Senior Program Manager - Palomar Products - Defense - 9/80 work schedule
Are you a Senior Program Manager who enjoys owning complex programmes end-to-end, rather than just reporting status?
Do you like working at the intersection of engineering, customers, and delivery, challenging assumptions and keeping programmes moving?
Want full accountability for cost, schedule, risk, and outcomes on real hardware products?
If yes, this is a great opportunity to join Palomar Products, a defence electronics business delivering mission-critical, hardware-led products. You’ll take ownership of major contracts from award through delivery, acting as the single point of accountability and driving cross-functional teams to success.
The Opportunity
- Join Palomar Products, a well-established defence electronics manufacturer with long-term programmes and customers
- Own complex product development programmes from contract award through product delivery
- Act as the primary customer interface, managing communication, expectations, and delivery
- Drive schedule, cost, and risk management across engineering, operations, finance, and supply chain
- Gain exposure to business-level decision-making beyond a single programme or site
As a Senior Program Manager you’ll be:
- Leading end-to-end programmes spanning hardware, firmware, and software development
- Developing and maintaining Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) to manage milestones, resources, and delivery commitments
- Owning programme financials, including budgets, forecasts, EAC/ETC, margin, and billing milestones
- Leading all major phase-gate reviews (Kickoff, SRR, PDR, CDR, FCA/PCA)
- Proactively identifying and managing programme risks, issues, and recovery plans
- Coordinating cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, and finance
- Supporting new business pursuits, proposals, and cost/effort estimates
- Mentoring junior programme managers and strengthening programme execution discipline
The Successful Senior Program Manager will bring:
- Experience managing complex product development programmes, not IT or software-only projects
- Background in hardware-led systems (defence, avionics, embedded systems, electronics, or similar)p
- Confidence leading PDR/CDR events and constructively challenging engineering teams
- Strong ownership of schedule recovery, cost control, and risk management
- Experience acting as the customer-facing lead on active contracts
- A proactive, self-starter mindset with the ability to make decisions under uncertainty
- US Citizenship (ITAR environment)
The ideal Senior Program Manager will have:
- BS or MS in Engineering (or related discipline)
- 4+ years’ experience in Program Management and/or Product Development
- Proven experience delivering products from development through to production
- Familiarity with formal lifecycle and compliance frameworks (DO-178 / DO-254 / DO-160 a plus)
Compensation: Up to $185k (flexible DOE) + benefits
Location : Rancho Santa Margarita , CA
Career Progression
This role offers a clear pathway beyond Technical Program Management. High-performing TPMs at Palomar Products can progress into Business Unit Manager roles, taking ownership of multiple programmes, teams, and P&L responsibility, with a longer-term pathway into senior leadership and VP-level roles across the wider organisation.
Palomar continues to invest across programmes and sites, offering long-term career development rather than site-specific progression.
Apply now and receive feedback within one business day!
