Program Operations Manager

Aitech Defense Systems is renowned for its innovation in rugged embedded systems, designed to operate reliably in the challenging environments of military, defense, aerospace, and space applications. Founded in 1983, Aitech has a rich history of pioneering advancements such as the world’s first conduction-cooled MIL-SPEC VMEbus board and has continually evolved its product line to include state-of-the-art SBCs, GPGPU-based AI applications, and advanced cybersecurity for mission-critical systems.Joining us means you’ll be working at the forefront of technology with projects that span across land, sea, air, and space, supporting some of the top prime contractors in the industry. This opportunity will allow you to contribute to groundbreaking projects and push the boundaries of embedded computing technology!Reports to: Chief Delivery OfficerRole Classification: Individual Contributor – No Direct ReportsSummaryThe Program Operations Manager is an individual contributor responsible for driving cross-functional visibility, coordination, and accountability across the Order-to-Cash lifecycle for ADSI US Operations—from order fulfillment through shipment and invoicing.This role owns operational visibility, backlog governance, and cross-functional coordination across the Order-to-Cash lifecycle. The Program Operations Manager identifies and escalates schedule and fulfillment risks and partners with Planning & Control (PP&C), Production, Program Delivery, Quality, Shipping, and Finance to help ensure customer commitments are met.The Program Operations Manager does not have direct supervisory responsibility for employees within Production, PP&C, Supply Chain, Shipping, Quality, or Finance. Functional departments retain ownership and authority for their respective operational activities. This role drives cross-functional execution by owning visibility, coordinating stakeholders, identifying risks, and driving timely follow-up and escalation.What You Will DoOrder-to-Cash & Customer Commitment CoordinationManage the Order-to-Cash process, driving visibility and accountability from order fulfillment through shipment and invoicingOwn the operational review of customer order backlog and maintain visibility of committed dates, schedule assumptions, shipment readiness, and invoicing statusTrack customer orders end-to-end and identify potential schedule or fulfillment risks ahead of committed shipment and delivery datesFacilitate cross-functional discussions to address risks that may impact customer commitmentsEscalate significant schedule, fulfillment, shipment, or invoicing risks to appropriate functional leaders and the Chief Delivery OfficerCross-Functional Operational CoordinationPartner with Planning & Control to ensure customer order commitments and schedule requirements are appropriately reflected in operational planningPartner with Production and Quality to identify and escalate constraints that may affect order fulfillment or customer commitmentsPartner with Program Delivery Managers, PP&C, Production, Quality, Shipping, and Finance to maintain alignment regarding customer commitments, contract milestones, shipment requirements, and order statusParticipate in daily tier meetings and relevant SIOP activities to provide visibility regarding customer orders, schedule risks, delivery commitments, and shipment readinessConvene appropriate stakeholders when cross-functional issues require resolution or escalationProduction and PP&C retain ownership of production execution, production scheduling, material planning, resource allocation, and schedule attainment. This position supports those functions through coordination, visibility, follow-up, and escalation and does not assume their functional management responsibilitiesShipment, Invoicing & Revenue VisibilityTrack shipment readiness and shipment status and coordinate with Shipping and Finance to support timely invoicingMaintain visibility of orders and shipments that may affect revenue timingIdentify and report revenue-at-risk associated with shipment delays, quality holds, material shortages, export/import compliance constraints, customer readiness, or other fulfillment issuesCoordinate with appropriate functional owners to ensure issues affecting shipment or invoicing are visible and appropriately escalatedDevelop, maintain, and communicate operational reporting and performance metrics regarding backlog, shipment status, customer commitments, and revenue-at-riskSystems, Data & Process DisciplineDrive visibility to and escalation of data inaccuracies affecting order status, backlog commitments, shipment status, and invoicing informationMonitor order status, shipment status, backlog commitments, and invoicing information to ensure operational reporting accurately reflects current execution statusIdentify data inconsistencies or process gaps and coordinate with the appropriate functional owner for resolutionSupport continuous improvement initiatives related to Order-to-Cash visibility, reporting, coordination, and cross-functional communicationCompliance & Operational SupportCoordinate with functional owners to help ensure order and shipment activities comply with applicable quality and export/import requirementsSupport internal and external audits and corrective-action activities related to Order-to-Cash, order fulfillment, and shipment executionCoordinate with Production, PP&C, Program Delivery, Quality, Shipping, Finance, and external service providers on order execution matters as requiredRole This position is designed as a cross-functional individual contributor role , to work together with different functions and does not:Directly supervise or manage employeeOwn material planning, MRP planning, purchasing, procurement, or inventory managementEstablish employee performance goals, conduct performance evaluations, or make personnel decisions for functional teamsReplace the functional responsibilities of Production, PP&C, Supply Chain, Quality, Shipping, Finance, or Program DeliveryThe Program Operations Manager drives results primarily through influence, coordination, data visibility, accountability, follow-up, and escalation rather than direct functional or personnel authority.Growth PathAs Aitech scales, this position may expand into broader responsibility for Order-to-Cash execution, operational performance reporting, customer backlog management, and fulfillment governance across multiple sites or business units. Any future expansion of the role will be evaluated based on organizational needs and may require an updated job description.The expected annual salary range for this role is $125,000 - $150,000 a year.Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.Requirements:QualificationsBachelor's degree or 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in Operations, Supply Chain, Program Management, or a related functionDemonstrated experience managing or coordinating Order-to-Cash or order fulfillment processes in a manufacturing or production environmentExperience working cross-functionally with Planning, Production, Program Management, Quality, Shipping, and FinanceExperience using ERP/MRP systems to track order status, fulfillment, shipments, and invoicingStrong understanding of order lifecycle management, customer commitment tracking, and shipment/invoicing dependenciesAbility to identify, prioritize, communicate, and escalate order-fulfillment constraints affecting customer schedulesDemonstrated ability to drive execution through influence and accountability across cross-functional teams without direct authorityStrong analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skillsExperience developing and using operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting tools to support decision-makingPrior experience in defense, aerospace, or another regulated manufacturing environment preferredThis position requires use of information or access to hardware which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a U.S. person as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. 'Green Card Holder'), Political Asylee, or Refugee.Relocation benefit is not offered for this position. Only candidates residing within 50 miles radius of Chatsworth, CA will be considered for this position.