Senior Program Manager

Senior Program Manager – Controls & Automation

Location: Omaha, Nebraska

Industry: Industrial Automation | Systems Integration | Municipal Water/Wastewater

Position Type: Full-Time | Senior-Level

Are you an experienced Controls Engineer, Automation Engineer, Engineering Project Manager, or Technical Leader looking to take the next step in your career?

Would you enjoy leveraging your technical expertise in a more strategic, customer-facing capacity while continuing to work on complex engineering and automation projects?

We are partnering with a well-established, growing engineering and systems integration organization seeking a Senior Program Manager – Controls & Automation to support its Omaha operations.

This is a unique opportunity for a technically strong professional who wants to expand beyond traditional engineering or project execution into customer engagement, technical solution development, and strategic business growth.

Previous business development or sales experience is NOT required. The organization has an established business development process and is prepared to provide coaching and support. What matters most is your technical foundation, ability to understand complex automation projects, and genuine interest in developing customer relationships.

The initial priority will be stepping into active customer opportunities and proposals, contributing technical expertise, and helping advance projects already in development.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Solutions & Proposal Development

• Evaluate customer
• Evaluate customer requirements, engineering specifications, and project opportunities involving industrial automation, controls, and SCADA systems.
• Collaborate with engineering and technical teams to develop solutions, project scopes, and competitive proposals.
• Participate in technical discussions, proposal reviews, customer presentations, and project planning.
• Apply engineering judgment to evaluate project feasibility, technical risks, and solution alternatives.

Customer Engagement & Strategic Relationships

• Develop relationships with municipal and utility customers, consulting engineers, contractors, and industry partners.
• Serve as a technical resource during customer meetings, discovery discussions, and project development.
• Understand customer challenges, capital improvement plans, and upcoming project requirements.
• Build credibility with technical and nontechnical stakeholders through consultative problem-solving.

Project Opportunity Development

• Become involved early in the project lifecycle, helping identify customer needs and shape potential solutions before formal RFP/RFQ processes.
• Support existing customer relationships while identifying opportunities for additional projects.
• Collaborate with internal teams to advance opportunities from initial discussions through proposal, negotiation, and award.
• Develop commercial and business development capabilities through coaching, mentorship, and hands-on experience.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Engineering, Technical Solutions, Operations, and organizational leadership.
• Coordinate internal resources to ensure customer needs and project requirements are understood.
• Contribute to continuous improvement in proposal development, customer engagement, and opportunity management.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience in controls engineering, industrial automation, systems integration, SCADA, or related engineering disciplines.
• Strong understanding of automation systems, control architectures, and technically complex engineering projects.
• Experience interpreting engineering specifications, project requirements, and technical documentation.
• Ability to contribute quickly to active technical proposals and customer opportunities.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Comfort interacting with customers, engineers, contractors, and internal technical teams.
• Genuine interest in expanding into a more customer-facing, strategic role.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in municipal water/wastewater, utilities, or infrastructure-related engineering projects.
• Background in technical project management, program management, engineering leadership, or applications engineering.
• Experience supporting proposals, estimating, scope development, RFP/RFQ responses, or technical presentations.
• Familiarity with engineering consulting firms, municipal procurement processes, and specification-driven projects.
• Established relationships within Nebraska's engineering, utility, or industrial markets.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.

Who Would Thrive in This Role?

This opportunity may be particularly attractive to:

• A Senior Controls or Automation Engineer ready to influence projects earlier in their lifecycle.
• An Engineering Project Manager who enjoys technical problem-solving and customer interaction.
• A Technical Program Manager interested in expanding into strategic customer relationships.
• An Applications or Solutions Engineer who enjoys translating customer needs into engineering solutions.
• An Engineering Manager or Technical Lead seeking a role with greater external visibility and business impact.

The ideal candidate is technically credible, naturally curious, collaborative, and motivated to build relationships—not simply manage projects or sell products.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Leverage your engineering expertise: Your technical background is the foundation of this role.
• Expand your career: Develop strategic business and customer-facing capabilities without abandoning your technical roots.
• Make an immediate impact: Contribute to active opportunities and proposals from the outset.
• Established organization, growing opportunities: Join a respected engineering and automation company during an important period of growth.
• Collaborative environment: Work alongside experienced engineering, technical solutions, and leadership teams.
• Regional focus: Primarily serve Nebraska and surrounding markets rather than managing an extensive national travel schedule.

Location & Travel

This position is based in the Omaha, Nebraska area. Candidates within reasonable driving distance are encouraged to apply, and relocation may be considered for the right individual. Travel is primarily regional, focused on customer relationships and project opportunities throughout Nebraska and select adjacent markets.

Interested in Exploring a New Direction?

If you've built a successful career in engineering, controls, automation, or systems integration and are interested in applying that experience in a more strategic, customer-facing capacity, we'd welcome a conversation.