Program Manager Jobs in Tennessee
Program Manager jobs in Tennessee are in strong demand, with consistent openings across defense contracting, healthcare systems, logistics, and technology, at every level from coordinator to senior program manager. Nashville, Huntsville-adjacent markets in middle Tennessee, and the Knoxville corridor are the busiest hiring hubs, with established employers like HCA Healthcare, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and FedEx driving sustained program manager hiring. The most sought-after specialties are healthcare operations program management, defense and government program oversight, and supply chain program management. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Location: Oak Ridge, TN
Job Title: Early-Stage Planning Program Manager
Career Level: Advisor
Job Specialty: Program-General-Technical
What You'll Do
The Early-Stage Planning Program Manager is responsible for strategic integration and initiation of line-item and new facility minor construction projects from concept development through transition to execution organizations. Acts as a primary liaison for new facility planning, facilitating effective exchange of information, aligning site and strategic objectives with programmatic priorities, and ensuring that internal and external requirements are consistently met.
Responsibilities:
- As directed, develop Mission Need and Program Requirements documentation in support of new construction projects.
- Supports development and approval of critical decision packages and major milestones for planned projects to ensure milestones are met.
- As directed, evaluate future construction projects to identify options and propose solutions; logically and systematically evaluate existing program and processes to determine appropriate solutions to include project complexity, tentative location, size, and other data.
- As directed, may support communication interfaces between technical project leads and customers, addressing requests for proposals, statements of work, delivery of products and services, and identification of period of performance.
- As directed, may support the communication and coordination of program plan and status to Federal Program Office, site management, stakeholders, and customers, including weekly project reviews, weekly highlights, and monthly financial updates.
- Contributes to preparing/reviewing various documents which may include presentations, project plans, schedules, monthly reports, system descriptions, procedures and implementation plans.
- In collaboration with appropriate stakeholders, provides direct support to project technical leads related to cost estimates, schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
- Under limited guidance, lead various teams and committees, and participate in working groups and planning meetings.
- Prepare siting studies for future new construction and laydown areas and evaluate information to determine feasibility of proposed plans.
- Support planning and development of the Y-12 Master site Plan, with specific focus on long-range construction.
- Other jobs duties as assigned/requested.
What You Can Expect
- Meaningful work and unique opportunities to support missions vital to national and global security
- Top-notch, dedicated colleagues
- Generous pay and benefits with a stable organization
- Career advancement and professional development programs
- Work-life balance fostered through flexible work options and wellness initiatives
Minimum Job Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: Minimum 12 years of relevant experience.
- OR Master's degree: Minimum 10 years of relevant experience.
- OR PhD: Minimum 7 years of relevant experience.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
- Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams without direct authority.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience developing and maturing complex initiatives in regulated industrial environments.
Preferred Job Requirements
- 15 or more years of relevant experience.
- This position requires extensive technical expertise and full knowledge of supporting DOE capital asset or minor construction projects.
- This position requires knowledge of industry and regulatory standards such as DOE O 413.3 acquisition processes.
- Experience operating within environmentally complex sites involving remediation or regulatory oversight.
- Experience facilitating project initiation and stakeholder alignment activities.
- This position demands a high level of professionalism, strategic communication, and collaborative engagement with senior management and key stakeholders within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Why Y-12?
Notes
The minimum education and experience for the lowest career level in the job posting range are listed under Minimum Job Requirements. Successful candidates hired into a higher career level than the minimum in the range must meet the requirements listed in the job leveling charts for the career level into which they are being hired.
If a range of Career Levels is posted, i.e., Senior Associate to Senior Specialist, internal applicants already in one of the Career Levels would come across at their current Career Level. Internal applicants currently in a lower level Career Level would move to the lowest posted Career Level.
Requires a Q clearance; however all qualified candidates will be considered regardless of their current clearance status. The ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy Q clearance is required.
This position may require entry into the Material Access Areas (MAA) and participation in the Human Reliability Program (10 C.F.R. Part 712), which requires successful competition of a DOE counterintelligence evaluation and may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination.
This position may be categorized as a “designated position” identified by 10 C.F.R. Part 709, requiring successful completion of a DOE counterintelligence evaluation that may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination.
CNS is a drug-free workplace. Candidates accepting a job offer will be required to pass a pre-placement physical, drug screening and background investigation. As an employee, you may be required to receive and maintain a security clearance from the United States Department of Energy in order to meet eligibility requirements for access to sensitive information or matter. U.S. citizenship is a requirement for security clearance applicants. All employees are subject to being randomly selected for drug testing without advance notification.
CNS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit and without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.
Location: Oak Ridge, TN
Job Title: Early-Stage Planning Program Manager
Career Level: Advisor
Job Specialty: Program-General-Technical
What You'll Do
The Early-Stage Planning Program Manager is responsible for strategic integration and initiation of line-item and new facility minor construction projects from concept development through transition to execution organizations. Acts as a primary liaison for new facility planning, facilitating effective exchange of information, aligning site and strategic objectives with programmatic priorities, and ensuring that internal and external requirements are consistently met.
Responsibilities:
- As directed, develop Mission Need and Program Requirements documentation in support of new construction projects.
- Supports development and approval of critical decision packages and major milestones for planned projects to ensure milestones are met.
- As directed, evaluate future construction projects to identify options and propose solutions; logically and systematically evaluate existing program and processes to determine appropriate solutions to include project complexity, tentative location, size, and other data.
- As directed, may support communication interfaces between technical project leads and customers, addressing requests for proposals, statements of work, delivery of products and services, and identification of period of performance.
- As directed, may support the communication and coordination of program plan and status to Federal Program Office, site management, stakeholders, and customers, including weekly project reviews, weekly highlights, and monthly financial updates.
- Contributes to preparing/reviewing various documents which may include presentations, project plans, schedules, monthly reports, system descriptions, procedures and implementation plans.
- In collaboration with appropriate stakeholders, provides direct support to project technical leads related to cost estimates, schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
- Under limited guidance, lead various teams and committees, and participate in working groups and planning meetings.
- Prepare siting studies for future new construction and laydown areas and evaluate information to determine feasibility of proposed plans.
- Support planning and development of the Y-12 Master site Plan, with specific focus on long-range construction.
- Other jobs duties as assigned/requested.
What You Can Expect
- Meaningful work and unique opportunities to support missions vital to national and global security
- Top-notch, dedicated colleagues
- Generous pay and benefits with a stable organization
- Career advancement and professional development programs
- Work-life balance fostered through flexible work options and wellness initiatives
Minimum Job Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: Minimum 12 years of relevant experience.
- OR Master's degree: Minimum 10 years of relevant experience.
- OR PhD: Minimum 7 years of relevant experience.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
- Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams without direct authority.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Experience developing and maturing complex initiatives in regulated industrial environments.
Preferred Job Requirements
- 15 or more years of relevant experience.
- This position requires extensive technical expertise and full knowledge of supporting DOE capital asset or minor construction projects.
- This position requires knowledge of industry and regulatory standards such as DOE O 413.3 acquisition processes.
- Experience operating within environmentally complex sites involving remediation or regulatory oversight.
- Experience facilitating project initiation and stakeholder alignment activities.
- This position demands a high level of professionalism, strategic communication, and collaborative engagement with senior management and key stakeholders within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Why Y-12?
Notes
The minimum education and experience for the lowest career level in the job posting range are listed under Minimum Job Requirements. Successful candidates hired into a higher career level than the minimum in the range must meet the requirements listed in the job leveling charts for the career level into which they are being hired.
If a range of Career Levels is posted, i.e., Senior Associate to Senior Specialist, internal applicants already in one of the Career Levels would come across at their current Career Level. Internal applicants currently in a lower level Career Level would move to the lowest posted Career Level.
Requires a Q clearance; however all qualified candidates will be considered regardless of their current clearance status. The ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy Q clearance is required.
This position may require entry into the Material Access Areas (MAA) and participation in the Human Reliability Program (10 C.F.R. Part 712), which requires successful competition of a DOE counterintelligence evaluation and may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination.
This position may be categorized as a “designated position” identified by 10 C.F.R. Part 709, requiring successful completion of a DOE counterintelligence evaluation that may include a counterintelligence-scope polygraph examination.
CNS is a drug-free workplace. Candidates accepting a job offer will be required to pass a pre-placement physical, drug screening and background investigation. As an employee, you may be required to receive and maintain a security clearance from the United States Department of Energy in order to meet eligibility requirements for access to sensitive information or matter. U.S. citizenship is a requirement for security clearance applicants. All employees are subject to being randomly selected for drug testing without advance notification.
CNS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit and without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.
See All 91 Program Manager Jobs in Tennessee
Find roles in Tennessee that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Program Manager JobsProgram Manager Jobs by City in Tennessee
Where Tennessee roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Program Manager Job Market in Tennessee
A snapshot from current Tennessee openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Oracle26
- Amazon19
- Vanderbilt Health3
- Vanderbilt University3
- Erlanger2
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Electronics & Hardware
What Tennessee Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in program manager jobs across Tennessee.
- Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or a related field required
- PMP certification from the Project Management Institute strongly preferred
- Five or more years managing cross-functional programs or large-scale projects
- Experience with program lifecycle management in defense, healthcare, or logistics
- Proficiency with project management tools such as MS Project, Jira, or Smartsheet
- Strong stakeholder communication and executive reporting skills required
Program Manager Jobs in Tennessee: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a program manager in Tennessee?
Most program manager roles in Tennessee require a bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or a related discipline, combined with several years of project or program leadership experience. The PMP certification from the Project Management Institute is the most recognized credential Tennessee employers look for and can significantly strengthen your candidacy. Tennessee has no state-issued license specific to program managers, so the PMP and demonstrated experience in a relevant sector like defense, healthcare, or logistics are your primary differentiators.
Which companies hire program managers in Tennessee?
Employers hiring program managers in Tennessee right now include Oracle, Amazon, and Vanderbilt Health, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Tennessee's defense contractors around Oak Ridge and the healthcare networks centered in Nashville are among the most consistent sources of program manager openings in the state.
Which Tennessee cities have the most program manager jobs?
Nashville, Memphis, and Chattanooga have the most program manager openings in Tennessee. Nashville dominates due to its concentration of healthcare systems, corporate headquarters, and technology firms, while Knoxville and Oak Ridge draw program managers into defense, energy, and federal contracting work tied to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the broader Department of Energy presence in east Tennessee.
Are there remote program manager jobs in Tennessee?
Yes, and more than most fields. Program management is largely a coordination, planning, and communication role that translates well to remote and hybrid arrangements. About 18% of program manager openings tied to Tennessee are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how broadly distributed the work can be. The planning, reporting, and stakeholder communication portions of the role are the most commonly performed off-site, while programs with active on-site delivery components tend to require at least part-time in-person presence.
How can I get hired as a program manager in Tennessee with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is moving into a program coordinator or project coordinator role first, then building toward program management. Large Tennessee healthcare systems like HCA Healthcare and Vanderbilt University Medical Center hire program coordinators and project associates specifically designed as stepping-stone roles. Federal contractor operations around Oak Ridge often post junior program analyst positions that serve the same purpose. Earning a CAPM certification from the Project Management Institute before or during this stage signals commitment and gives you a measurable edge over other entry-level candidates.
Where can I find and apply to program manager jobs in Tennessee?
You can find and apply to program manager jobs in Tennessee on Migrate Mate, which lists current Tennessee openings across industries and experience levels. Find the roles that fit your background and apply directly through the listings.
See All 91 Program Manager Jobs in Tennessee
Find roles in Tennessee that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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