From Finance to Naval Field Testing – Meet Program Manager Jamie

With a background in finance and a passion for learning how we do what we do at SNC to support and protect our customers, Jamie is a Program Manager that’s truly invested in her work on Automatic Carrier Landing Systems. In fact, she chats with us about her most recent field test journey below.

How long have you worked at SNC?
I have been with SNC for over 8.5 years.

How did you find us? What made you want to work for SNC?
I went to school at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and in my senior year, my finance professor, who was my mentor, recommended that I apply for the Associate Business Analyst (ABA) Program at SNC. He thought it would be a good fit for me as he has had several students go work for SNC. As I learned more about the company, I knew it would be a good fit for me. I liked how it was a small business (at the time) and woman owned which was so inspiring to me. It was important for me to work for a company that I could be proud of and I knew I would find that here as our work helps support and protect our military.

Did you always want to work in this field? Tell us a little bit about your career journey – what got you interested in the work you do?
I never thought I would end up where I am now as a Program Manager. My background is finance so I started as an ABA, then moved to a Pricing Analyst and onto Project Analyst. All three roles are heavily related to my finance background but working as a Project Analyst gave me an opportunity to work closely with Program Managers and some of the engineers. Working with them showed me a career path I never considered and motivated me to branch out. My background gave be a great foundation

 to start with, but now I’m excited to learn more about the actual products and work with the customers.

In your position, what does a day in the life look like? 
Generally, a day in a life in my position focuses around our customer relationship – providing updates on cost, schedule and technical planning, tracking and reporting, technical execution and ensuring overall program performance objectives are achieved.

What kind of work do you do at SNC? What capabilities or tech do you work with?
I am a Program Manager on the Landing System Upgrade Program (LSUP) an Automatic Carrier Landing System (ACLS). It is a naval, all-weather carrier landing system, which provides safe and reliable final approach and landing of the carrier-based aircraft. It is operable during daylight and darkness with minimum interference from severe weather, sea conditions, low ceiling or visibility. The program is to sustain the system until 2040.

You were part of some testing recently for one of SNC’s products, right? Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?
As part of the LSUP program, there is newly designed equipment that is required to go through qualification testing. The last part of that qualification testing we completed recently was Shock testing. The system was setup on a barge floating on a small lake.  The lab attached explosives at required shock shot distances for detonation.  I have never witnessed or experienced anything like this before. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when the explosives went off, I felt it through my whole body and it was quite the water show as well!

What is the most meaningful or rewarding part of your work at SNC?
The most meaningful and rewarding part of my work at SNC is that every day I am directly supporting our military and ensuring their safety.

Why is supporting and protecting explorers and heroes important to you?
I think supporting and protecting explorers and heroes hits home with me and is so important because my husband is an F/A-18 pilot for the U.S. Navy. The programs I work on are coincidently actual systems he and my friends use every time they fly. I feel a sense of additional high-stakes commitment to ensure our system will perform to land them safely on the carrier in any condition. I’m proud of my husband and our military for the sacrifices they have made to ensure our country’s safety and I am proud that I can support them directly through my work.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at work? 
When I’m not at work I like to do CrossFit, go on adventures with my two huskies (Panda and Bear) and travel internationally.

What’s a fun fact about you?
I played Division 1 golf at UNR on a full scholarship.

Interested in joining the Sierra Nevada Corporation team? Apply today at sncorp.com/careers.

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