Principal System Engineer/Program Portfolio Manager

KBR Careers; Chevy Chase (MD); On-site; USD 148,900 - 223,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K plan with company match

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off and flexible work schedule

Job summary

A national security-focused engineering firm is seeking a Principal System Engineer/Program Portfolio Manager to oversee IT investments supporting crucial national security missions. The role demands significant experience in requirements translation, program assessment, and managing deliverables with strong communication skills and an active TS/SCI clearance. Offered compensation ranges from $148,900 to $223,400, with competitive benefits including 401K and professional development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to translate users' needs into requirements.
• Experience developing program assessment processes.
• Capability in tracking and analyzing cost, schedule, and performance.

Responsibilities

• Translate users' needs into detailed technical options.
• Develop business cases, concepts of operations, and memoranda agreements.
• Conduct quality reviews of products and deliverables.

Skills

Active TS/SCI with polygraph

Strong communication skills

Experience manipulating data

Experience coordinating with community partners

Management of time-sensitive deliverables

Education

Bachelor's degree + 8 years of experience or Master's degree + 6 years of experience

Job description

Principal System Engineer/Program Portfolio Manager

Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR!

KBR’s National Security Solutions team provides high‑end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities. In this position, your work will have a profound impact on the country’s most critical role – protecting our national security.

Why Join Us?

• Innovative Projects: KBR’s work is at the forefront of engineering, logistics, operations, science, program management, mission IT and cybersecurity solutions.
• Collaborative Environment: Be part of a dynamic team that thrives on collaboration and innovation, fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating workplace.
• Impactful Work: Your contributions will be pivotal in designing and optimizing defense systems that ensure national security and shape the future of space defense.

KBR is looking for an experienced, results‑oriented System Engineer/Program Portfolio Manager to join the team in Bethesda, Maryland. Position supports the customers’ mission to manage and oversee prioritized IT investments established by the government. Work requires ensuring that portfolio activities are integrated with other activities across the IC IT and IE enterprises. It also will require contributing information to OMB and congressional inquiries and other reports and briefs.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate users’ needs and capabilities into requirements and detailed technical options for government consideration.
• Develop program assessment processes and methodologies.
• Track, reporting key progress on, and analyzing cost, schedule, risk, and performance.
• Monitor investment compliance.
• Provide recommendations to improve integration and interoperability.
• Develop program assessment processes & methodologies to measure and report on portfolios’ effectiveness.
• Develop business cases, concepts of operations, and memoranda agreements.
• Monitor, forecast, evaluate, and assess programmatic trends and relationships.
• Develop and maintain project plans and schedule, as well as integration and transition plans.
• Conduct quality reviews of products and deliverables prior to release.
• Develop data collection needs and collecting data to facilitate the Customer’s decision on investments.
• Develop performance goals and key milestones.
• Develop schedules, monthly progress updates, changes to the schedule, resources applied, and work breakdown structures.
• Provide input to integrated master schedules.
• Monitor alignment with IC goals and objectives and key performance indicators.
• Account for technology asset lifecycle costs and risks.
• Predict and analyze time and cost outcomes.
• Facilitate program management reviews and other interagency reviews, which may include organizing and managing logistical requirements for large meetings and forums.
• Make recommendations to the Customer on improving business and enterprise oversight processes.
• Assess and provide recommendations for aligning requirements to broader investment initiatives and ODNI and IC processes and timelines, to include the Intelligence Planning, Programming, Budget and Evaluation (IPPBE) cycle.
• Collect, monitor, and report on key performance indicators.
• Conduct trend analysis.
• Develop dashboards and reports to support government oversight and measures of performance of IC investments.
• Develop maturity models, as well as plans of action and milestones.
• Assist with the developing analysis of alternatives.
• Identify and assess IC LE IT capability gaps.
• Analyze costs, schedules, outputs, outcomes, performance, and risk.

Work Environment

• Location: On‑site
• Travel Requirements: Minimal 0‑20%
• Working Hours: Standard

Minimum Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI with polygraph
• Bachelor degree + 8 years of applicable experience is required, or a Master’s degree + 6 years of applicable experience. Additional experience can be substituted for degree requirement.
• Experience manipulating data to pull out pertinent information for intelligence products.
• Experience coordinating with multiple community partners.
• Experience with managing multiple time sensitive deliverables.
• Strong communication skills are required in order to work with multiple organizations.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Basic Compensation

$148,900 - $223,400

This range is for the Maryland area only

The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

Additional Compensation

KBR may offer bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation to certain job titles or levels, per internal policy or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be in the form of sign on bonus, relocation benefits, short term incentives, long term incentives, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.

KBR Benefits

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule. We support career advancement through professional training and development.

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, 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’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

KBR 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.