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Spirit Defense - Project Management Specialist (Associate or Mid-Level)

Spirit AeroSystems

Wichita, KSJob$60–117K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$60–117K/yr
Location
Wichita, KS
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Secret clearance

Job overview

Spirit Defense, a supplier to the defense and space marketplace, seeks an Associate or Mid-Level Project Management Specialist. The role oversees project operations, schedules, budgets, production issues, and progress monitoring while coordinating with program management, project teams, Operations leadership, customers, and other stakeholders. Candidates need at least three years of related experience in a highly regulated manufacturing environment; the posting also describes preferred experience and qualifications for the mid-level role.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Project ManagementMicrosoft ProjectMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordProject TrackingSmartsheetPresentation SkillsSchedule DevelopmentTechnical CollaborationBusiness AcumenFinance CoordinationCommunicationInfluenceLeadershipSAPMESRoot Cause AnalysisRisk AssessmentRisk MitigationLean ProcessingIndustrial Engineering

Qualifications

3+ Years Related Experience5+ Years Related Experience or Equivalent Education and ExperienceBachelor's Degree or Equivalent ExperiencePMP or Other PMI CertificationU.S. CitizenshipAbility to Obtain Secret ClearanceProgram Access Approval

Benefits

Medical Insurance
401(k) Match

Full job description

Overview

This role is at Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, at Spirit’s Defense Business Unit (“Spirit Defense”). Spirit Defense is an independent supplier to the defense and space marketplace. Through innovative engineering and rapid prototyping excellence, Spirit Defense provides the capabilities, technologies and support customers need to succeed in their missions.

Responsibilities

Position Responsibilities:

  • Oversees and manages the operational aspects of ongoing projects and serves as liaison between program management and planning, project team, and Operations leadership

  • Reviews status of projects and budgets, manages schedules, and prepares status reports

  • Assesses production issues and develops resolutions to meet productivity, quality, and customer goals and objectives

  • Develops mechanisms for monitoring project progress and for intervention and problem solving with project managers, line managers, customer and other stakeholders

  • Assist in training/ mentoring/ developing Team members as well as suggest new strategies or concepts.

  • Proven ability to balance multiple projects simultaneously (coordination, status, and performance to plan)

  • Cross-functional coordination and leadership to achieve project goals

  • Risk assessment and mitigation

  • Demonstrated ability to foster business partnerships with internal customers and functional organizations

  • Business Acumen, Managing with Influence, Interpersonal relationships and communication

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills/Experience):

  • 3+ years of related experience in a highly-regulated, relevant manufacturing environment

  • Strong computer skills with Microsoft Project, Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

  • Ability to obtain a U.S. Secret Security Clearance and Special Program Access (for which the U.S. Government requires U.S. Citizenship)

Preferred Qualifications (Desired Skills/Experience):

  • Mid-Level (Level 3): 5+ years of related work experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience

  • Bachelor’s Degree OR equivalent experience

  • PMP or other PMI Certification

  • Individual project management and tracking as part of a larger portfolio.

  • Familiarity with Smartsheet

  • Ability to create and present in depth presentations to executive level management.

  • Schedule development by project appropriate to project scope.

  • Technical background to be able to work with cross functional teams.

  • Ability to integrate large multi-year projects and small near-term projects.

  • Business acumen to quantify implications of projects and the ability to coordinate with Finance on tracking to plan.

  • Excellent communication skills, both oral and written with executive leaders.

  • Ability to manage with influence and provide leadership throughout multiple teams simultaneously.

  • Proven ability to balance multiple projects simultaneously (coordination, status and performance to plan)

  • Cross-functional coordination and leadership to achieve project goals.

  • SAP, MES, and MES experience

  • Experience with Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

  • Successful candidates must be able to secure program access approval.

  • Risk assessment and mitigation.

  • Demonstrated ability to foster business partnerships with internal customers. Preferred knowledge of manufacturing environment, lean processing, and industrial engineering concepts.

Union:

This is a union-represented position.

Drug Free Workplace:

We are a Drug Free Workplace where post offer applicants and employees are subject to testing for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP, and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies.

Pay & Benefits:

We strive to deliver a Total Rewards package that will attract, engage and retain the top talent. Elements of the Total Rewards package include competitive base pay and variable compensation opportunities.

We also provide eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and a number of programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work.

The specific programs and options available to any given employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

Pay is based upon candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

Summary Pay Range - Associate (Level 2) : $60,200 - $92,300

Summary Pay Range - Mid-Level (Level 3): $76,150 - $116,800

Kansas Tax Credit: Join Spirit AeroSystems’ Kansas team and you may be eligible for a $5,000 state of Kansas Aviation tax credit for up to five years. Click here for more information on the tax credit.

Security Clearance:

This position requires the ability to obtain a U.S. Security Clearance for which the U.S. Government requires U.S. Citizenship. A final U.S. Secret Clearance Post-Start is required.

Visa Sponsorship:

Employer will not sponsor applicants for employment visa status.

How this job compares

Set against the 15,463 open Project Management jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$60–117K/yr
  • Kansas median$97–166K/yr94 salary ranges
  • US median$103–167K/yr9,783 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $89K, is 31% below the Kansas median midpoint ($128K) — in the lowest quarter of Project Management salary ranges in Kansas.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 160 open Project Management jobs in Kansas and 15,463 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Kansas
Experience
This posting asks for at least 3 years of experience — less than three in four Project Management postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 12,280 postings).
Education
6,257 of the 15,463 open Project Management jobs (40%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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