WCC Program Manager

Lead the WCC Integrated Program Team and establish clear roles, responsibilities, authorities, decision rights, and operating cadences across all program functions.

Develop and maintain the program strategy, Program Management Plan, Program Execution Plan, Integrated Master Schedule, Contract Work Breakdown Structure, production sequence, and supporting subsidiary plans.

Align functional leaders and Cost Account Managers to program priorities, approved baselines, commitments, and performance expectations.

Chair program reviews and decision forums; maintain action, decision, risk, issue, and commitment logs through closure.

Provide clear direction, coaching, feedback, and development opportunities to assigned program personnel.

Serve as the primary day-to-day program interface with the U.S. Coast Guard Project Resident Office and coordinate formal communications through authorized channels.

Ensure program work is executed in accordance with the prime contract, specifications, drawings, data requirements, regulatory requirements, and approved changes.

Lead preparation for Program Management Reviews, design and readiness reviews, customer briefings, audits, inspections, and executive reviews.

Ensure customer action items, commitments, correspondence, meeting records, and decisions are documented, assigned, tracked, and closed.

Partner with Contracts to develop contract strategies, manage changes, support negotiations, and protect Birdon’s contractual and commercial interests.

Lead development and control of program budgets, forecasts, estimates at completion, cash-flow forecasts, and financial performance plans.

Review actual cost, commitments, accruals, earned value, labor performance, material status, subcontract performance, and forecast changes for accuracy and completeness.

Provide timely explanations of variances and implement corrective actions to protect program performance and profitability.

Coordinate contractual milestone evidence, invoice readiness, and acceptance activities to support timely billing and cash collection.

Approve program commitments within delegated authority and ensure major decisions are supported by appropriate analysis.

Maintain an active program risk and opportunity process, including identification, analysis, ownership, mitigation, schedule integration, escalation, and closure.

Use trend, change, and early-warning processes to identify emerging impacts before they affect critical milestones or customer commitments.

Ensure changes, requests for variance, claims, and contract modifications are developed, priced, negotiated, authorized, and implemented through controlled processes.

Escalate critical cost, schedule, technical, quality, safety, supply-chain, test, cyber, or contractual conditions in accordance with governance requirements.

Capture lessons learned and convert them into repeatable improvements for follow-on cutters.

Champion safety and quality through personal example and ensure program decisions do not compromise regulatory, contractual, environmental, or workmanship requirements.

Integrate quality planning, inspection, nonconformance control, corrective action, and first-time quality metrics with the program plan.

Support internal and external audits and ensure findings and corrective actions are assigned, tracked, verified, and closed.

Ensure program security, cybersecurity, records management, data rights, document control, and information-handling requirements are maintained.

Monitor subcontractor and supplier compliance with flowed-down program requirements.

Integrate plans for production completion, system activation, test procedure development, test readiness, Builder’s Trials, Acceptance Trials, certification, delivery, and post-delivery support.

Ensure readiness reviews use objective entrance and exit criteria and that open items are visible, risk assessed, and controlled.

Coordinate turnover of technical data, software, certificates, logistics products, spares, outfitting, training, and vessel records.

Enable timely resolution of trial cards, deficiencies, and acceptance conditions and support final customer acceptance.

Ensure warranty, training, and lifecycle-support obligations are planned, resourced, and transitioned effectively.

Establish a reliable performance-management system covering scope, cost, schedule, risk, quality, safety, material, engineering, production, testing, deliverables, and customer commitments.

Validate reported status against objective evidence and actual work performed before information is provided to the customer or leadership.

Provide accurate, timely executive reporting that identifies decisions required, forecast outcomes, key risks, and corrective actions.

Promote candid communication, data-driven decisions, standard work, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Perform other reasonable duties consistent with the purpose and accountability of the position.

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, program management, operations, or a related field.

Master’s degree in a related field.

Minimum 10 years of progressive program or project management experience in shipbuilding, marine construction, defense acquisition, or another complex regulated environment.

PMP certification or equivalent.

Demonstrated leadership of cross-functional teams across engineering, supply chain, production, quality, finance, contracts, and test activities.

Prior U.S. Coast Guard, DHS, or DoD shipbuilding program experience.

Experience managing contract scope, budgets, schedules, forecasts, risks, changes, deliverables, and customer commitments.

Experience delivering lead ships and transitioning to repeat production.

Working knowledge of integrated master scheduling, earned value, cost control, risk management, and configuration/change control.

Experience with government-compliant earned value, accounting, and audit environments.

Ability to interpret contracts, specifications, drawings, schedules, financial reports, and performance data.

Knowledge of ABS classification, trials, logistics, warranty, and vessel delivery.

Strong executive communication, negotiation, problem-solving, conflict-management, and decision-making skills.

Lean, Six Sigma, or formal continuous improvement qualification.

Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and program scheduling, ERP, reporting, and collaboration tools.

Experience with P6, Business Central, Power BI, or equivalent systems.

Contractual milestone, data-deliverable, and customer-commitment performance.

Integrated Master Schedule integrity, critical-path performance, and forecast reliability.

Program cost, earned value, estimate-at-completion, profitability, and cash-flow performance.

Risk, issue, action-item, and change-control effectiveness.

Engineering, material, production, test, trial, and delivery readiness.

Quality, rework, safety, audit, and corrective-action performance.

Accuracy, timeliness, and transparency of customer and executive reporting.

Integrated Program Team capability, accountability, communication, and retention.

This role is primarily office-based but requires frequent presence in an active shipbuilding environment and aboard vessels throughout construction, testing, trials, and delivery.

Required PPE must be worn. The position may involve exposure to machinery, dust, fumes, noise, temperature extremes, work at height, confined spaces, and incomplete vessel structures.

Extended hours, travel, weekends, or holiday support may be required based on program, customer, trial, and delivery needs. Reasonable accommodations will be administered in accordance with applicable law and Birdon policy.

The WCC Program Manager works across all program and functional organizations, including Contracts, Program Controls, Finance, Planning, Engineering, Supply Chain, Production, Quality, Test and Trials, Logistics, Facilities, Security, Human Resources, subcontractors, suppliers, ABS, and customer representatives.

This role requires clear, factual, timely, and professional communication and responsibility for protecting Birdon’s values and interests while maintaining productive stakeholder relationships.