Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Senior Advisor

Trinzic; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

KBR’s Missile, Aviation, and Ground Systems division seeks a Senior Portfolio Acquisition Executive Advisor to deliver high-level strategic and acquisition counsel across Army Fires portfolios, MDAPs, and OSW equities.

Operating at the executive level through the full defense acquisition lifecycle, the role coordinates with Joint and Army staff, OSW, HQDA DAMO-Fires, and MDA to align requirements, accelerate fielding, and ensure strategic emphasis on warfighter needs.

Qualifications

• Active Top Secret security clearance (or Secret with ability to obtain/maintain TS/SCI).
• 25+ years of progressive experience supporting Warfighter missions, defense acquisition, and operational requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, evaluation, and execution of portfolio acquisition strategies aligned with Army modernization priorities.
• Direct cross-functional integration of portfolio elements to enable acquisition, fielding, and sustainment of Fires weapon systems.
• Engage senior leaders across Joint and Army staffs to align acquisition with warfighter needs and modernization initiatives.

Skills

Security clearance

Education

Master’s degree preferred; Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Acquisition Management, National Security Studies

Job description

Title:

Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Senior Advisor

Program Summary

KBR’s Missile, Aviation, and Ground Systems (MAGS) division provides mission-engineering solutions for critical U.S. Army programs, specializing in aviation and ground systems, integrated air and missile defense, and threat and target systems. As a trusted partner to the U.S. Department of War, MAGS delivers innovative, technology-driven capabilities that enhance national security. With a strong ethical foundation and a global footprint, KBR ensures secure, effective, and mission-ready support worldwide.

Job Summary

The candidate will serve as a Senior Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Advisor, providing high-level strategic, programmatic, and acquisition counsel supporting Army Integrated, Defensive, and Offensive Fires system portfolios, as well as Office of the Secretary of War (OSW) equities.

Operating at the executive portfolio level, this role spans the complete defense acquisition lifecycle; integrating system engineering, program planning and control, test and evaluation, fielding, training, deployment, and lifecycle logistics. The Senior Advisor plays an essential role in orchestrating multi-disciplinary initiatives across Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs), Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) pathways, and pre-decisional capability systems and subsystems.

The candidate will ensure portfolio acquisition decisions are tightly coupled to operational warfighter requirements, eliminating fielding friction, accelerating transition timelines, and driving strategic alignment between requirements generation and delivered capabilities. Key stakeholders include the Joint and Army Staffs, OSW, HQDA DAMO-Fires, Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Fires Center of Excellence (FCoE), Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC), Army Transformation and Training Command, Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) Fires, and Army Air and Missile Defense Commands (AAMDCs).

Roles & Responsibilities

Strategic Acquisition Execution & Portfolio Governance:

Lead the development, evaluation, and execution of comprehensive portfolio acquisition strategies aligned with overarching Army modernization priorities and joint warfighting capability delivery goals. Serve as a senior advisor navigating the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), tailoring pathways (Major Capability Acquisition, Urgent Capability Acquisition, MTA Rapid Prototyping/Fielding, and Software Acquisition) to optimize portfolio delivery. Formulate strategic visions, portfolio roadmaps, and actionable objectives for new and existing government customers. Collaborate closely with General Officers, Senior Executive Service (SES), and Portfolio Management Executives (PMEs) to establish and execute strategic and tactical action plans in support of combat developments, materiel development, HQDA integration, and modernization initiatives.

Program Integration & Cross-Portfolio Oversight:

Direct and support cross-functional integration of portfolio elements—operational, technical, programmatic, financial, and logistical—enabling effective acquisition, fielding, and long-term sustainment of Fires weapon systems. Drive the paradigm shift ensuring Army Fires portfolios operate as cohesive, capability centric architectures rather than siloed, system centric programs, placing warfighter operational requirements at the forefront of acquisition tradeoffs. Identify cross program interdependencies, programmatic bottlenecks, schedule risks, and supply chain vulnerabilities, formulating mitigations to safeguard program baselines and fielding milestones.

Stakeholder Engagement & Strategic Alignment:

Partner with senior leadership across Joint and Army Staffs, OSW, HQDA DAMO-Fires, SMDC, MDA, FCoE, Army Transformation and Training Command, PAE Fires, and AAMDCs to posture the Army to rapidly deliver critical fires capabilities without delay. Align acquisition execution with evolving operational and multi-domain concepts to enable faster, higher fidelity translation of urgent warfighter needs into fielded materiel solutions. Institutionalize feedback loops ensuring the warfighter’s voice directly informs acquisition shaping, developmental/operational testing, and agile adaptation to emerging real world threats.

Strategic Growth & Business Development

Serve as a KBR Senior Advisor for Army PAE Fires, MDA, SMDC, OSW, and AAMDC business pursuits and capture campaigns. Shape organizational strategic direction, build and sustain high trust relationships with new and existing government customers, and champion solution development aligned to Army modernization priorities. Serve as a collaborative liaison with peers across KBR business units to identify, foster, and capture cross business unit growth opportunities. Provide strategic insight and SME review for major proposals, white papers, statements of work, and capability demonstrations.

Leadership Development & Mentorship:

Contribute to the KBR Leadership Program through development and deployment of training, mentoring, and enrichment activities designed to develop future leaders and improve retention and engagement.

Basic Qualifications:

• Security Clearance: Active Top Secret security clearance (or Secret with ability to obtain/maintain TS/SCI).
• Education: Master’s degree preferred; Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Acquisition Management, National Security Studies, or a related field required.
• Experience: 25+ years of progressive experience supporting Warfighter missions, defense acquisition, and operational requirements (e.g., Air and Missile Defense / Fires, Army, MDA, SMDC, and/or OSW portfolios).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven success integrating programs and providing acquisition support for PAE Fires, SMDC and MDA related organizations
• Deep familiarity and established relationships with Army Staff, Fires Center of Excellence, AAMDCs and key acquisition offices
• Hands-on experience with Foreign Military Sales (FMS) execution
• Strong leadership in planning, executing, and managing large scale DoD programs
• Excellent briefing and communication skills, with experience delivering content to senior Army, SMDC and MDA leadership
• Demonstrated ability to operate in high-tempo environments with competing priorities and diverse stakeholders

Location:

Huntsville, AL (Government Site or Contractor Site) with periodic travel to Washington, D.C.; El Paso, TX and other CONUS locations as required.

Belong, Connect and Grow here

We are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

We is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.