Senior Program Manager - Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV)

BLUF 

Program / Division Manager II provides senior-level leadership across complex programs, multi-project portfolios, and strategic customer relationships. This role is responsible for delivering mission-impactful outcomes, shaping organizational strategy, driving contract performance, and advancing Covan Group’s position within the defense sector. PM/DM II is the highest tier in the Program Management job family and represents Covan Group to senior government and industry leaders. 

Company Overview 

Covan Group is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) based in the National Capital Region. Our team consists of high-performing, experienced, and adaptive veterans and civilians who bring a multi-tiered perspective and deep expertise to our clients. Covan Group combines military and civilian experience across key areas, including MAGTF Planning, MEU and Special Operations, Military Instruction, Fires, Networking, Data Analytics, and Multimedia Production. Our capabilities are rooted in experience at all levels, from squad leaders to division leaders. With a strong foundation of recently separated service members—many still serving in the reserve component—Covan Group provides clients with firsthand military insight into research, development, and operational innovation. 

Key Outcomes (First 90–180 Days) 

• Learns and understands USV, maritime autonomy, vessel-support, partner, and evaluation requirements across assigned efforts. 

• Establishes command of scope, schedule, staffing, risk, budget, and delivery expectations for assigned $5M–$20M efforts. 

• Demonstrates sound judgment integrating vessels, autonomy, operators, maritime safety, environmental conditions, and collection requirements into controlled trials. 

• Builds effective customer and partner relationships and communicates evidence-backed findings, operational limits, and recommendations. 

• Identifies practical improvements to trial repeatability, traceability, maritime readiness, program controls, and future-event execution. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Lead complex, multi-project portfolios with high visibility and mission-critical outcomes. 

• Manage financial performance including budgets, forecasts, staffing plans, and resource alignment. 

• Provide senior-level engagement with clients, partners, and external stakeholders. 

• Ensure all program activities meet Covan’s standards for quality, rigor, communication, and compliance. 

• Shape organizational strategy and contribute to corporate planning and decision-making. 

• Develop leaders across programs—mentoring PMs, deputies, and high-potential staff. 

• Directly support growth efforts including proposal development, pipeline shaping, and capture activities. 

• Oversee risk management across the program portfolio and implement long-term mitigation strategies. 

• Represent Covan Group in senior-level meetings, reviews, and industry engagements. 

Project Responsibilities 

The USV Senior Program Manager reports to the Experiment Division Manager and leads assigned maritime field trials. The role combines maritime technical leadership and substantial applied autonomy expertise to integrate vessels, shore control, on-water support, White Cell activity, and synchronized collection. It delivers defensible maritime and autonomy assessments and accountable execution of assigned $5M–$20M efforts. 

• Translate approved maritime objectives into vessel trials, operating-area requirements, evaluation measures, collection plans, and a project baseline. 

• Integrate vessel controls, navigation/perception sensors, payloads, communications, shore control, propulsion, energy status, and maintenance requirements. 

• Evaluate approved autonomous navigation, station keeping, perception, collision-avoidance behavior, mission management, and supervision transitions. 

• Coordinate collaborative, hierarchical-control, and one-to-many collection methods with the Autonomy PM and maritime partners. 

• Verify water-space access, traffic coordination, crews, support craft, launch/recovery, weather limits, and emergency arrangements before trials. 

• Coordinate approved intervention, contingency, and recovery procedures while preserving designated marine-operator and safety authorities. 

• Time-align vessel/controller telemetry, independent observations, environmental conditions, operator actions, and inter-system records. 

• Supervise partner delivery and White Cell coordination; document deviations and gaps and deliver assessments, data handover, recovery lessons, and improvements. 

• Lead cost proposals for assigned $5M–$20M efforts, integrating partner estimates, labor, travel, equipment, support costs, bases of estimate, and Finance/Contracts approval. 

• Manage approved budgets; reconcile actuals, accruals, commitments, and partner charges; forecast ETC/EAC and funding; report monthly variances and close out costs. 

Required Qualifications 

• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance. 

• Military experience at the senior officer (O5/O6) or senior SNCO level, OR equivalent senior-level program, organizational, operational, or technical leadership experience within a federal or state organization. 

• Demonstrated senior-level program or team-of-teams leadership covering partner delivery, schedules, budgets, risks, and customer outcomes. 

• Experience leading cost proposals and budget execution for efforts of comparable $5M–$20M scale, including partner costs, forecasting, variance analysis, and financial reporting. 

• Bachelor’s degree in marine, ocean, naval architecture, electrical, mechanical, computer, or systems engineering; robotics; computer science; or a related field, OR equivalent relevant technical experience. 

• Demonstrated USV or closely related maritime robotic-systems expertise, including on-water integration, field operation, or test leadership. 

• Substantial hands-on maritime autonomy integration or evaluation experience, including navigation and perception behavior, remote supervision, contingency handling, and operational limits. 

• Strong understanding of marine navigation rules, water-space coordination, vessel support, launch and recovery, sea-state effects, and maritime safety responsibilities. 

• Experience converting objectives into collection/readiness requirements and traceable findings; working proficiency with architectures, interfaces, instrumentation, networks, telemetry, configuration control, and troubleshooting; ability to integrate engineers, operators, data/safety personnel, vendors, and partner leads. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Extensive experience leading major defense programs, multi-contract portfolios, or large technical teams. 

• Experience with multi-vessel coordination, littoral autonomy, maritime sensor integration, or transfer of autonomy capabilities from controlled trials to open-water evaluation. 

• Relevant maritime operations qualifications or experience coordinating commercial, government, and range support vessels. 

• PMP or comparable training; experience with project controls, contract deliverables, and partner coordination. 

• Experience in business development, organizational strategy, or senior advisory roles. 

Specialized Tools / Systems / Capabilities 

• USV and shore-control interfaces, navigation/perception sensors, and vessel telemetry. 

• Maritime support and environmental records, synchronized ground truth, and autonomy logs. 

• Project controls and Finance-approved cost tools. 

• Authorized collaboration, configuration-control, and technical reporting systems. 

Clearance Requirements 

• Secret required; TS/SCI strongly preferred. 

• Must meet all security reporting, training, access-control, and handling requirements for proprietary, controlled, and classified information. 

Work Environment & Travel 

• Remote-first between events with 50-80% annual travel to ranges, laboratories, operations centers, and field locations. 

• Outdoor conditions, extended days, shifts, and occasional evening/weekend work may be required during event execution. 

• Travel is governed by Covan Group's Travel Policy. 

Compensation 

2026 Pay Band: $129,000 – $184,000 

EEOC & Accommodation Statement 

Covan Group provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.