Senior Program Director, Government Contracts
Junior Achievement
About Junior Achievement USA®
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA learning experiences are delivered by corporate and community volunteers and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, Junior Achievement reaches students from pre-K through High School and beyond to ensure they get a solid head start. Today, JA reaches more than 4.6 million students per year in nearly 100 markets across the United States as part of 19.9 million students served by operations in more than 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide.
Position Summary
The Senior Program Director for Junior Achievement USA’s Government Contracting Initiatives—currently focused on the Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) skills pipeline—serves as the strategic leader responsible for designing, scaling, and sustaining a nationally significant workforce development initiative.
This role provides vision and direction, ensures programmatic excellence, and builds high-level partnerships with federal agencies, industry, and education systems. The Senior Director influences national strategy, leads cross-functional teams, and ensures that JA USA delivers measurable impact in addressing workforce shortages within the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
Essential Functions
Strategic Leadership & Vision
- Set and execute the long-term strategy for the Government Contracting Initiative in alignment with JA USA’s mission and federal workforce needs.
- Serve as a national spokesperson and trusted partner with government, industry, and education stakeholders.
- Anticipate workforce and industry trends to ensure programming remains scalable, relevant, and sustainable.
- Lead governance structures, including the Submarine Industrial Advisory Council and Implementation Advisory Group.
- Lead team in ensuring creation and deployment of high-quality, engaging, and pedagogically sound skills programming and educational learning experiences that align with the initiative's objectives and JA USA’s mission.
Program Oversight & Accountability
- Provide executive oversight of all aspects of the initiative, including compliance, reporting, and performance metrics tied to federal funding.
- Conduct diligence and advise senior leadership on future government grant/contract opportunities.
- Direct budget strategy, resource allocation, and contract management to ensure fiscal responsibility and accountability.
- Ensure pilot programs in targeted states are implemented with excellence, building frameworks for national expansion.
- Drive data-informed decision-making through ongoing program evaluation and analysis.
- Travels and attends meetings, visits sites and reports program metrics to stakeholders.
Stakeholder & External Engagement
- Cultivate strategic partnerships with federal agencies, industry leaders, state officials, and K–12 education systems.
- Represent JA USA in high-level meetings, advisory forums, and negotiations on workforce and defense-related initiatives.
- Maintain visibility as the principal point of contact with the U.S. Government, ensuring transparency and responsiveness.
Organizational & Team Leadership
- Lead and mentor a high-performing program management team, including Program Directors/Managers and Project Managers.
- Set clear priorities, establish accountability measures, and ensure alignment with JA USA strategic objectives.
- Build organizational capacity to manage complex government contracts and strengthen JA USA’s expertise in workforce development.
- Foster a collaborative, innovative, and results-driven culture.
Collaboration & Communication
- Partner closely with JA USA leadership and departments to ensure integration of the initiative into broader organizational strategies.
- Provide regular executive-level updates to internal and external stakeholders, including contract-required reporting.
- Communicate program outcomes and impact effectively to inspire confidence and continued investment.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum of 7 years expertise in workforce development, with experience in the Submarine Industrial Base, shipbuilding, manufacturing, or defense-related industries.
- Progressive leadership experience, with demonstrated success leading large-scale, multi-stakeholder programs at the national or federal level.
- Experience as a Program Director or in a similar leadership or management role in managing industrial or federal government contracts
- Established track record overseeing multi-million-dollar programs or contracts from concept through national implementation.
- In depth knowledge of program management and business analysis processes (budgeting, milestone
- tracking, etc.)
- Strong record of building and leading advisory councils or governance boards.
- Advanced knowledge of federal contracting, compliance, and program management processes.
- Demonstrated ability to influence and engage senior leaders in government, industry, and education.
- Experience with leading and managing a team of program and project managers.
- Ability to travel up to 40% on a regular basis in maritime markets.
Desired Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Education, Business, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or related field, or equivalent experience.
- Experience in public sector consulting, Agile project management, and/or federal contracting environments.
- Familiarity with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., ClickUp, Monday, Workfront).
- Experience developing youth-focused outreach programs, education products, or workforce curriculum.
- Background in education, manufacturing, training curriculum development, learning management systems, or DoD compliance training.
Benefits
JA USA’s health care benefits provide coverage when needed—focusing on programs that support and encourage healthy living and your overall well-being. We offer medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long-term disability, holidays, paid time off, and 401(k).
Our Commitment
At JA USA, we believe that our success is directly tied to our ability to foster an environment where all individuals have access to opportunities and can thrive. We are deeply committed to creating a workplace where inclusion and belonging are not just principles but lived experiences. This commitment drives us to attract, develop, retain, and promote a workforce that mirrors the communities we serve, bringing together a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and talents.
We embrace the unique contributions that every JA USA employee brings to our mission and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to join our team. By welcoming various voices, we continue to expand our understanding of the world, and we actively seek to elevate representation of different individual experiences and the perspectives they shape.
We are dedicated to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and heard—where people can be their authentic selves and know that they belong. This is how we build a workplace where every individual can succeed, and where we work together to create lasting impact for the young people and communities we serve.
Additional Information
JA USA does not provide sponsorship for employment visas for this position. All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship, now or in the future.