Program Finance Manager

The Program Finance Manager will report to the VP, FP&A and will be integral to the creation of a new program finance function. As team leader, you will provide robust financial oversight to optimize the fidelity of BlackSky’s internal and external technical programs.

You will be responsible for leading a collaborative analytical team that produces reliable and actionable forecasts to support BlackSky operations and will act as the financial subject-matter expert guiding best practice adoption.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the development of initial program budgets and production of reliable forecasts of program Estimates at Completion (EACs) for BlackSky’s portfolio of customer-facing and internal programs.
• Support annual corporate operational planning efforts by providing guidance on staffing requirements for existing and proposed programs and performing risk & opportunity analyses at the program and overall portfolio level.
• Conduct monthly and quarterly budget-vs-forecast-vs-actual variance analyses to identify cost drivers and suggest corrective actions to the program manager.
• Monitor revenue recognition, track client billing, and ensure optimized utilization of funds across program deliverables.
• Build and maintain complex financial models to evaluate program profitability, spotlight anomalous portfolio performance, and project capital expenditures & cash flows.
• Serve as the primary financial advisor to Program Managers, helping them translate operational goals into fiscal targets.
• Act as a key liaison between BlackSky FP&A, Program Management, Operations, and People providing budget management, resource acquisition, and staffing recommendations.
• Strengthen BlackSky’s program finance function by coaching staff analysts to develop critical skill sets and prioritizing tasks to optimize team performance.
• Prepare and present clear, data-driven financial dashboards and narrative memos for leadership and stakeholders.
• Maintain robust internal financial controls and ensure program expenditures strictly adhere to the BlackSky Fiscal Authority Matrix, GAAP, and contractual guidelines.

Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business management, or related field.
• A minimum of 8 years of financial management or program/project finance experience in a professional services and/or government contracting environment.
• Strong business acumen with top-notch verbal and written communication skills along with the ability to build professional rapport with colleagues and external partners.
• A proficiency with Microsoft Excel modeling and familiarity with data query/data visualization tools (e.g., Cognos, SQL, Tableau, Power BI).
• A track record of identifying automation opportunities and improving efficiency via best practice adoption.
• The ability to work and make decisions with a high degree of independence.
• Excellent attention to detail to support our best-in-class team.
• Eligibility to obtain a US Security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Program Management Professional (PMP) or similar accreditation or certification is helpful but not required.
• Experience in the SaaS, satellite/space, or related technology industry is helpful.
• TS/SCI Clearance highly preferred.