Chief of Staff - Shipbuilding

ADP, Inc.; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Hanwha Defense USA in Arlington, VA seeks a Chief of Staff to the President, US Shipbuilding. The role concentrates on delivering strategic priorities, coordinating cross‑functional initiatives, and ensuring clear, actionable communication between the executive team, staff, and external stakeholders.

The ideal candidate brings 20 years of defense industry experience, strong leadership and organizational skills, and an ability to operationalize the commander’s intent.

Qualifications

• 20 years of relevant experience in U.S. defense business development, DOW acquisition, or shipbuilding government/industry roles.
• Significant experience with international business and cross-cultural deliverables.
• Self-starter with outstanding communication and organizational skills.
• Must be able to obtain a SECRET level Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the integrator for President level decisions: triage what requires decision, what can be delegated, and route accordingly.
• Collaborate with internal functional teams to deliver cross-functional operational success.
• Lead for all headquarters’ internal products.
• Support growth strategy deployment with strong organizational skills.
• Monitor U.S. federal shipbuilding spending trends and acquisition strategies.
• Design and run front-office operating rhythm across the team and meetings.
• Own tasker and action-item process end-to-end for high-priority initiatives.
• Deconflict priorities among direct reports and clarify escalation paths.
• Foster relationships with key government decision-makers and primes to position the company as a trusted partner.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Project management

Cross-functional teamwork

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Job description

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Chief of Staff - Shipbuilding

Arlington, VA, US

3 days ago Requisition ID: 1207

Salary Range: $200,000.00 To $300,000.00 Annually

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Chief of Staff serves as the senior executive advisor and operational coordinator to President, US Shipbuilding, ensuring strategic priorities are delivered, cross‑functional initiatives are managed, and communication flows efficiently between the executive team, staff, and stakeholders. As a U.S-based defense company with the strength of a world-class shipbuilding global parent, we are seeking a high performing professional, capable of significantly contributing to HDUSA’s high‑paced transition to a premier US shipbuilder. The ideal candidate is an experienced shipbuilding affiliated professional with strong organizational, collaboration and problem‑solving skills. A self-starter with the ability to operationalize and achieve commander’s intent is a must.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the integrator for President level decisions: triage what requires his decision, what can be delegated, what can be resolved at the staff level, and route accordingly.
• Collaborate with internal functional teams (business development, industrial expansion, engineering, supply chain, contracts, program management, IT, and finance) to deliver cross-functional operational success.
• Serve as the business unit’s lead for all headquarters’ internal products.
• Support the team’s growth strategy deployment by utilizing world-class organizational skills.
• Monitor and assess U.S. federal shipbuilding spending trends, acquisition strategies, and other activities relevant to the maritime industrial base.
• Design, install, and run the front-office operating rhythm across the US shipbuilding team spanning multiple locations — setting the agenda for staff meetings, business reviews, quarterly board meetings, and semiannual strategy sessions.
• Own the tasker and action-item process end to end for high-priority initiatives — capture commitments, assign owners and due dates, drive them to closure, and surface risks before they become issues.
• Deconflict priorities and competing demands among direct reports, and intervene where roles, decision rights, or escalation paths become unclear.
• Foster and maintain trusted relationships with staffs of key government decision-makers — PAE Maritime, PAE Undersea, OPNAV, ASN(RD&A), MARAD, and the U.S. Coast Guard — as well as primes, first-tier suppliers, and industry associations, to position the company as a credible, capable, and trusted partner.

QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE

• 20 years of relevant experience in U.S. defense business development, DOW acquisition, or shipbuilding government / industry roles
• Significant experience with international business and cross-cultural deliverables
• A “self-starter” who has outstanding communication and organizational skills
• Prior military or civilian DOW service strongly preferred; experience working with or within DOW, USCG or acquisition communities is a plus
• Must be able to obtain a SECRET level Security Clearance
• Experience with financial analysis and support of merger & acquisition / corporate development efforts preferred

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Defense Acquisition, or related fields.
• Advanced Degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) or DAWIA/Defense Acquisition certification preferred

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS

• Expertise in the U.S. defense acquisition system and ability to navigate complex program requirements
• Working understanding of shipyard operations — production sequencing, capacity constraints, skilled trades workforce dynamics — sufficient to translate between yard execution realities and headquarters or customer expectations
• Ability to operate with delegated authority across peers and senior direct reports without formal line authority, and to do so with judgment and discretion
• Strong bias toward closure: comfortable owning ambiguous problems, driving them to resolution, and handing them off cleanly
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to brief senior leaders across internal and external stakeholders
• Fast learner who can quickly adapt in a high-pressure maritime and defense market
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and common business operations platforms (CRM, project and portfolio management, business intelligence tools)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS / WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Normal amount of sitting or standing, average mobility to move around an office environment, able to conduct normal amount of work at a computer. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. Ability to travel domestically (20%) and occasionally international (10%) required.

Hanwha Defense USA is committed to pay transparency and equitable compensation practices. The salary range listed for this position represents a good faith estimate of the base pay we reasonably expect to offer for the position at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant skills/experience, education and certifications, market conditions, geographic location and internal pay equity. In addition to base salary, employees may be eligible for discretionary annual bonuses, benefits, and other forms of compensation as part of Hanwha Defense USA's total rewards package.

Hanwha Defense USA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.