Senior Manager, Project Engineering

Position Title: Senior Manager, Project Engineering

Requisition ID: 1901

Position Location: Sterling, VA

Position Reports To: Director, Systems Engineering, Integration & Test

Supervises Others: Yes

At Trident Systems Space Electronic Systems (SES) division, we believe in the power of using strong engineering principles to drive innovation and solve complex problems. We foster a culture of rigorous engineering and continuous improvement, leveraging the full knowledge of our organization through collaborative product development processes that include design and peer reviews. We combine our expertise in space electronics with right-sized development processes to create innovative, high-performance space-based electronic systems that meet our customers' evolving needs.

We are a mission partner supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, and Civil space customers. We develop complex, radiation effects mitigated, designs that balance competing requirements in modern space programs, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve more in space.

Position Summary

The Project Engineering Manager leads and develops the project engineering team, whose members serve as the integrating technical execution leads on Trident's space electronics programs. The team owns the engineering execution baseline: scope and work breakdown structure, integrated master schedule, cost account performance and estimate-to-complete, technical risk, configuration management, and the technical review cadence.

The ideal candidate has delivered complex hardware and software programs from concept through delivery, commands both EVMS program control and Agile development methods, and has a demonstrated ability to develop engineers and hold a team accountable to its commitments.

Duties and Responsibilities

Technical and Project Leadership

• Lead the project engineering team across multiple concurrent programs, serving as the integrating technical lead in partnership with Program Managers, who hold program accountability, and Chief Engineers, who hold design authority.
• Own definition of system and product scope and the engineering work breakdown structure and establish and execute program governance and the technical review cadence (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, ORR, FRR).
• Ensure internal design reviews and customer technical reviews are completed to achieve program milestones.

People Management and Development

• Manage and develop the project engineering team, including performance management, goal setting, coaching, and career development.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, mid-year and annual performance reviews, and provide candid feedback and guidance.
• Identify training, mentoring, and cross training opportunities, support succession planning for critical skills, and foster a collaborative, transparent, and accountable team culture aligned with Trident's values.

Cost, Schedule, and Program Control

• Oversee cost account management across programs, holding the team accountable for cost and schedule compliance within an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) framework.
• Provide technical oversight across programs to ensure weekly cost and schedule variance analysis, root cause identification, and corrective action, and ensure Estimates at Completion (EAC) reflect actual engineering progress and remaining work.
• Partner with Program Managers and schedulers to maintain realistic, logic-driven Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) and program milestones.
• Ensure Agile engineering metrics (sprints, velocity) are translated into traditional milestone and earned value reporting and forecast engineering staffing needs across programs.
• Support travel or off-site work as needed and perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science/Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent relevant experience), plus 12+ years of professional engineering and development experience, OR 10+ years with a graduate degree, including experience in the aerospace and defense industry.
• Prior experience as a Technical Project Manager (TPM) or Cost Account Manager (CAM), or working intimately within an Earned Value Management System (EVMS) framework, owning cost and schedule on complex hardware development programs - including WBS development, integrated scheduling, variance analysis, and EAC/ETC.
• Solid understanding of the full systems engineering development lifecycle, hardware/software integration, and Agile methodologies using JIRA.
• Experience planning and leading formal technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR), and with requirements traceability and configuration management / change control.
• Prior experience providing technical direction or leading engineering teams or projects, with strong organizational skills and the ability to clearly explain technical and programmatic status to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a STEM field or engineering management.
• Prior line-management experience (hiring, performance reviews, salary planning).
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), SAFe Agilist/Scrum Master, or equivalent project management or Agile certification.

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $167,000 - $226,000

Please Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.

Benefits

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:

• Health benefits
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Basic life with AD&D
  • Short term disability
  • Long term disability
  • Ancillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)
  • Spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• 401(k) (including company match)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Leaves (Parental, maternity, and military)
• Annual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)

Trident Systems reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position.

Trident Solutions is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [email protected].

Pay Transparency: The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)