San Diego, CA · Open to California / Hybrid
Christian Heslep
Senior Project Manager / Producer
I make big, complicated programs feel calm.

Nine years leading complex programs in the U.S. Navy: hardware, logistics, contractors, and cross-functional teams, all landing on time. High standards, low ego.

Plans are easy. Delivering them on time, with a team that would do it again, is the job.
For nine years that has meant the same thing, at scale: I plan, coordinate, de-risk, communicate, and deliver.
Profile

I am a project and program manager with nine-plus years spent bringing order to large, complicated work and getting it across the line. I am comfortable running several projects at once, owning the schedule, budget, and risk on each while keeping cross-functional teams, contractors, and senior stakeholders pointed in the same direction without friction. I am PMP-certified and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, with 100% milestone compliance on 350+ person programs and a habit of leaving every process better than I found it. Steady under pressure, straightforward with people, and easy to build a team around.

What I'm good at
Multi-project delivery Scheduling, budgets & forecasting Resource allocation Risk & conflict resolution Stakeholder communication Mentorship & continuous improvement Cross-functional & contractor leadership Process design & governance
Selected work

A few programs, in plain terms.

Program modernization

Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Modernization

Folded 150+ legacy modules into one digital training platform, with dashboards that finally gave leadership a clear read on quality and readiness.

35%
faster delivery
40%
better outcomes
219
operators placed
Read the case study
Large-scale delivery

Ship Systems Modernization

Ran the integrated schedule for a 350+ person effort across engineering, operations, and 25 contractor and partner organizations.

100%
milestone compliance
15%
faster repair cycles
25
partner orgs
Integration & readiness

Combat Systems Integration & Readiness

Brought 20 systems to full operational readiness and led test and validation for a highest-stakes evaluation, with no schedule slips.

77
inspections led
87/85
readiness ratings
0
schedule slips
Read the case study
How I work

High craft, low ego

The work should be good and the people should want to be on the team. Both, not one.

Demanding, but humane

A high bar held at a pace people can actually sustain. Burnout is a planning failure.

Develop the people

I build up the managers under me instead of just handing out tasks. It scales, and it lasts.

Leave it better

Every program should end with cleaner process than it started with, ready for whoever runs it next.

Get in touch

Let's make something run smoothly.

I am transitioning out of the Navy and looking for a team that does great work and is good to work with. If that sounds like yours, I would love to talk.