Principal Program Manager

STR · Arlington, VA · Product

Posted 2026-10-09

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STR is hiring a Principal Program Manager (PM) in the Intelligence Division who is passionate about working on the hardest national security problems. This position is located in our Arlington, VA office.

About the Team:

STR’s Intelligence Division researches, develops, and deploys advanced analytics and machine learning-based solutions to solve challenging problems in support of national security and the intelligence community. Our team consists of passionate and motivated individuals with advanced degrees in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and data science, who are seeking opportunities to use their technical knowledge and creativity to tackle some of the hardest problems that our customers face. Our projects span multiple different data modalities and incorporate advanced algorithms, deep learning, and statistical techniques to uncover patterns in social media, structured and unstructured text, time series, geospatial, and imagery data, and must operate under challenging constraints not typically found in the commercial world. The tools and technologies we develop have real world impact and are used by analysts to extract and enrich intelligence information around the globe.

The Role:

We are looking for a leader who is passionate about collaborating with high-performance teams to solve unique national security challenges with novel technologies. A Principal Program Manager is accountable for the ultimate success of the product and is responsible for ensuring that what is developed and delivered to customers is operationally valuable. In this role, a Program Manager will be expected to demonstrate: 1) expertise on the customer’s challenges, desires, workflows, and acquisition processes, 2) expertise on the product and the leveraged technologies, 3) understanding of STR’s business and the role the product plays, and 4) deep knowledge of the market and industry, including trends, customer expectations and competition. The Program Management role requires creativity and strong intellectual curiosity in applying new technologies to solve customer problems. Because the technologies we bring to market often represent the state of the art and may involve process changes, additional key skills for the Program Manager include persistence and strong communication to drive cross-functional collaboration. Finally, as the Program Manager is a key role within the Intelligence Division, they will play an important part in a variety of additional functions including business strategy, business development, and growing the team.

What you will do:

Managing program technical, financial, and schedule performance

Working with the principal investigator, technical staff, subcontractors, and support personnel to identify and address risks and issues

Managing program performance through review of metrics and program execution milestones (including scheduling, cost, and logistics)

Gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing data from multiple sources, such as project reports, project staff, and customer feedback to understand and communicate status and to identify trends

Interacting with external program customers and internal company leadership

Managing scientists, engineers, and technicians across broad areas of expertise

Achieving cost, schedule, and customer objectives on advanced technology programs

Working in a fast-paced environment to enable successful contract execution

Building strong customer relationships and establish open lines of communication

Who you are:

Active Top Secret (TS) security clearance, for which U.S. citizenship is needed by U.S. Government

BS degree with minimum of 12+ years experience managing technical programs. Equivalent Experience will be considered.

Experienced in project management within the Intelligence Community (IC), and/or experience directly supporting program objectives such as managing cost, schedule, and technical performance

Experience leading technical teams on advanced R&D programs

Motivated collaborator and effective communicator to both technical and non-technical audiences

Even Better:

Ability to obtain Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance

Experience writing technical proposals, or leading proposal efforts

Experience spanning all project phases, from ideation to technology research and product development

Working knowledge of the IC mission and acquisition processes

Technical breadth and a demonstrated ability to simultaneously manage multiple, technically diverse programs and teams

Entrepreneurial spirit and eager to engage in technical marketing and business development

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $200,000 - $250,000

The salary range listed is based on external market data. Offers are based on factors, such as but not limited to, the candidate’s experience, education, training, key skills/critical skills, security clearances, and prevailing market and business conditions.

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