Principal Program Manager- FA&D

Please note that this role can be based in any of the following locations: Colorado Springs, CO, Washington, DC area, Huntsville, AL, Exton, PA

We Are

Synopsys is the leader in engineering solutions from silicon to systems, enabling customers to rapidly innovate AI-powered products. We deliver industry-leading silicon design, IP, simulation and analysis solutions, and design services. We partner closely with our customers across a wide range of industries to maximize their R&D capability and productivity, powering innovation today that ignites the ingenuity of tomorrow.

You Are

You have spent years leading complex defense programs where the stakes are real, the timelines are tight, and the customer is the U.S. government. You know that the difference between a program that delivers and one that stalls is usually in the details someone caught three weeks before a milestone review, and you are the kind of leader who catches those details without slowing the team down.

You have moved programs from prototype to production before. You understand what it means to step into an ongoing effort, assess what is working, fix what is not, and build the discipline needed to scale. Building an integrated master schedule, staffing a team, and translating technical complexity into executive-ready briefings are things you have done many times, not things you are learning how to do.

You are comfortable sitting in a room with engineers talking about DevSecOps pipelines and then walking into a government stakeholder meeting and translating that same work into mission impact. You do not wait for perfect information. You work with what you have, ask the right questions, and move the program forward. You have a point of view on what good delivery looks like, and you push back when a plan is too vague or a risk is being ignored.

At AGI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Synopsys, you will lead a high-visibility missile defense program that matters to national security. The team is distributed, the technical scope is real, and what you deliver will make a difference.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead execution of a large-scale enterprise software integration project for a critical missile defense customer, transitioning from phase one prototype to phase two production delivery
• Build and manage the integrated master schedule, project plans, and backlog in partnership with technical leads and a coalition of partner project managers
• Staff and direct a multidisciplinary team including internal engineers, subcontractors, and consultants, ensuring alignment across all delivery workstreams
• Serve as the primary point of contact for government stakeholders, leading milestone reviews, status briefings, and decision-support sessions with senior defense leadership
• Manage DevSecOps execution including CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, secure deployments, and compliance with DoD cybersecurity frameworks like RMF and STIGs
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks across technical, schedule, and integration domains, working with partners to resolve issues before they impact delivery
• Coordinate cross-functional execution across sales, operations, finance, legal, and delivery teams to ensure commitments translate into successful outcomes

The Impact You Will Have

• Deliver a mission-critical software system that directly supports U.S. missile defense operations and national security objectives
• Establish the execution discipline and program structure that will carry this effort through production delivery and into sustainment
• Improve visibility into project health, risks, and performance for AGI leadership and Synopsys stakeholders, enabling better decision-making and resource allocation
• Strengthen delivery processes and standards across AGI, setting a model for how complex government programs are executed
• Build trust and credibility with a high-priority defense customer, positioning AGI for follow-on work and long-term partnership
• Enable a distributed team of engineers, partners, and subcontractors to work effectively across organizational and security boundaries
• Contribute to the defense industrial base by helping deliver tools and capabilities that enhance mission readiness and operational effectiveness

What You'll Need

• Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or related technical discipline, advanced degree strongly preferred
• 15+ years leading complex federal aerospace and defense projects including software development, systems integration, or technical product delivery
• Experience managing Agile software development projects including backlog management, sprint planning, and iterative delivery in defense environments
• Hands-on experience with DevSecOps pipelines, CI/CD tooling, automated testing, and secure deployments in classified or controlled environments
• Direct experience supporting Missile Defense or Space Operations programs, familiarity with MDA systems engineering practices and DoD 5000 acquisition processes is a strong plus
• Proficiency with program management and delivery tools such as Monday.com, Jira, GitLab, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms

Who You Are

• You can walk into a program review with incomplete data, assess what is missing, and still provide leadership with a clear recommendation and path forward
• You have managed subcontractors and partners before, and you know how to hold them accountable without micromanaging or creating friction
• You can explain a technical tradeoff involving cybersecurity compliance and deployment architecture to a government program manager in two sentences without losing the nuance
• You operate autonomously, prioritizing across competing demands and making sound decisions without waiting for someone to tell you what matters most
• You have built integrated master schedules and project plans for multi-organization efforts, and you know the difference between a schedule that drives execution and one that just looks good in a briefing
• You are comfortable working in classified environments, navigating JWICS, SIPRNet, and SCIF operations as part of normal program execution

The Team You'll Be Part Of

You will be part of Ansys Government Initiatives (AGI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Synopsys that provides advanced engineering simulation and digital mission solutions to U.S. national security, defense, space, and microelectronics programs. AGI has been a trusted partner to the defense community since 1989, helping customers apply Synopsys and Ansys software to solve complex, multidomain problems and validate designs throughout the product lifecycle. You will work closely with a coalition of partner organizations, internal AGI delivery teams, and government stakeholders to execute a high-visibility missile defense program.

LI-CM-1