Onsite Lead (Program Management & Digital Engineering)
Location: San Diego, CA / Hybrid
Experience: 12 15 Years
Nationality: US Citizen
Must Have : Strong background working with Aerospace clients (MRO- Maintenance Repair & Overhaul, engineering workflows, or operations).
1. Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Onsite Lead / Program Management & Digital Engineering Specialist to be based at our client's location San Diego, CA / Hybrid. The role requires strong client-facing experience, end-to-end coordination with customer stakeholders, and the ability to translate business requirements into actionable tasks for offshore engineering and development teams.
The candidate will support a strategic Aerospace MRO program focused on building an advanced MRO Work Order Scheduling solution usingGenerative AI, Operations Research algorithms, and modern cloud & data engineering technologies. The role requires strong understanding of project/program management, cross-functional collaboration, and engineering domain awareness.
2. Key Responsibilities
Client & Stakeholder Management
- Serve as the primary onsite point of contact for all client interactions.
- Engage with business, engineering, and IT stakeholders to understand goals, timelines, dependencies, and constraints.
- Manage expectations, clarify open points, and ensure consistent communication across teams.
Program & Project Management
- Drive project planning, tracking, and reporting in alignment with PMI knowledge areas (Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Risk, Communication, and Stakeholder Management).
- Coordinate with offshore teams for timely delivery, issue resolution, and status reporting.
- Facilitate requirement workshops, sprint planning, risk assessments, and milestone reviews.
- Ensure alignment with the client's governance processes, compliance requirements, and quality standards.
Technical Coordination
- Understand and translate client requirements related to:
- MRO processes and work order management
- Generative AI-based scheduling solutions
- Operations Research algorithms such as Critical Path Method (CPM), Critical Chain Method (CCM), heuristic scheduling, and optimization approaches
- Collaborate with technical teams in Data Science, Data Engineering, Cloud Engineering, and Software Engineering.
- Review functional and technical deliverables to ensure business alignment.
Requirements Management
- Capture, document, and validate functional and non-functional requirements.
- Convert high-level problem statements into well-structured requirements and user stories.
- Proactively identify gaps, dependencies, constraints, and integration points.
Delivery Oversight
- Monitor progress across all workstreams and ensure smooth interaction between onsite and offshore teams.
- Track deliverables, quality KPIs, and timelines and escalate risks or issues appropriately.
- Support UAT planning, execution, and feedback integration.
3. Mandatory Skills & Qualifications
Experience
- 12 15 years of total professional experience in Project/Program Management, Digital Engineering, or IT Services.
- At least 5+ years in client-facing onsite roles, preferably in the USA.
- Strong background working with Aerospace clients (MRO, engineering workflows, or operations).
Technical Knowledge
- Working knowledge of:
- Data Science concepts (predictive models, optimization, ML workflows)
- Data Engineering (ETL pipelines, data models, SQL, cloud data platforms)
- Cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/GCP fundamentals)
- Software Engineering basics
AI & Optimization Awareness
- Exposure to:
- Generative AI solutions
- Operations Research methods (CPM, CCM, heuristics, optimization models)
- Scheduling or planning systems
Project/Program Management
- Strong understanding of PMI frameworks, artifacts, and governance.
- Experience in managing multi-location delivery teams.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
4. Nice-to-Have Skills
- PMI certifications: PMP / PgMP / PMI-ACP
- Understanding of aviation standards or MRO-specific workflows
- Exposure to MCP (Model Context Protocol), AI agent-based systems, or analytics platforms
- Experience working in engineering service environments similar to Cyient, Tata Elxsi, LTTS, Infosys Engineering, etc.
- Familiarity with scheduling tools and enterprise workflow systems
- Ability to build BRDs, FRDs, and solution documentation
5. Behavioral Competencies
- Strong executive presence and ability to engage senior stakeholders.
- Proactive, self-driven, and capable of working with minimal supervision.
- Excellent problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
- High accountability with a collaborative approach across teams.
6. Education
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (Master's preferred).
- Certifications in project management or cloud technologies are an advantage.