites
· Work is performed remotely, working with engineering, manufacturing, flight-operations, test, customer, and field environments as program needs require
· Frequent interaction with executive leaders, employees, customers, government representatives, suppliers, partners, auditors, and international stakeholders
· Domestic and international travel is required and may occasionally involve extended hours, short-notice travel, or support outside normal business hours
· Ability to access active manufacturing and operational areas and comply with all safety, security, confidentiality, cybersecurity, and export-control requirements
· Ability to sit, stand, walk, use standard office equipment, and move throughout office and manufacturing environments, with or without reasonable accommodation
Equal Opportunity Statement
Skyeton is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
This position is subject to U.S. export-control regulations (ITAR/EAR). Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by applicable law. A pre-employment background check, drug screen, and reference verification are required. Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain any clearances required by Skyeton customers and contracts.