Advancing the Customer’s Mission: Life of a SealingTech Program Manager

Program Managers (PMs) at SealingTech lead integrated engineering teams in direct support of our customer’s mission and the warfighter. They are responsible for delivering projects on time and within scope, overseeing engineering activities, managing contracts, allocating resources, and ensuring all regulatory requirements are met. They maintain consistent communication with our customers and play a critical role in fully understanding and meeting their needs.

Program Managers, Jenn Taylor and Jessica Ryder, have both worked in project management for more than a decade supporting warfighters in varying capacities across the Department of War (DoW). They recently sat down with SealingTech Tech Writer, Heather Cumiskey, to discuss what it’s like to be a program manager in cybersecurity and how their chosen career continues to shape them.

What part of your job makes you look forward to getting up in the morning?

Jenn: I love working in this industry. It’s a passion of mine because of my background, growing up in Korea and my dad was in the US Army stationed there. I was fortunate to work there as a contractor as well, and it was deeply satisfying. I’ve been around the DoW my entire life. It’s all I know; it’s my life. And then working with awesome people. We have great people at SealingTech, which makes it fun.

Jessica: I agree. I’ve never worked on a better team in my life. They’re all very driven and passionate about their work. We operate at a high-functioning level and can still relax and have fun together.

What is the most challenging part of being a program manager in cyber?

Jenn: For most of us working with the DoW, it’s aligning our company’s strategy and focus to the customer’s priorities, remaining agile and fast to respond to their requirements, and build trust with the customer.

Jessica: I think it’s ensuring a constant focus on the customer’s needs, the company’s needs, and the team’s needs. As a PM, you’re not just managing people; you oversee the finances, contract language, government compliance, strategic business opportunities, and more. You get pulled in a lot of different directions.

What’s been your greatest achievement thus far as a PM?

Jenn: All the missions we support. It gives me chills just thinking about it. It’s a great feeling to know we’re serving the government, helping our warfighters safeguard our nation and making their lives better.

Jessica: Exactly. It’s why I got into cyber and the DoW industry. To support something I believe in and that protects the entire country, whether on a small or large scale. It’s rewarding knowing your work makes an impact.

How do you stay informed of the latest cyber threats and technologies, and integrate them into your work?

Jessica: When I first started at SealingTech, a fellow PM and mentor gave me a list of experts to follow on LinkedIn. She helped me connect to the IT world and learn about new innovations in cyber and vulnerabilities. My previous tech leads and I also used to have mini training sessions where they would help advance my technical capabilities. Our industry and adversary threats are ever-evolving; you have to keep up on advancing threats and new technologies to stay relevant.

Jenn: I agree, you have to constantly read and stay knowledgeable. Any kind of cyberattack or general outage can take us or our customers down. The potential impact would be devasting. We also maintain strong relationships with our technical leadership at SealingTech. That kind of collaboration and sharing of information only makes us better as a team and for our customers. So does attending industry conferences and being exposed to new worlds, meeting vendors, exploring next-generation technology, and seeing what other kinds of contracts exist. If we want to best support our customers and grow within our careers, we have to stay current on what’s happening in the industry.

How do you foster collaboration across your team?

Jessica: That became a primary focus for me when I started my current role. With people working remotely on my team, I make it a priority to make them feel included. We have virtual game nights and other fun events. Because if we’re constantly discussing work, people are either going to lose focus or get burnt out. You have to take breaks and build a relationship with someone. Take the time to say, “Hey, how are you?”—as opposed to constantly saying—“I need this.” Happy employees ensure happy customers.

Jenn: It’s important to me to get to know my teammates and learn what matters to them, what motivates them, and how they like to receive recognition and praise, whether it’s a verbal kudos or a gift card; it’s often the little things that matter most.

Jessica: Showing appreciation, giving recognition. I also make space for them to talk about things; I implemented 1:1s with every person on my team, not just direct reports, to give them space to talk, whether it’s to vent or share something that’s happening outside of work.

Jenn: The 1:1s are crucial. And I’m big on having bi-weekly Retros with my team. It’s short for Retrospective, an Agile methodology used in project management. We discuss what went well, what went wrong, and how to improve. I try to cultivate an environment where everyone feels they can share what they feel is working and not working, to help each other improve as a team.

With all that responsibility, how do you refuel?

Jessica: My kids and my husband. When I go home, every time, my kids’ smiles reset me.

Jenn: 100%, every day is a reset. You go home and your kid smiles at you and says, “Mommy!” and you make that choice to let it melt away and be fully present with your family. And that’s such a blessing. I also make time to work out and do fun runs. Caring for my body is my primary self-care. It gives me the energy I need to be a stronger leader.

What steps do you take to ensure you and your team are supporting your customer’s mission to the fullest?

Jessica: My primary responsibility is to make sure my team’s work directly aligns with and advances the customer’s mission. I take a structured, mission-first approach and translate mission goals into actionable tasks. I focus on tracking progress against milestones and metrics, managing risks, and upholding quality and compliance with government and industry standards. I conduct regular customer check-ins to share real updates, gather feedback, and adjust priorities as needed. With proactive engagement centered around transparent communication and collaboration, I ensure our team operates as a true mission partner.

Jenn: Jessica hit the nail on the head – it’s our primary responsibility to align to the mission. We collaborate directly with the customer to ensure requirements are translated accurately to our team. The team dials into our weekly syncs so they can receive those updates directly from the customer. We review support tickets then to get immediate feedback and so we can work through those actions immediately. We also work closely with Product Ops to ensure information is flowing clearly and in a timely manner regarding engineering changes. As mission needs change, we pivot and shift priorities, and our backlog (another Agile term for prioritized list of tasks, features, and requirements a team needs to work on) follows suit to maintain that alignment.

What does SealingTech do for our customers that no one else does?

Jessica: I’ve never worked for a company that puts customers first to the degree that we do. Our focus is really on supporting the mission and making sure we take care of the customer. Nine times out of 10, that’s where decisions lead: to better support the mission; and not just sustain it but evolve it.

Jenn: I use the term “servant leadership.” Again, it comes out of Agile. We’re here at the service of the US government. We’re reminded of that every day as we make decisions; what’s going to be the best solution for the warfighter? Our General Manager is very customer centric and that value system trickles down to the programmatic level and every facet of SealingTech.

Jessica: 100%

Jenn: All of our internal processes are geared toward finding a path forward that is ethical and brings value to our customers. We make sure our administrative processes support it all—from contracts and accounting to quality and product OPS. We ensure it all flows efficiently and seamlessly. And we do it well. We focus on our customers, and the revenue will come. We put our energy into the mission and accomplishing our customers’ goals.

Jessica: People first, always.