Program Manager IV

The Program Manager IV – Proposal Execution serves as the Proposal Content Lead for all Exeter program proposals. This role ensures alignment between Bid & Proposal activities and program execution by developing executable program plans that deliver customer value and reflect organizational capabilities. The Program Manager IV partners across Business Development, Program Management, Engineering, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to validate customer requirements, schedules, resources, costs, and risks before commitments are made. This position is responsible for developing and continuously improving proposal planning processes, scheduling methodologies, and execution readiness standards. The primary objective is to ensure every proposal represents an executable commitment that aligns customer requirements with organizational capabilities across scope, schedule, cost, and technical performance.

Proposal Planning & Execution Readiness Serve as the Proposal Content Lead from opportunity assessment through proposal submission, ensuring all required functional inputs are identified, coordinated, completed, and integrated. Lead the development and validation of executable program plans, resource-loaded schedules, and planning assumptions for production, development, and NPI opportunities. Validate organizational readiness by coordinating functional assessment of resource availability, manufacturing capacity, material lead times, operational constraints, and execution feasibility. Partner with Business Development, Engineering, Operations, and other functional leaders to ensure proposal strategies align customer missions, priorities, and desired outcomes with Frontgrade growth objectives. Facilitate cross-functional evaluation of proposed solutions to ensure they strengthen customer relationships, maximize customer value, and remain executable within organizational capabilities. Support bid/no-bid decisions by ensuring customer value, technical performance, cost, schedule, execution risk, and organizational capability are fully considered. Proposal Strategy & Customer Value Partner with Business Development, Engineering, Operations, and other functional leaders to ensure proposal strategies align customer missions, priorities, and desired outcomes with Frontgrade growth objectives. Facilitate cross-functional evaluation of proposed solutions to ensure they strengthen customer relationships, maximize customer value, and remain executable within organizational capabilities. Support bid/no-bid decisions by ensuring customer value, technical performance, cost, schedule, execution risk, and organizational capability are fully considered. Requirements, Risk & Estimating Ensure customer requirements, statements of work, specifications, and contractual obligations are reviewed, understood, addressed, and traceable to proposal plans. Coordinate the development and review of proposal planning inputs, including Basis of Estimates, work breakdown structures, execution assumptions, schedules, and resource plans. Facilitate identification, assessment, communication, and mitigation of technical, schedule, operational, supply chain, and resource risks while maintaining proposal competitiveness. Cross-Functional Leadership & Governance Coordinate proposal activities across Engineering, Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and Business Development to ensure functional inputs are complete and aligned. Lead proposal planning reviews, present integrated execution assessments, and drive closure of action items through proposal approval gates. Build stakeholder alignment, resolve conflicts related to scope, resources, schedule, and execution strategy, and support transition into program execution. Continuous Improvement Analyze proposal and program performance with functional stakeholders to improve planning accuracy, execution success, and schedule predictability. Capture and implement lessons learned from proposal development and program execution activities. Improve proposal planning processes, scheduling methodologies, and execution readiness standards.

Experience: Minimum eight (8) years of experience in a specialized functional discipline. OR (12) years of experience may be considered in lieu of a Bachelors Degree. OR (6) years of experience may be considered w/ a Masters Degree. OR (3) years of experience may be considered w/ a PhD. Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional planning activities that translate customer requirements into executable schedules, resource plans, program strategies, and business solutions. Experience evaluating technical, operational, schedule, and execution risk; proposal management experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or another highly regulated industry strongly preferred.