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ASCENSION is seeking an experienced, highly organized Program Manager / Project Manager I to provide contract-level program management for administrative support services supporting the Department of Defense’s Office of Military Commissions.

This is the principal management position for ASCENSION’s contractor workforce supporting the requirement and is designated by the Government as Key Personnel. The selected professional will serve as the primary liaison between the contractor and Government representatives while coordinating personnel, schedules, deliverables, reporting, and operational activities performed across multiple locations.

The ideal candidate is an experienced federal program or project manager who can operate independently in a mission-sensitive environment, communicate confidently with Government leadership, anticipate staffing and performance issues before they affect operations, and maintain disciplined control over schedules, deliverables, personnel activities, risks, and financial reporting.

This role is particularly well suited for someone with experience managing federal professional services, administrative support, defense, legal-support, law enforcement, national security, or other geographically dispersed service contracts. Because the Office of Military Commissions conducts activities in the National Capital Region, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other designated locations, the Program Manager must be comfortable coordinating personnel and activities across distributed operating environments.

Position Summary

The Program Manager / Project Manager I will provide day-to-day management and oversight of ASCENSION personnel and program-support activities associated with the Office of Military Commissions Administrative Support Services contract.

The position functions as the central coordination point between ASCENSION, contractor personnel, the Contracting Officer’s Representative, Contracting Officer, and other Government stakeholders. The Program Manager will translate contractual requirements into executable staffing schedules, management controls, reporting processes, and recurring operational activities.

The successful candidate should be a detail-oriented planner, disciplined communicator, proactive problem solver, and accountable delivery manager. The individual must be comfortable balancing multiple priorities, working with limited supervision, handling sensitive information, identifying emerging staffing or performance risks, and quickly coordinating corrective action.

The role requires strong skills in project planning, workforce coordination, performance monitoring, Government-client communications, document development, status reporting, financial tracking, risk management, and Microsoft Office-based project administration.

ASCENSION’s Project Manager I labor category similarly emphasizes management of project quality, schedule, cost, and scope; client meetings and presentations; coordination of other consultants; identification and mitigation of issues and risks; and production of project artifacts such as trackers, status reports, risk logs, calendars, and project documentation.

Anticipated Day-to-Day and Recurring Activities

The Program Manager / Project Manager I is expected to:

• Serve as the primary contractor liaison to Government representatives for matters associated with contract performance.
• Manage day-to-day program-support activities involving multiple projects, workstreams, employees, and performance locations.
• Coordinate contractor work schedules to maintain adequate staffing and uninterrupted mission support.
• Monitor personnel availability, planned leave, absences, vacancies, and schedule changes that could affect service delivery.
• Track contractual tasks, milestones, deliverables, due dates, dependencies, and Government-directed priorities.
• Ensure contract deliverables are complete, accurate, appropriately reviewed, and submitted according to required schedules.
• Maintain project calendars, task trackers, action-item logs, risk and issue registers, staffing records, and other program-management artifacts.
• Identify emerging schedule, staffing, operational, performance, or contractual risks and recommend mitigation actions before they affect the Government mission.
• Coordinate activities among contractor employees located at multiple Government facilities and mission-support locations.
• Communicate routinely with the Contracting Officer’s Representative and other authorized Government representatives regarding contract status, upcoming requirements, personnel matters, risks, and deliverables.
• Prepare the Monthly Status Report documenting activities performed, briefings and meetings conducted, accomplishments, milestones achieved, upcoming activities, personnel leave or anticipated absences, problems encountered or anticipated, and required financial information.
• Compile financial status information for the Monthly Status Report, including award amounts by CLIN, invoiced costs for the reporting period, cumulative invoiced amounts, remaining amounts, and percentage remaining.
• Develop and maintain the Escort Manning Roster identifying designated contractor personnel supporting CCTV sites and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay activities during scheduled hearings and trials.
• Coordinate staffing information with appropriate Government officials supporting escort and CCTV operations.
• Facilitate internal contractor meetings and Government-facing coordination meetings, as appropriate.
• Capture decisions, commitments, action items, responsibilities, and due dates resulting from project and contract-management meetings.
• Review work products for consistency with contract requirements, Government expectations, schedules, and applicable ASCENSION quality-control procedures.
• Escalate issues requiring senior management, Contracting Officer, or Contracting Officer’s Representative attention through appropriate channels.
• Support contract administration, performance reviews, post-award conferences, and periodic Government progress meetings.
• Coordinate operational changes when mission requirements necessitate staggered schedules, weekend work, Federal holiday support, or alternative working hours.
• Support workforce continuity by anticipating staffing requirements and coordinating replacement or backup personnel when necessary.
• Protect Government information, equipment, credentials, and sensitive materials in accordance with contract security requirements.
• Maintain professional boundaries appropriate to a non-personal services contract and ensure contractor personnel understand their contractor status.
• Coordinate approved travel requirements when personnel are required to support Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or other CONUS/OCONUS locations.
• Maintain organized and auditable program documentation sufficient to demonstrate contract performance and support Government surveillance activities.