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Program Manager Defense Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

Stinger Blk I Development IPTL (Onsite)

Houston, TX

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Raytheon's Land Air Defense Systems (LADS) Engineering Execution Department is seeking a skilled ... Extensive interaction with Program Managers, Engineering Directorate Leaders, Chief Engineers, and ...

Cyber Defense & Resilience - Insider Risk Manager Are you interested in working in a dynamic ... Traditional security and integrated risk programs have often been unsuccessful in unifying the need ...

Security Manager (Ohio)

Houston, TX · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... Defense (DOD) and its Service (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps) missions, along with other US ... You will provide security program management support for SCIF and secure facility projects ...

Coordinate and track program tasks; providing managers with analytical information for making decisions on the aspects of organizational operations relative to the effectiveness and efficiency of ...

Principal System Safety Engineer

Houston, TX

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense. Our System Safety team is dedicated to ... Plan/manage the safety program effort within the Program IMS. * Understanding of the safety budget ...

Showing results 41-60

Program Manager Defense information

See Houston, TX salary details

$36.8K

$102.6K

$149.9K

How much do program manager defense jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for program manager defense in Houston, TX is $102,622.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $75,900.00 and $126,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a program manager defense?

A Program Manager in Defense is responsible for overseeing and coordinating large-scale defense projects, which may involve military equipment, technology systems, or defense-related services. They ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and meet all specified requirements and regulations. This role often includes working with cross-functional teams, managing contracts, and liaising with government agencies or military branches. Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills are essential, as is a thorough understanding of defense industry standards and protocols.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a program manager defense?

To thrive as a Program Manager in Defense, you need a strong background in project management, defense acquisition processes, and often a relevant degree such as engineering or business, with security clearance frequently required. Familiarity with tools like Microsoft Project, Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS), and DoD-specific platforms, as well as certifications like PMP or DAWIA, are typically expected. Exceptional leadership, negotiation, and communication skills set top performers apart by enabling them to manage diverse teams and stakeholders. These skills and qualifications ensure effective project execution, compliance with defense regulations, and successful delivery of critical programs within scope, budget, and timeline.

What are some common challenges a program manager defense faces when coordinating multidisciplinary teams?

Program Managers in the defense industry often encounter challenges such as balancing strict security requirements with timely project delivery, managing cross-functional teams that include engineers, analysts, and government stakeholders, and ensuring alignment with evolving defense regulations. Navigating complex stakeholder expectations and adapting to shifting project scopes are also frequent hurdles. Successful Program Managers proactively foster communication across teams and maintain detailed project documentation to address these challenges.

What is the difference between Program Manager Defense vs Project Manager Defense?

AspectProgram Manager DefenseProject Manager Defense
ResponsibilitiesOversees multiple related projects, strategic planning, and overall program successManages individual projects, ensuring specific objectives are met within scope, time, and budget
CertificationsTypically PMP, PgMP, or similar certificationsUsually PMP or CAPM certifications
Work EnvironmentOften in defense contractors, government agencies, or military settingsSimilar environments, focusing on specific project deliverables
FocusStrategic coordination and long-term goalsTactical execution of individual projects

While both roles require project management skills and certifications like PMP, the Program Manager Defense oversees multiple projects and aligns them with strategic objectives, whereas the Project Manager Defense focuses on managing specific projects to meet immediate goals.

What are popular job titles related to Program Manager Defense jobs in Houston, TX?

For Program Manager Defense jobs in Houston, TX, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Program Manager Defense jobs in Houston, TX look for?

The top searched job categories for Program Manager Defense jobs in Houston, TX are:

What cities near Houston, TX are hiring for Program Manager Defense jobs?

Cities near Houston, TX with the most Program Manager Defense job openings:

Infographic showing various Program Manager Defense job openings in Houston, TX as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 78% Full Time, 17% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $102,622 per year, or $49.3 per hour.

Specialist, Cybersecurity - Defense Controls

Saudi Basic Industries Corp.

Houston, TX • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 18 days ago


Job description

Specialist, Cybersecurity - Defense Controls
Finance
Posting Start Date: 8/6/26
Posting End Date: 9/11/26
Location:
USA-Houston
Chemistry that Matters™
A career at SABIC provides you with an opportunity to leave a lasting positive impact to the world and yourself. From excellent health and well-being benefits to our comprehensive learning programs. We offer a wide range of benefits and offerings that recognize that our people have unique motivations and ambitions. It's all about matching what matters to you with what matters to us. Let's explore what matters!
As one of the world's largest diversified chemical companies, we activate the power of human capital to address society's future challenges. Through partnerships, we enable life-saving medical innovations and help fight world hunger. We are driving the circular economy for the benefit of communities and our planet through sustainability initiatives, such as our TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio. Today, the company serves customers in more than 140 countries with a global workforce of close to 29,000 talented individuals. Our values - Inspire, Engage, Create, and Deliver - are the foundation of our success. To learn more about these and how we strive to Be the Impact, click here: www.sabic.com/en/careers/benefits-that-matter/career-matters/SABIC-Leadership-Way
Our purpose is "Chemistry that Matters". This is what drives us to do what we do. "Chemistry" goes beyond applying science and technology to enhance the supply of essential materials to the world. It is how we work, to build long-lasting relationships of trust. "What Matters" is making a meaningful impact for the world - through the customers and communities we collaborate with, so that we succeed and grow together.
It is all about matching what matters to you with what matters to us. We are mindful about the importance of the team we are building and how our team members impact to our culture. We believe that good ideas come from anywhere, being inclusive to diverse perspectives is stimulating, encourages innovation and is critical to our mission. Let us explore this together!
For an overview of our benefits here at SABIC, please visit: www.yoursabicbenefits.com
Job Summary
The Cybersecurity Defense Controls Specialist provides operational governance and control performance oversight for defensive and protective cybersecurity controls related to identify and protect cybersecurity control functions, while enabling detective controls via ensuring control telemetry is integrated with logging, SIEM, and SOC services. Control ownership includes identity and access management, infrastructure security, vulnerability management, and data protection controls across the enterprise.
The role includes management of cybersecurity controls, platforms, tooling, and oversight of managed services, related to protecting the organization's identities, access, infrastructure and data. Key responsibilities include governing and oversight of IAM platforms such as Entra, cloud and infrastructure cybersecurity control platforms and tooling such as Microsoft Defender, vulnerability assessment and management platforms such as Tenable or Qualys, and data loss prevention tooling such as Microsoft Purview.
This role acts as the domain authority for operational IAM services and cybersecurity controls protecting the IT and OT environment. The role is responsible to run, manage, and maintain existing cybersecurity control platforms and tooling, as well as to plan and execute projects to improve existing solutions and to introduce new capabilities and controls in alignment with the department's strategy and roadmap.
Job Responsibilities
  • IAM Operational Service Delivery and Governance
  • Oversee all identity lifecycle services and capabilities delivered internally or via managed service providers, including human and non-human identities, service accounts, secrets governance, and machine identity controls.
  • Ensure all organizational needs for identities, identity management, and access management are delivered.
  • Act as the focal point for escalating any IAM operational issues delivered via internal teams or 3rd-parties.
  • Address any gaps or findings related to IAM services by internal or external audit or assessment teams.
  • Manage projects and implementation of any required identity and access management tools, technologies, services, or integrations.
  • Responsible for compliance to identity and access management related internal policies and standards, and external regulations.
  • Oversee all access governance, PAM, JIT, MFA, SoD, access reviews, and audit-support services and capabilities delivered internally or via managed service providers.
  • Govern, enable, manage, and maintain operational services for provisioning and deprovisioning of all identities.
  • Govern, enable, manage, and maintain operational services for access management, including privileged access, just-in-time access, and supporting controls such as multi-factor authentication, role-based access, and conditional access.
  • Enforce regulatory requirements for IT and OT systems.
  • Enforce separation-of-duties.
  • Support incident response and legal action requests, such as providing access logs.
  • Enable and facilitate access reviews.
  • Define and maintain cybersecurity operational processes for asset inventories for IT and OT environments.
  • Govern cybersecurity asset inventory, ensuring it accurately reflects the operational environment and contains all needed information to enable the cybersecurity teams and services.
  • Define assess identification scanning and vulnerability assessment scanning, vulnerability prioritization, and vulnerability remediation standards.
  • Oversee vulnerability assessment process, ensuring scanning is aligned to cybersecurity policies and standards.
  • Communicate vulnerability findings to asset owners and track remediation aligned to policies, standards, and enterprise risk management guidelines, escalating as needed per policies and processes.
  • Define and maintain secure hardening baselines and cybersecurity operational control processes for hardening and securing cloud assets and on-premises infrastructure across IT and OT environments.
  • Ensure all mandatory cybersecurity controls and services are implemented and operating as designed, achieving all cybersecurity control objectives, for controls related to identify and protect functions for cloud, infrastructure, and data.
  • Ensure cloud, infrastructure, and data cybersecurity controls and associated tools and platforms are enabled to log and provide control telemetry to be integrated with SIEM and SOC services.
  • Oversee remediation and correction of any KPI or SLA misses related to defensive/protective cybersecurity controls.
  • Communicate cybersecurity control operational performance status to stakeholders, and via operational performance dashboards.
  • Service delivery manager providing oversight of managed services providers who operationally deliver and manage cybersecurity controls for cloud, network, and endpoints.
  • Coordinates with other cybersecurity roles to ensure cloud and on-premises infrastructure assets are appropriately covered by backups with integrity testing and assurable recovery.
  • Develop operational processes and standards for data encryption and data loss prevention (DLP) controls.
  • Govern operational implementation and policy and standard adherence for data-related protection controls across IT and OT environments.
  • Define and maintain data classification guidelines in coordination with Legal teams.
  • Develop and maintain DLP detection use cases and rules and implement them within DLP platforms and services.
  • Coordinates with other cybersecurity roles to ensure data assets are appropriately covered by backups with integrity testing and assurable recovery
  • Support shaping the Cyber Security Strategy and roadmap via feedback regarding identity and protect controls for IAM, cloud, infrastructure, and data protection
  • Manages control implementation and improvements projects in the area of IAM, cloud, infrastructure, and data cybersecurity controls and capabilities, following the organization's project management and project execution processes
  • Support projects to enable identities and access management integrations, processes, and workflows across IT and OT solutions
  • Coordinate with cybersecurity Assurance role to incorporate any findings and lessons learned into cybersecurity control optimizations and improvements

Job Requirements
  • Bachelor's degree in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field.
  • 8-10 years of Infrastructure Security including vulnerability management
  • 5 years of cloud cybersecurity controls management
  • 5 years of IAM controls management
  • Strong knowledge of modern vulnerability, cloud, and infrastructure cybersecurity tools and platforms
  • Understanding of modern data protection technologies
  • IT/OT Cyber Security technical expert on existing IT/OT Cyber Security solutions and perform assessment on systems, processes and standards to define and/or endorse changes.
  • Knowledge of IT Security and infrastructure technologies.
  • Process driven.
  • Knowledgeable about policies, procedures, systems and best practices in the IT / OT Industry
  • Strong planning skills
  • Strong quantitative and analytical skills
  • Ability to work effectively in virtual teams
  • Strong communication skills

Eligibility Requirements (Regional Specific)
  • You must submit your application for employment online to be considered. Please submit your resume using the "Apply Now/Apply" option on this page.
  • You must be 18 years or older
  • Applicants must be currently authorized to work for SABIC in the United States on a full-time basis.

Work Availability
Regular, predictable attendance is an essential function of this position. Applicants must be regularly available and willing to work (e.g. Monday - Friday)] during assigned hours of operation and such other hours as the company determines are necessary or desirable to meet business needs
We are proud to be a diverse and an equal opportunity employer .We are fully committed to a culture of respect and inclusion.