CROCS Senior Strategic Deputy

Must be a US Citizen who currently possesses a Secret Clearance but a Top Secret Clearance is preferred. This is a hybrid position and will need to be onsite 40% of the time.

This role serves as the principal deputy to the CROCS Director, driving strategic alignment between cyber resiliency objectives and broader Air Force and OSD priorities. It requires deep Pentagon expertise and the political acumen to navigate complex inter-agency dynamics, leveraging high-level relationships across OSD, Air Staff, and Joint Staff to expedite decisions and mitigate risk. The position embeds within PPBE forums as a technical and strategic integrator-translating cyber requirements into compelling, actionable briefs for senior leaders while orchestrating multi-agency collaboration across the DoD enterprise. A key responsibility includes developing innovative, non-traditional funding strategies-crafting agile business cases, identifying supplemental authorities, and optimizing program structures to accelerate impact. Additionally, the role leads enterprise-wide change management efforts, ensuring effective performance tracking, streamlined governance, and the institutionalization of best practices to sustain mission execution.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Political Navigation

• Act as the principal deputy to the CROCS Director, shaping strategic objectives and aligning them to Air Force and OSD priorities
• Cultivate and leverage relationships across OSD, Air Staff, Joint Staff, and Service Secretariat offices to accelerate decision timelines and secure high-visibility backing
• Anticipate and mitigate political or policy risks by staying attuned to senior leader intent and
• inter-agency dynamics

Pentagon Expertise & Integrated Advocacy

• Embed within Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) forums as a subject-matter lead on CROCS initiatives, without being a traditional budget-analyst
• Translate technical cyber-resiliency requirements into persuasive, decision-quality briefs for General Officers, SES, and other senior stakeholders
• Orchestrate multi-stakeholder working groups (Air Force, OSD, OMB, CAPE) to synchronize CROCS objectives across the wider DoD enterprise

Innovative Funding Strategy

• Identify and pursue alternative and off-budget funding streams (e.g., OTAs, Cybersecurity Readiness funds, Service-level supplemental authorities) to augment core appropriations
• Develop "outside-the-box" funding proposals and business cases that creatively bridge gaps between programming cycles
• Advise on program structuring and funding vehicle selection to maximize flexibility, speed of execution, and audit readiness

Performance & Change Management

• Lead cross-functional teams to introduce process improvements, streamline governance touchpoints, and institutionalize lessons-learned
• Track critical path milestones for strategy, resourcing, and execution; escalating risks and rallying the right leadership-level stakeholders to keep missions on track

Required Skills:

• 8+ years as a strategic deputy or senior advisor in a Pentagon or Joint Staff environment
• Demonstrated political savviness: adept at building coalitions, facilitating senior-leader-level decisions, and navigating OSD/AF Secretariat processes
• Extensive "inside the fence" Pentagon experience; PPBE knowledge is baseline; you'll apply it as a strategic enabler rather than a pure financial analyst
• Proven track record of identifying and securing non-traditional funding vehicles to advance cyber or technology-modernization mission sets
• Exceptional communicator: comfortable briefing SES/Flag Officer audiences and drafting crisp decision briefs, talking points, and coordination packages

Preferred Skills:

• Proactive "rainmaker" mindset, always scanning for new authorities, funding streams, or partnerships to accelerate CROCS objectives
• Collaborative leader with demonstrated success in convening and energizing cross-agency working groups
• Creative, solutions-oriented thinker who can pivot quickly when budgets, policies, or senior-leader priorities shift
• Personal credibility and gravitas to represent CROCS at senior forums both inside the Pentagon and with external partners

Provide primary job duties:
1. POM Cycle Management (30%): Lead and synchronize programming guidance, budget formulation, and execution reviews across the Air Force PPBE cycle.
2. OSD CAPE Engagement (20%): Represent Air Force requirements in OSD CAPE deliberations, providing cost estimates, program evaluations, and analytic support.
3. Executive Briefing Development (20%): Prepare and deliver decision-quality briefs, white papers, and memoranda for senior DoD leaders, including Flag Officers and SES.
4. MAJCOM Staff Action Officer Coordination (15%): Draft staff action packages, staffing memos, and facilitate multi-agency coordination among MAJCOM, Air Staff, and DoD agencies.
5. Process Improvement & Oversight (15%): Identify inefficiencies and implement best practices for financial transparency, audit readiness, and performance-based resource allocation.