Cyber Solutions Engineer - Defense & Space

MANTECH; Herndon (VA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

MANTECH seeks a Solutions Engineer – Cyber Practice – Defense & Space to join our Herndon, VA hybrid team.

The Solutions Engineer will serve as the primary technical architect and representative of our growing Cyber Practice across Department of War (DoW) and federal space accounts, shaping the technical vision on supported proposals, programs, and customer engagements, scoping and designing end-to-end cyber solutions even when full requirements are undefined.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a technical field.
• 10+ years in solutions engineering, systems architecture, or pre-sales for government contracting.
• Hands-on experience building working software prototypes, mockups, or scripts to support pre-sales or proposal engineering.
• Proven track record leading technical solutioning for complex RFIs/RFPs in DoW/IC/Federal Space.

Responsibilities

• Own the overarching cyber architecture for major RFIs, RFPs, and capture efforts across DoW and Federal Space accounts.
• Lead technical cyber voice on proposal teams, shaping capture strategy with stakeholders.
• Partner with Cyber Practice SMEs to integrate capabilities into a unified solution vision.
• Draft, review, and finalize technical volumes, whitepapers, WBS, and BOEs.
• Defend technical choices through color team reviews and refine solution narratives.

Skills

Solutions engineering

Systems architecture

Technical pre-sales

Proposal engineering

Technical leadership

Communications

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity or related field

Tools

GitHub Copilot

Proof of concept tooling

WBS/BOEs

Job description

MANTECH seeks a Solutions Engineer – Cyber Practice – Defense & Space to join our team in Herndon, VA (Hybrid).

The Solutions Engineer – Cyber Practice – Defense & Space will serve as the primary technical architect and representative of our growing Cyber Practice across Department of War (DoW) and federal space accounts. Operating at the tip of the spear, this high-autonomy technical leader will shape the technical vision on supported proposals, programs, and customer engagements, scoping and designing end-to-end cyber solutions even when full requirements are undefined.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Own the overarching cyber architecture for major RFIs, RFPs, and proactive capture efforts across DoW and Federal Space accounts, translating ambiguous customer needs into actionable, differentiated technical approaches.
• Act as the lead technical cyber voice on proposal teams, collaborating with Capture Managers, Business Development leads, and executive leadership to shape capture strategy.
• Partner with Cyber Practice SMEs to integrate specialized capabilities—such as defensive cyber operations, cryptographic resilience, zero trust, and ICAM—into a unified solution vision.
• Draft, review, and finalize technical proposal volumes, whitepapers, Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), and basis of estimates (BOEs).
• Command technical color team reviews (Pink, Red, Green), defending technical choices and refining the solution narrative throughout the capture lifecycle.
• Utilize modern tools and AI-assisted development practices to rapidly mock up high-level architectures, functional concepts, or proofs-of-concept to validate proposal strategies.
• Rapidly develop technical demonstrations and proofs-of-concept (PoCs) as a hands-on builder on occasion to validate proposed architectures.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of experience in solutions engineering, systems architecture, or technical pre-sales within government contracting.
• Practical, hands-on experience building working software prototypes, technical mockups, or scripts to support pre-sales or proposal engineering efforts.
• Proven track record leading technical solutioning for complex RFIs/RFPs in the Department of War (DoW), Intelligence Community (IC), or Federal Space/Civilian markets.
• Demonstrated capability to navigate ambiguous requirements, take command of technical strategy, and orchestrate cross-functional SME teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to translate complex technical concepts into mission-focused proposal volumes.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), staffing models, and technical pricing strategies for government bids.
• Broad conceptual understanding across cyber security domains, including NIST frameworks, Zero Trust Architecture, defensive operations, and security engineering in classified environments.
• Familiarity with modern AI-assisted tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor) to accelerate technical modeling, workflow generation, or rapid concept validation.

Clearance Requirements:

• Must have a current/active TS/SCI clearance

Physical Requirements:

• Constantly operates a computer and other productivity machinery.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods.
• Travel may be required to support client meetings, technical demonstrations, or proposal efforts.