Assoc. Dir - Early Engagement & Portfolio Manager for Ops, SC, Quality

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-09-08 Country: United States of America Location: US-MA-REMOTE Position Role Type: Remote U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are authorized to access certain necessary systems. Security Clearance Type: None/Not Required Security Clearance Status: Not Required At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense. The following position is to join our RTX Enterprise Services team: ES Digital Strategy & Business Enablement is seeking an Associate Director for Early Engagement & Portfolio Management who brings structured thinking, systems awareness, and disciplined delivery leadership to a broad digital portfolio. You will connect functional strategy to executable plans, strengthen early-stage shaping, run portfolio operating rhythms, and uplift PM delivery maturity across initiatives supporting Operations, Sustaining/Aftermarket, Quality, EH&S, and Supply Chain & Planning (SIOP/SI&OE). This role benefits from someone experienced in orchestrating cross-team coordination, managing complex dependencies, and optimizing processes across multi-domain delivery environments. A strong analytical foundation—common in engineering-oriented disciplines—combined with practical experience guiding teams through structured workflows will help ensure initiatives are framed well, sequenced thoughtfully, and prepared for predictable execution. You will elevate delivery transparency and enable leaders to make fast, informed decisions that align with enterprise priorities. Why This Role Matters As an Associate Director, you strengthen how digital initiatives are shaped, governed, and executed across critical enterprise functions. Your leadership enhances intake quality, delivery feasibility, portfolio transparency, and cross-team coordination. You help teams deliver with greater clarity, alignment, and predictability—reinforcing the connection between functional strategy and disciplined digital execution across ES Digital Strategy & Business Enablement. What You Will Do Shape Early Engagement & Strengthen Intake Quality Lead project initiation, early scoping, and solution definition for new digital initiatives across assigned operational and functional domains. Collaborate closely with SELs, architects, and business partners to clarify objectives, validate problem statements, and establish viable scope and delivery strategies. Conduct structured analysis to bring clarity to ambiguous requirements, identifying early risks, constraints, and cross-team impacts. Develop foundational delivery plans, preliminary resource assumptions, and early cost/schedule expectations to enable smooth handoff to execution teams. Own readiness through early Gates (internal Gates A-C) with consistent, efficient governance that accelerates strategic decision-making. Drive Portfolio Operating Rhythms with Discipline Maintain operational portfolio plans that align functional strategies with realistic delivery capacities and sequencing logic. Lead monthly Portfolio & Pipeline Reviews; ensure Planview health, reliable KPIs, and transparent visibility into risks, dependencies, and potential bottlenecks. Provide monthly insights and KPI inputs for CIO-facing Ops Reviews, reinforcing alignment between portfolio performance and functional objectives. Identify systemic risks early and drive cross-functional corrective actions across Operations, Sustaining/Aftermarket, Quality, EH&S, and Supply Chain & Planning. Improve cadence consistency, strengthen planning artifacts, and refine workflows to support predictable operating rhythms. Provide Cross-Project Oversight & Strengthen Execution Alignment Serve as senior delivery leader across the portfolio, ensuring risks, issues, changes, and dependencies are surfaced early and resolved collaboratively. Partner with execution PMs and agile teams to validate readiness, confirm alignment to scope, and uphold REPM-based governance across waterfall/hybrid/agile models. Support integration between early shaping and execution practices, improving flow, clarity, and transparency across delivery teams. Conduct quality assurance reviews, provide coaching, and uplift PM capability with an emphasis on planning rigor and structured coordination. Lead efforts to reduce recurring delivery issues, refine planning practices, and enhance cross-functional coordination patterns. Advance Delivery Practices & Strengthen Operating Models Identify meaningful improvements to intake quality, gating standards, planning practices, and portfolio visibility. Lead improvements to execution frameworks, operating rhythms, decision checkpoints, and review cadences to increase delivery clarity and consistency. Introduce practical enhancements—rooted in systems thinking, continuous improvement approaches, and delivery coordination experience—that generate measurable uplift. Reinforce best practices, job aids, and templates that help PMs deliver with increased maturity and predictability. Influence Leaders with Clear, Actionable Insights Communicate effectively with senior leaders regarding readiness, risk posture, and delivery implications across supported domains. Provide concise “so‑what” insights highlighting constraints, options, and recommended actions to support timely, informed decisions. Facilitate Steering Committees and leadership discussions; ensure materials, scenarios, and recommendations are consistently decision-ready. Build alignment across functions around priorities, sequencing, and realistic delivery expectations. Qualifications You Must Have A university degree and minimum 12 years of relevant experience (or an advanced degree + minimum 10 years; STEM disciplines typically require 12 years). Strong mastery of project/program management, early engagement, portfolio practices, and cross-functional coordination. Experience supporting digital or operational initiatives in Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, EH&S, or related domains. Structured analytical problem-solving skills, ideally supported by an engineering discipline. Proven ability to communicate clearly with senior leaders and influence alignment across functions. Proficiency with Planview or comparable PPM tools. Qualifications We Prefer Experience in roles requiring structured coordination across multiple teams or delivery flows. Familiarity with applications, processes, and systems used across Operations, Sustaining/Aftermarket, Quality, EH&S, and Supply Chain & Planning. Demonstrated success improving PM standards, planning accuracy, or delivery operating rhythms. Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI. Ability to introduce practical workflow improvements using structured methodologies. What We Offer Whether you’re just starting out on your career journey or are an experienced professional, we offer a robust total rewards package with compensation; healthcare, wellness, retirement and work/life benefits; career development and recognition programs. Some of the benefits we offer include parental (including paternal) leave, flexible work schedules, achievement awards, educational assistance and child/adult backup care. Learn More & Apply Now! Work Location: Remote Please ensure the role type defined below is appropriate for your needs before applying to this role. This position is classified as: Remote: Employees who are working in Remote roles will work primarily offsite (from home). If you live within a reasonable commute of an RTX site with other colleagues you interact with, your manager will discuss whether there is a degree of onsite presence associated with this role As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote. The salary range for this role is 157,200 USD - 298,800 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills. Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance. This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply. RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window. RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act. Privacy Policy and Terms: Click on this link to read the Policy and Terms