Strategic Investment Planning Technical Lead

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The Weapon Systems Engineering Department (N261) is dedicated to delivering world-class engineering solutions and technical leadership to enhance Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) capabilities. Its mission is to enable resilient, adaptive, and scalable weapon systems that counter emerging threats and safeguard national security and the homeland.

The Department is seeking a technically proficient and strategically oriented Strategic Investment Planning Technical Lead to support the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) strategic planning, future capability assessment, and investment prioritization efforts. The successful candidate will bring strong experience in strategic planning, mission engineering, architecture analysis, and resource-informed decision-making, and will advise senior leadership by integrating threat assessments, operational concepts, capability gaps, technology opportunities, and resource considerations into actionable recommendations. This individual will help strengthen the Agency's planning, analysis, and governance processes to inform priorities and guide investments that enhance the Missile Defense System's ability to address evolving threats and mission needs

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Strategic Investment Planning Technical Lead will be responsible for leading and executing key elements of the Missile Defense Agency's strategic planning, future capability assessment, strategic investment analysis, and resource-informed decision-making activities. The successful candidate will work closely with senior MDA leadership, the Directorate for Strategy, Plans, and Resources (DZ), Chief Architect, Engineering, Advanced Capabilities, program offices, and external mission partners while serving as a trusted technical advisor and strategic planning leader. The individual will help shape the Agency's future direction by integrating threat assessments, future operational concepts, architecture analyses, capability gap assessments, technology opportunities, and resource considerations into actionable recommendations that inform Agency priorities and future investments.

In this role, the candidate will help plan, coordinate, execute, and continuously improve the Agency's strategic planning and investment prioritization processes, ensuring future capability needs, architecture evolution, emerging technologies, and resource considerations are integrated into decision-making. The individual will lead the integration of technical, operational, acquisition, and resource perspectives to identify and prioritize investments that strengthen the Missile Defense System's ability to address evolving threats and mission needs.

As a key contributor within the MDA work program, the selected individual will provide technical leadership across strategic planning, mission engineering, architecture development, systems analysis, capability assessment, investment analysis, and portfolio evaluation activities while facilitating collaboration across technical, operational, acquisition, and resource communities. The candidate will help develop and institutionalize planning methodologies, analytical frameworks, governance processes, and decision-support approaches that strengthen the Agency's ability to evaluate future capabilities and prioritize strategic investments.

Highly competitive candidates must bring a strong technical background and depth of missile defense domain knowledge and experience to advance the department's strategic planning and investment analysis capabilities in one or more of the following areas:

• Future missile defense architecture development and assessment
• Capability gap analysis and investment prioritization
• Mission engineering and operational effectiveness analysis
• Emerging technology evaluation and transition planning
• Strategic planning, portfolio management, and resource-informed decision-making within complex defense enterprises

In addition, specific responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of strategic planning and investment analysis activities that assess future threats, mission challenges, operational concepts, capability gaps, and opportunities to improve Missile Defense System effectiveness.
• Develop, manage, and refine strategic planning processes, governance mechanisms, analytical frameworks, and decision-support methodologies used to evaluate future capabilities, investment opportunities, resource tradeoffs, and strategic priorities.
• Lead the development of strategic investment recommendations by integrating architecture assessments, mission analyses, technology evaluations, operational needs, affordability considerations, and resource constraints to inform Agency priorities and future capability development.
• Lead or support development and execution of strategic planning products and activities, including the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), Strategic Planning Guidance (SPG), Program Planning Guidance (PPG), and related investment, portfolio management, and resource planning efforts.
• Assess portfolios of capabilities, technologies, and initiatives to identify opportunities, tradeoffs, risks, and investment strategies that maximize mission effectiveness and align with Agency priorities.
• Facilitate collaboration among technical, operational, resource, acquisition, architecture, and program stakeholders to develop integrated assessments, consensus recommendations, and actionable investment priorities.
• Assess emerging technologies, industry concepts, government research initiatives, and innovative solution approaches to determine mission applicability, technical feasibility, integration considerations, operational impact, affordability, and alignment with Agency strategic objectives.
• Lead technical reviews, workshops, industry engagements, technical exchanges, and cross-functional working groups that inform future capability development, architecture evolution, and strategic investment decisions.
• Develop executive-level briefings, decision-support products, and strategic recommendations for senior Agency leadership, including SES and Flag Officer stakeholders.
• Collaborate across MDA, Department of Defense organizations, FFRDCs, UARCs, National Laboratories, industry partners, and other government agencies to identify opportunities, evaluate alternatives, and advance future missile defense capabilities.

Basic Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 8 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 5 years of experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Current DoD Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Experience supporting missile defense, integrated air and missile defense, strategic deterrence, space, or other complex national security missions.
• Demonstrated experience leading or supporting strategic planning, capability development, mission engineering, architecture development, systems analysis, operational analysis, investment analysis, or related technical decision-support activities.
• Ability to independently lead or conduct complex technical analyses, assess alternatives, evaluate risks and opportunities, and develop actionable recommendations that support senior leader decision-making.
• Experience collaborating across diverse technical and non-technical stakeholders to develop integrated assessments, recommendations, and strategic outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate future operational concepts, emerging technologies, capability gaps, architecture alternatives, and investment options within complex defense enterprises.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated experience developing and presenting executive-level briefings, technical recommendations, and decision-support products.
• Ability to research, assess, and synthesize technical, operational, programmatic, and resource information into clear findings and recommendations.
• Experience engaging government sponsors, military stakeholders, FFRDCs, UARCs, industry partners, and other mission partners to address complex mission challenges and inform strategic decisions.
• Working knowledge of systems engineering, mission engineering, architecture development, capability assessment, and analytical methodologies used to support defense planning and decision-making.
• Experience supporting federal government organizations, Department of Defense programs, or national security missions.
• This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Operations Research, Physics, National Security Studies, Engineering Management, Business Administration, or a related technical discipline with at least 15 years of relevant experience.
• Active DoD Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance.
• Experience supporting the Missile Defense Agency, including strategic planning, capability development, architecture development, mission engineering, systems engineering, or resource planning activities.
• Demonstrated experience supporting Strategic Investment Planning, Strategic Planning Guidance (SPG), Program Planning Guidance (PPG), Program Objective Memorandum (POM), PPBE, or comparable defense planning and resource allocation processes.
• Experience evaluating future capabilities, emerging technologies, and architecture alternatives to support long-range strategic planning, investment prioritization, and resource-informed decision making.
• Experience leading or supporting enterprise-level strategic planning efforts, investment prioritization activities, portfolio management initiatives, or capability assessments within the Department of Defense.
• Technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: missile defense architectures, mission engineering, systems architecture development, operational analysis, campaign analysis, capability gap assessment, portfolio analysis, modeling and simulation, or investment analysis.
• Experience developing, implementing, or improving analytical frameworks, governance processes, and decision-support methodologies used to inform strategic planning and investment decisions.
• Experience planning, facilitating, and leading technical workshops, strategic planning forums, executive steering groups, industry engagements, technical exchanges, or cross-functional working groups.
• Experience organizing, executing, and synthesizing outcomes from technical exchanges, industry engagements, workshops, studies, or assessments to inform strategic planning and investment decisions.
• Experience assessing industry, FFRDC, UARC, National Laboratory, and government-developed concepts for technical feasibility, mission impact, integration considerations, affordability, and strategic value.
• Demonstrated ability to develop executive-level briefings, strategic recommendations, and decision-support products for Senior Executive Service (SES), General Officer, and Flag Officer audiences.
• Experience integrating threat assessments, operational needs, architecture analyses, technology evaluations, and resource considerations into actionable recommendations for senior leaders.
• Experience collaborating across architecture, engineering, acquisition, test, intelligence, operations, and resource management organizations to develop integrated solutions to complex mission challenges.
• Knowledge of future missile defense concepts, integrated air and missile defense architectures, strategic deterrence missions, and emerging threat environments.
• Demonstrated engagement with industry, academia, FFRDCs, UARCs, National Laboratories, and the broader defense innovation community to identify emerging technologies and mission applications.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
Secret

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCI

Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$162,400 - $203,000 - $243,600 Annual

Work Location Type:
Onsite

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

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