Principal Engineering Advisor (Secret #26-113)

Strategic Analysis, Inc.; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Strategic Analysis, Inc. is looking for a Principal Engineering Advisor to join the Biological Technologies Office supporting DARPA in Arlington, VA. The candidate must have at least 8 years of relevant experience, combining technical fluency with systems engineering principles.

This full-time on-site role involves high-value assessments of technical concepts and providing strategic analysis directly to the Office Director. An engineering degree in a relevant field and a Secret clearance are required.

Qualifications

• At least 8 years of relevant experience.
• Ability to assess complex technical concepts and portfolios.
• Strong analytical and engineering mindset.

Responsibilities

• Assess technical efforts for scientific novelty and engineering feasibility.
• Provide high-value technical evaluation and strategic analysis.
• Support the BTO Front Office as a Principal Engineering Advisor.

Skills

Technical fluency

Systems engineering

Analytical reasoning

Decision making

Education

Degree in Systems Engineering or related field

Job description

Strategic Analysis, Inc. is seeking a skilled Principal Engineering Advisor to support the Biological Technologies Office (BTO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Requirements

1. The ideal candidate combines broad technical fluency with the disciplined reasoning of a systems engineer or industrial engineer: someone who naturally decomposes complexity, evaluates assumptions, identifies dependencies and failure modes, compares alternatives, and brings structure to ambiguous technical decisions.
2. At least 8 years of similar experience.

Responsibilities

• Help the Front Office assess technical efforts not only for scientific novelty, but also for engineering coherence, feasibility, scalability, integration risk, transition realism, and strategic value.
• Senior individual contributor who can provide high-value technical evaluation, strategic analysis, and decision support directly to the Office Director (OD), using a strong engineering mindset to assess complex technical concepts, portfolios, performers, and opportunities.
• Serve as a Principal Engineering Advisor supporting the BTO Front Office.
• Other duties as assigned.

Degree: Systems Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Mgmt., Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Research, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related technical field.

Clearance: Secret required, ability to obtain TS/SCI

Work Location: Full time on-site at Arlington VA headquarters, DARPA. Partial telework determined by client.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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