Project Lead Jobs in Tucson, AZ

Position Summary

Government/CMO liaison and Customer Relationship Management; agreement, contract, and regulatory compliance; public relations; financial oversight and funding; reporting; strategic coordination.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Act as the primary interface with the CMO and the government sponsor
• Ensure all contract requirements, milestones, and reporting obligations under the OT Agreement are met
• Manage communications, document submissions, and status updates with external stakeholders
• Oversee cost share tracking, funding drawdowns, and programmatic invoicing
• Coordinate internal resources to ensure compliance with DPA, ITAR, CUI, etc.
• Program and contract risk analysis and mitigation
• Provide executive-level briefings on OTA status
• Lead public relations efforts with industry, community, and other interested parties
• Ensure all appropriate records are maintained in accordance with OTA requirements and company policies

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Minimum Job Requirements and Skills:

• Proficient computer and applications software skills with MS Office suite
• Strong listening, writing, and verbal communication skills
• Effective at building strong relationships
• Able to influence others for mutual benefit; high level negotiation skills
• Sound problem analysis, critical thinking, and situational recognition skills; able develop effective solutions and execute to achieve desired results
• Strong cross functional collaboration skills and ability to influence others
• High level organizational skills; demonstrated ability to meet and manage project deadlines
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and organized, taking ownership of all assigned work
• Must be comfortable and confident in working directly with all levels of internal and external customers

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience
• Significant experience in the following areas:
  • Manufacturing
  • Defense Industrial Base supply chain
  • DOD contracting and regulations (OTA’s FAR, DFARS, CUI)
  • Program and project management

Physical Requirements:

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. He or she will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by his or her supervisor

Specific Tasks and Focus Areas:

Interface with the Consortium Management Organization (CMO)

• Single Point of Contact for all communications with the CMO.
• Maintain compliance with CMO reporting requirements (technical and financial progress reports).
• Manage communications, document submissions, and status updates with external stakeholders
• Track deliverables and milestones in line with the OT agreement.
• Attend regular update meetings, program reviews, joint working groups, and CMO symposiums.

Lead Responsibility for Compliance with OT Agreement Terms

• Understand and interpret the terms and conditions of the DIBC Base Agreement, Project Sub-Agreement (PSA), and any associated agreements or regulations
• Ensure all contract requirements, milestones, and reporting obligations under the Base Agreement, Project Sub-Agreement, and Project Execution Plan (PEP) are met
• Ensure compliance with:
  • DPA regulations and U.S. Government reporting standards
  • Any flow downs from the CMO or sponsoring agency
• Monitor intellectual property, data rights, and non-traditional defense contractor (NDC) status if applicable
• Ensure compliance with ITAR, EAR, CMMC and CUI requirements

Internal Coordination

• Coordinate cross-functionally with PEP Project Manager and internal team to ensure smooth execution
• Track internal deliverables (build schedules, procurement, risk assessments)
• Assist in driving integration of new prototype line into existing production capability

Financial Oversight

• Generate invoice submissions per OTA terms (in coordination with accounting)
• Oversee cost tracking (if applicable) and invoicing for the fixed price portion of the PSA
• Ensure that expenditure-based costs and milestones for the cost-plus fixed fee portion of the PSA are within scope, properly documented, and properly invoiced
• Support audit readiness if applicable

Program Tracking and Reporting

• Use formal project management tools (e.g. MS Project) to maintain a master schedule
• Track cost, schedule, and technical performance
• Prepare progress reports (monthly, quarterly, or per agreement), technical status updates, and risk mitigation plans
• Ensure all appropriate records are maintained in accordance with OTA requirements and company policies

Risk Management

• Identify, evaluate, & manage risks—especially schedule, regulatory, and technical risks.
• Maintain a risk register and regularly review with the internal team and CMO if required.
• Communicate technical and schedule challenges clearly and proactively to the CMO.

Communications

• Provide executive-level updates internally to senior leadership
• Lead responsibility for all communications with external stakeholders and public relations efforts relating to the OTA
  • Government, customers, industry influencers, community members, media

Traits and Characteristics:

• Exceptional communication both orally and written
• Strong ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks
• Effectively manage stakeholders, finances, and resources to ensure contract compliance and success
• Ability to understand the program’s vision and align projects with overarching government objectives
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution abilities
• Takes responsibility for accomplishing work goals within accepted timeframes
• Contributes to an environment that supports and accommodates diverse people and ideas
• Interacts respectfully and cooperatively with others

Education

• Bachelors or better

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.