DARPA Portfolio Operations Lead

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc.; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 188,000; Full time

Job summary

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) seeks a Portfolio Operations Lead to provide onsite support in Arlington, VA. You will manage portfolio-level activities, coordinate across DARPA offices, and prepare briefings and leadership deliverables to enable rapid decision-making and execution.

A Bachelor's degree plus 12+ years of transition coordination and external stakeholder engagement across DoD is required. Active TS/SCI clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline.
• 12+ years of demonstrated experience leading transition coordination and external stakeholder engagement across DoD, interagency, and Service partners.
• Direct experience with OTA prototype, OTA follow-on production, and FAR/DFARS contracting environments.
• Proven ability to coordinate across multi-Service and joint portfolios and to engage senior leadership and external mission partners.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to produce decision-quality briefings and read-aheads.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Able to report to Arlington, VA onsite up to full-time based upon client needs.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute portfolio-level activities including PI meetings, program reviews, industry days, and site visits.
• Maintain the integrated portfolio calendar, decision timeline, and execution rhythm.
• Track program status at the execution level (milestones, approvals, actions, dependencies).
• Coordinate across DARPA functional offices (security, contracting, legal, public affairs, facilities, IT, travel).
• Prepare and integrate briefings, read-ahead packages, and leadership deliverables.
• Manage internal tasking, action tracking, and follow-through across programs and staff.
• Serve as the primary execution-level interface for cross-office coordination within DARPA.
• Ensure compliance with DARPA processes, documentation requirements, and review gates.
• Enable rapid, accurate response to short-notice leadership requests and external engagements.

Skills

Leadership & stakeholder engagement

Strong written/verbal communication

OTA prototype / FAR/DFARS

Cross-service coordination

TS/SCI clearance

Arlington, VA onsite

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Job description

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) seeks a Portfolio Operations Lead to provide onsite support in Arlington, VA. You will manage portfolio-level activities, coordinate across DARPA offices, and prepare briefings and leadership deliverables to enable rapid decision-making and execution.

A Bachelor's degree plus 12+ years of transition coordination and external stakeholder engagement across DoD is required. Active TS/SCI clearance is required.