Program Operations Manager
Raydar
Program Operations Manager
Raydar
AI-powered recruiting agency for tech roles
Raydar · Washington, United States (Hybrid) · Full-time · Posted 2026-10-31
Salary: USD 150,000–185,000
Workplace: hybrid
About the company
Our client is a technology and national security services company.
The role
Raydar is recruiting for this role on behalf of our client. Act as the accountable program owner for customer engagements, partnering with a technical lead and a team of engineers. Convert unclear customer needs into prioritized work plans and manage people through demanding, time-sensitive projects. Serve as the main connection between government stakeholders and the delivery team.
What you'll do
- Take full responsibility for customer engagements from kickoff to completion as the program owner, working alongside a technical lead and engineers.
- Develop a first-hand understanding of how customers actually operate by spending time with their data and their users, instead of relying only on written documentation.
- Turn customer goals into clearly scoped and ranked work, separating real mission needs from noise and personal preferences.
- Communicate between government customers and engineers so that everyone understands what must be delivered.
- Remove obstacles quickly and adjust course when results show the current plan is not working.
- Build lasting working relationships with end users, program leaders, technical contacts and contracting staff.
- Pass field insights back to product and engineering groups to guide future development and delivery methods.
- Lead and manage internal and external teams, with room to grow your own organization over time.
What we're looking for
- At least 4 years running complex technical programs or deployments from start to finish in a national security setting.
- A track record of being answerable for real results rather than only hitting timelines.
- Prior experience directly managing or leading people.
- Comfort collaborating with government clients in classified environments.
- Ability to shape vague requirements into well-defined, prioritized engineering tasks.
- Confidence guiding teams through pressured, quickly changing situations.
- Active Secret clearance at time of hire.
- Legal authorization to work in the United States.
- Residence within commuting distance of the Washington, D.C. area.
- Willingness to travel up to 40% of the time.
Bonus points
- TS/SCI clearance.
- Experience delivering work for government or national security clients.
- Previous forward deployed, deployment strategy or customer mission success role at a technology company.
- Prior military or government service.
- An existing professional network in the industry.
- Hands-on experience with enterprise data platforms.
Compensation and benefits
- Base salary: USD 150,000 to 185,000 per year
- Annual bonus
- Health, dental and vision coverage
- Life and disability insurance
- Retirement plan
- Paid time off and paid holidays
- Professional development opportunities
Location and work model
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Hybrid, in the office approximately 2-3 times per month
- Up to 40% travel
- Full-time
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Raydar is an AI-powered talent acquisition firm that serves tech-focused organizations on a contingency basis, charging client companies only after a successful hire. It uses proprietary AI to identify a large pool of candidates and conducts a short 15-minute AI-driven interview (recorded and transcribed) before human recruiters review materials, provide interview prep, and assist with offers and negotiations. What sets it apart is the blend of automated sourcing and screening with hands-on human oversight and tailored client support. Its goal is to help organizations hire more efficiently by speeding up sourcing while maintaining thorough evaluation and negotiation assistance.
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