Sr. Program Manager – Flight Software Portfolio Management

Please review the job details below.

Intuitive Machines is seeking a Sr. Program Manager, Flight Software Portfolio Management, to join our Flight Software leadership team in Palo Alto, or Houston, TX.   This position can also be performed remotely within the US. 

Position Summary: 

This is a new role within the Flight Software Organization reporting to the Sr. Director of FSW and GNC. The Flight Software Program Manager will drive financial and operational excellence across the FSW portfolio by creating consistent standards for cost tracking, work breakdown structures, and cost estimation. These standards will improve our competitiveness in proposals, enable predictable program execution, and support smart decisions about resource investments and capacity planning. 

As a strategic advisor to FSW leadership, this role provides financial analysis, cost and schedule performance tracking, and actionable insights that optimize the portfolio and guide decisions on resource strategy and organizational growth. 

Key Responsibilities:    

Financial Management & Cost Accounting 

• Drive consistent cost-estimation tools, techniques, and practices across all existing FSW/GNC projects and proposal efforts. 

• Monitor and analyze project cost performance, identifying variances and trends to drive actionable insights to the FSW leaders to maintain cost baselines. 

• Coordinate with Finance to drive proper cost allocation, tracking, and reporting across the FSW portfolio. 

• Interface with proposal activities to estimate and justify FSW/GNC BOEs. 

Strategic Planning & Organizational Capability Development 

• Create dashboards, reports, and metrics that provide visibility into FSW organizations’ health. 

• Collaborate with the FSW Leaders and FSW Chief Engineering team to align technical capability growth for current and future business needs, enabling proactive workforce planning and skills investment decisions.  

• Facilitate regular and timely meetings with FSW leaders to review resource needs and project status, identify improvement opportunities, and implement process enhancements that drive efficiency. 

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Standardization 

• Collaborate with Business Development and Proposal Team to establish and maintain standardized WBS templates and frameworks for new business proposals. 

• Create WBS dictionaries and guidelines to ensure uniform application across the organization 

• Ensure consistency in cost estimation approaches across all FSW bids and proposals 

Stakeholder Collaboration & Communication 

• Serve as the central coordination POC between FSW Leaders and other SW Teams (Ground Software, Integration and Test etc.), finance, and program stakeholders. 

• Drive communication with the stakeholders to ensure that the dependencies to and from FSW are understood and met timely. 

Technical Skills –  

Financial & Cost Management 

• Cost Accounting: Strong understanding of project cost accounting principles, indirect/direct cost allocation, and overhead structures 

• Budgeting & Forecasting: Experience developing budgets, forecasts, and Estimate at Completion (EAC) analysis 

• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): Expert knowledge of WBS creation, standardization, and management 

• Financial Analysis: Ability to analyze financial data, identify trends, and develop actionable insights 

Program & Project Management 

• Scheduling & Planning: Proficiency with integrated master schedules, critical path analysis, risk management and milestone tracking 

• Resource Management: Experience with resource loading, capacity planning, and skills matrix development 

• Agile & Traditional PM: Understanding of both Agile/Scrum and Waterfall methodologies 

• Performance Metrics: Experience defining and tracking KPIs, dashboards, and program health indicators 

Technical Tools & Software 

• MS Project, SAP, Jira, Confluence, SharePoint, Advanced Excel, Power BI, Tableau, or similar analytics tools 

• Estimation Tools: Familiarity with parametric estimating tools and cost databases, particularly SEER-SEM. 

Flight Software & Aerospace Domain 

• FSW Development Lifecycle: Understanding of flight software development processes, phases, and deliverables 

• Aerospace Standards: Familiarity with industry standards (DO-178C, NASA NPR 7150, CMMI) as applicable 

• Systems Engineering: Basic knowledge of systems engineering principles and V&V processes 

Communication & Leadership 

• Executive Communication: Ability to present complex financial and performance information to senior leadership 

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively across engineering, finance, and business teams 

Minimum Requirements:  

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident 

•  Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Business/Finance.  

• Minimum 8 years of experience in engineering, engineering operations, program management, project controls, cost management, or related technical disciplines. 

Preferred Qualifications  

• 3 years of experience in FSW and Aerospace  

• Project Management Professional (PMP) 

• Agile/Scrum Certifications  

• Experience with CMMI-3  

In support of pay transparency at Lanteris Space Systems, we disclose salary ranges on all U.S. job postings.  The successful candidate’s starting pay will fall within the salary range provided below and is determined based on job-related factors, including, but not limited to, the experience, qualifications, knowledge, skills, geographic work location, and market conditions. Candidates with the minimum necessary experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skillsets for the position should not expect to receive the upper end of the pay range.

● The base pay for this position within Colorado is: $134,000.00 - $223,000.00 annually.

● The base pay for this position within New Jersey is: $134,000.00 - $223,000.00 annually.

● The base pay for this position within Delaware is: $134,000.00 - $223,000.00 annually.

 

 

● The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $147,000.00 - $245,000.00 annually.

● The base pay for this position within California is: $154,000.00 - $256,000.00 annually.

For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market-driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, health and welfare insurance, and 401(k) to eligible employees. More information on our benefits will be shared with candidates as they move forward in the recruitment process.

Additionally, this position is incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved; the specific incentive plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions.

The application window is three days from the date the job is posted and will remain posted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire.  If the job is reposted regardless of reason, it will remain posted three days from the date the job is reposted and will remain reposted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire. 

The date of posting can be found on the Lanteris Space Systems Career page at the top of each job posting.

To apply, submit your application via the Lanteris Space Systems Career page.

Lanteris Space Systems values diversity in the workplace and is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.