Sr Principal Program Planner, Manufacturing Transition (Hybrid)

Job Description

BAE Systems has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Program Planner to support factory transition projects. As the Planner, this role is responsible for developing and managing the Integrated Master Schedule for complex factory transitions and business continuity initiatives. The Planner will partner closely with cross-functional transition teams and functional leaders to ensure all transition activities are logically sequenced, properly resourced, and executed to meet project milestones. This role will also help establish a best-in-class planning and scheduling process that can be standardized and leveraged across future transition projects.

The Planner will drive the integrated planning and scheduling process for operations transition projects by developing, maintaining, and managing comprehensive Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) that align manufacturing, engineering, program management, production control, supply chain, quality, facilities, and capital activities. The Planner will establish schedule standards, integrate cross-functional activities, identifiy critical path dependencies, and will provide visibility to project milestones, resource requirements, risks, and execution performance.

This role will be performed in a hybrid remote work format, with the individual splitting their time between our site in Austin, TX, and remotely from an alternate work location. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants must either currently reside within the greater Austin, TX metro area, or be willing to relocate to the area.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and manage comprehensive Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) for complex factory transition projects, incorporating manufacturing, supply chain, engineering, quality, facilities, capital equipment, production, and product transfer activities.
• Establish schedule structure, milestones, dependencies, durations, and sequencing to provide a clear and executable roadmap for successful project transition.
• Partner with the Transition Project Manager and functional leads to translate project scope, deliverables, and objectives into detailed, integrated schedules.
• Establish and maintain schedule baselines, critical path analysis, key milestones, schedule performance metrics, and schedule health assessments.
• Identify schedule risks, constraints, bottlenecks, and cross-functional dependencies and develop mitigation strategies to protect critical milestones.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, Facilities, Finance, and other functional organizations to ensure schedule inputs are accurate, timely, and aligned to overall transition objectives.
• Conduct regular schedule reviews with functional leaders to validate progress, identify variances, update forecasts, and ensure accountability for committed activities and milestones.
• Monitor actual performance against the IMS and proactively identify schedule slippage, emerging risks, and potential impacts to production execution, customer commitments, and business continuity.
• Integrate resource requirements, capacity constraints, equipment availability, facility readiness, material availability, and other execution dependencies into the overall transition schedule.
• Maintain schedule integrity through disciplined change control, ensuring scope changes, approved assumptions, risks, and dependencies are appropriately reflected in the IMS.
• Develop and maintain schedule dashboards, milestone trackers, look-ahead schedules, and executive-level schedule reporting to provide transparent visibility into project performance.
• Support development of transition estimates, sequencing strategies, resource plans, and execution scenarios to enable effective project planning and decision-making.
• Capture schedule lessons learned, planning assumptions, and best practices to continuously improve the transition planning process and establish a repeatable, best-in-class transition scheduling methodology.
• Collaborate with project controls and finance teams to ensure schedule milestones are aligned with project budgets, forecasts, and performance reporting.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree
• Strong knowledge of project planning, scheduling, manufacturing processes, and cross-functional operations
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing Integrated Master Schedules for complex projects, programs, or manufacturing initiatives
• Strong understanding of schedule logic, dependencies, critical path, milestones, resource constraints, schedule risk, and schedule performance
• Ability to work collaboratively across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, Facilities, and other functional organizations
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and drive accountability without direct authority
• Ability to present complex schedule information and recommendations to senior leaders in a clear, concise, and actionable manner
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment and operate independently with limited supervision
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Project, Primavera P6, or comparable project scheduling software

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline and a minimum of 10 years' experience in project planning
• Experience developing and managing Integrated Master Schedules for large-scale manufacturing, factory transition, facility relocation, product transfer, or capital investment projects.
• Proficient with Microsoft Project or other enterprise-level scheduling and project controls systems.
• PMP, PMI-SP, or other project planning/scheduling certification preferred.
• Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM), schedule performance measurement, or project controls preferred.

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $118747 - $201870

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.

About BAE Systems, Inc.
BAE Systems, Inc. is a defense, aerospace, and security company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 40,000 employees worldwide. We serve, supply, and protect those who protect us. As one of the most geographically diverse international defense companies, we deliver a full range of products and services spanning air, land, maritime, space, and cyber, including advanced electronics, intelligence solutions, and dedicated customer support.

Our culture is performance-driven and values-led, built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Purpose isn't a tagline here. It's what drives us. We're developing breakthrough technologies that defend national security and make a lasting impact on our communities and our planet. When you join BAE Systems, you're not just building a career. You're contributing to a mission that truly matters.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.