Principal Technical Director, National Security

We Love AI Jobs; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); Hybrid; USD 225,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Voyager Technologies in Washington, D.C. (with a base in Long Beach, CA) seeks a Principal Technical Director, National Security to lead the national security advanced-programs portfolio, shaping the technical vision for space, intelligence, cyber, and communications capabilities.

You will drive R&D programs from prototype to deployment, build multidisciplinary teams, and partner with government customers and growth teams to win contracts, while guiding productization and end-to-end system

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent required.
• Active TS/SCI clearance required.
• Experience designing national security space systems.

Responsibilities

• Set technical strategy across national security programs.
• Lead R&D programs from prototype to deployment.
• Build and mentor multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Collaborate with government customers to pursue contracts.
• Guide productization and end-to-end system architectures.

Skills

National security space systems

Algorithm development

AI/ML

End-to-end system architecture

Intelligence collection

Space control

Cyber

Multi-regime communications

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

# Principal Technical Director, National SecurityPittsburgh Robotics NetworkWashington D.C.; Long Beach, CAFull-time$225,000 – $300,000 / yearUpload your resume once and Scout applies for youApply with ScoutShare this job:LinkedInXSave imageThis technical director leads Voyager’s national security advanced-programs portfolio, covering space technologies such as intelligence systems, space control, cyber, and communications. The role guides R&D from early concepts toward deployable products, while building technical teams and supporting government customer pursuits.* Permanent* On-site* Bachelor’s degree### Skills and expertiseNational security space systemsAlgorithm developmentAI/MLEnd-to-end system architectureIntelligence collectionSpace controlCyberMulti-regime communications### Key responsibilities* Set technical strategy across the national security advanced-programs portfolio.* Lead R&D programs and guide technologies from prototype toward deployment.* Build multidisciplinary teams and support customer requirements and government contract pursuits.## How this job comparesCompared with 50 open director engineering jobs on October 10, 2026.Pay: This job pays $225K to $300K a year. The 24 open director engineering jobs that publish US pay start at $232K on average, so this job starts in line with them.Similar open jobs: We Love AI Jobs lists 50 open director engineering jobs at 38 companies.Remote work: This job is on site. 12 of the 50 director engineering jobs (24%) are remote.AI in this role: Medium. The role uses AI tools and works with AI systems as a regular part of the job. The role spans many national security space disciplines, and the qualifications specifically call for applying modern compute and AI/ML techniques to engineering problems. AI is one component of the broader technical portfolio rather than the sole focus.## Full descriptionVoyager is an innovative space, defense, and national security technology company committed to advancing and delivering transformative, mission-critical solutions. We tackle the most complex challenges to unlock new frontiers for human progress, fortify national security, and protect critical assets to lead in the race for technological and operational superiority from ground to space.Forge the Future: Join Voyager TechnologiesThe future belongs to those who build it. At Voyager Technologies, we’re building technologies that protect lives, expand frontiers and prepare us for what’s next. And we’re doing that with people who are wired to solve, build, adapt and lead. These roles are not for the faint of heart.You’ll help lay the foundation for humanity's future. Join a culture where innovation thrives, curiosity is rewarded, and impact is real. We’re a company of doers, thinkers and builders, united by purpose and grounded in reality.If you want to put your skills to work where the stakes are real and the mission is bigger than any one person, forge the future with Voyager.The Principal Technical Director, National Security for our Technology and Advanced Development group is responsible for serving as the senior technical leader for our national security Advanced Programs portfolio. In this role, you will drive the technical vision for the future of emerging, high-impact space technologies, leading Voyager's investments in non-kinetic effects, space control, intelligence systems, edge computing, cyber, and multi-regime communications.We are looking for a passionate human who has deep familiarity with hardware, software, and algorithms across the space domain, and who can direct how novel technologies are incubated and applied across existing programs to reach deployed, mission-critical capability for the warfighter. You must be as comfortable defining and executing complex research and development programs as you are productizing outcomes into monetizable commercial motions.This is a high-impact leadership role that requires a rare blend of deep national security space expertise and the strategic ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams. You will not just be setting technical direction; you will be responsible for ensuring that our Advanced Programs investments translate into deployed capabilities for our government customers.The position reports to the Chief Technology Officer and is part of the Advanced Technology Group, based in either Long Beach, CA or Washington D.C.In this role, the essential functions are:• Technical Leadership & Vision: Own the technology strategy for Voyager's national security Advanced Programs portfolio, serving as the ultimate technical authority across intelligence collection, non-kinetic effects, space control, cyber, autonomy, and multi-regime communications, and ensuring alignment with Defense & Intelligence growth objectives.• R&D Execution: Lead the execution of complex, high-stakes R&D programs (CRAD/IRAD) for next-generation national security systems, managing the IRAD pipeline end to end and ensuring technical risks are managed and solutions delivered on schedule.• End-to-End System Architecture: Architect end-to-end systems bridging hardware, software, and mission software across the Advanced Programs portfolio, ensuring seamless integration across both space and ground segments.• Productization & Commercialization: Bridge the “valley of death” by guiding technologies from TRL 3–6 into robust, productized solutions ready for manufacturing and deployment, partnering with product and business teams to define commercialization strategies.• Team Building & Mentorship: Build, inspire, and mentor a world-class, multidisciplinary engineering organization spanning advanced national security space disciplines.• Growth & Business Development Support: Partner with Growth, Business Development, and Capture teams to refine customer requirements, shape solution spaces, and provide the technical grounding needed to win major government contracts.• Corporate Development Support: Support due diligence and post-acquisition integration for inorganic growth opportunities that expand Voyager's national security technology portfolio.If your experience aligns with our basic qualifications and you are inspired by our mission, we’d like to connect. If you don’t see the right role right now, Join Our Talent Community and stay connected as we continue to build what’s next.• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field• Security Clearance: Must currently hold an active U.S. Top Secret / SCI Security Clearance; this is a hard requirement and candidates without an active clearance will not be considered.• National Security Space Systems Expertise: Demonstrated background designing, developing, and deploying national security space systems, including intelligence collection, space control, and communications, with direct experience navigating space-environment constraints such as radiation hardening, thermal management, and long-duration mission reliability.