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Program Planner Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

NASSCO

Program Planner (All Levels)

San Diego, CA

... Programs and New Construction Study Contracts. * Supports effort of schedule development with Production, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Planning groups. * Monitors schedule performance, performs ...

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Program Planner information

See California salary details

$38.5K

$83.4K

$162.3K

How much do program planner jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 8, 2026, the average yearly pay for program planner in California is $83,353.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $54,800.00 and $99,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by Program Planners when coordinating multiple projects simultaneously?

Program Planners often manage several projects at once, which can present challenges such as balancing competing priorities, ensuring clear communication among diverse teams, and adapting to shifting deadlines. Effective time management and strong organizational skills are essential to keep projects on track and aligned with overall organizational goals. Additionally, Program Planners regularly collaborate with project managers, stakeholders, and team members, requiring a proactive approach to problem-solving and conflict resolution.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Program Planner, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Program Planner, you need strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills, typically backed by a relevant degree such as business administration or project management. Familiarity with tools like Microsoft Project, ERP systems, and certification such as PMP or CAPM is often required. Outstanding communication, attention to detail, and adaptability are essential soft skills for coordinating teams and managing shifting priorities. These skills are crucial for ensuring programs are delivered on time, within budget, and meet organizational objectives.

What Is a Program Planner?

A program planner’s job entails obtaining knowledge about the company’s overall goals and using that information to develop or manage specific programs or projects that further those goals. As a program planner, your duties are to provide support to various team members who carry out daily, weekly, or monthly tasks to streamline their workflows. To succeed in improving the quality and efficacy of programs, you provide support when it comes to operating budgets, overseeing the schedule for projects, and identifying areas for improvement. This job requires excellent communication, multitasking, and organizational skills. Qualifications for this career typically include a bachelor’s degree in business administration and prior experience in a relevant role.

What does a Program Planner do?

A Program Planner is responsible for developing, organizing, and overseeing the scheduling and execution of projects or programs within an organization. Their duties often include coordinating resources, tracking project progress, ensuring timelines are met, and communicating with team members and stakeholders. Program Planners play a key role in making sure that programs align with organizational goals and are completed efficiently and effectively.

What is the difference between Program Planner vs Project Coordinator?

AspectProgram PlannerProject Coordinator
CredentialsTypically requires a bachelor's degree in planning, management, or related field; certifications like PMP are commonUsually needs a bachelor's degree; certifications like CAPM can be beneficial
Work EnvironmentWorks in government agencies, non-profits, or large organizations focusing on long-term program developmentWorks across various industries managing specific projects within larger programs
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in public sector, healthcare, education, and large corporate programsCommon in construction, IT, marketing, and event planning

Program Planners focus on designing and managing comprehensive programs with multiple projects, emphasizing strategic planning and long-term goals. Project Coordinators handle specific projects, ensuring tasks are completed on time and within scope. While both roles require organizational skills and certifications like PMP or CAPM, Program Planners have a broader scope involving program-level oversight, whereas Project Coordinators focus on individual project execution.

More about Program Planner jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Program Planner jobs in California? The most popular types of Program Planner jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Program Planner jobs in California? For Program Planner jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Program Planner jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Program Planner jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Program Planner jobs? Cities in California with the most Program Planner job openings:
What are popular job titles related to Program Planner jobs in CA? For Program Planner jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Program Planner jobs near you
Infographic showing various Program Planner job openings in California as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 77% Full Time, 19% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $83,353 per year, or $40.1 per hour.
Program Planner/ Scheduler

Program Planner/ Scheduler

Pacific Defense

Sunnyvale, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 11 days ago

Job description

** Due to the classified nature of our work, U.S. citizenship is required. Candidates must be willing to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance.

About Us

Pacific Defense is a leading developer of advanced RF and electronics systems for the U.S. Department of Defense and commercial customers. Our team specializes in Open Systems Architecture solutions for the non-kinetic fight, providing customers with cost-effective, modular, and rapidly reconfigurable systems in record time. We deliver sensing and effects solutions for land, air, sea, and space domains, leveraging open standards and rapid prototyping methodologies to bring innovative capabilities to the market. Pacific Defense has built an excellent reputation in the defense industry and is expanding our team to tackle new challenges and opportunities. Join us and accelerate your career!

Position Summary

Pacific Defense is seeking an experienced Program Planner to support planning, scheduling, and execution of advanced military electronics and aerospace hardware programs. The ideal candidate will possess strong experience developing and maintaining integrated program schedules, coordinating cross-functional activities, tracking material and production readiness, and supporting execution within a high-mix, low-volume defense manufacturing environment.

This role requires a highly organized planning professional with strong analytical skills, schedule management expertise, and a proven ability to align engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and program management teams. The Program Planner will help drive on-time execution, identify schedule risks, support recovery plans, maintain accurate program status, and ensure mission-critical defense programs meet aggressive customer and production milestones.

Requirements

  • Serve as the lead scheduler to achieve the company’s business goals, utilizing the Institution’s business framework and processes.
  • Lead Architecture of Program Planning & Control framework (Work Breakdown Structure / Integrated Master Plan).
    • Conduct DCMA 14 Point Analysis and other related schedule health/wellness checks
    • Conduct Critical Path Analysis
    • Conduct Schedule Risk Analysis (SRAs)
    • Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), maintain, analyze, and report all project level schedules, associated metrics, and schedule products.
  • Assess and validate the schedule/cost baseline integrity to ensure that it is effective, accurate, and executable.
  • Validate schedule credibility using DCMA 14-Point Assessment or similar tools.
  • Identify and communicate anomalies in the schedule data, analyze horizontal logic and critical path traceability between subsystem schedule plans, recommend and implement mitigated schedule plans.
  • Maintain detailed network schedules in Microsoft Project including the extraction and analysis of various schedule related data required for weekly/monthly/quarterly reporting.
  • Assist in development of project’s BCRs, support monthly change control board meetings, and incorporate approved changes
  • Assist in the production and presents high level summary schedule reports to the Project/Business Manager and other key partners.
  • Ensure the execution of schedule plans and estimates for Cost/Schedule BCRs
  • Develop and promote business and scheduling best practices
  • Analyze and seek opportunities to improve processes that impact various project teams and manufacturing organizations.
  • Works on critical, often self-initiated, ad-hoc assignments and projects with minimal direction.
  • Strong communication skills with both verbal and documented formats
  • Strong organization skills to support multi-tasking as business needs dictate
  • Desired to have experience working with Engineering and Operations with ability to provide input and question the teams were applicable to ensure mature planning and schedules

Benefits

Pacific Defense provides competitive salaries and an immediately vested 401K match. We provide 100% coverage options for the employee and 75% coverage for dependents’ medical, dental, vision, and life insurance premiums, and a flexible spending account for incidental health care expenses. We offer generous paid time off and federal holidays to spend time with family, pursue outside interests, or just get some extra rest.

Pacific Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.