Senior Acquisition Specialist

SAIC; Sully Square (VA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Acquisition Specialist to support a groundbreaking space program. This role is pivotal in guiding multi-disciplined teams through the complexities of major system acquisitions. The ideal candidate will leverage extensive experience in the Intelligence Community and possess strong communication and leadership skills. Collaborating closely with both government and technical teams, you will be instrumental in developing tailored acquisition strategies and ensuring optimal delivery of project milestones. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative solutions in the defense sector while working in a dynamic and supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph required.
• Experience with DoD Program Office best practices essential.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Government Program Manager to execute major system acquisition.
• Facilitate meetings to track progress and review content.
• Promote best practices to improve Program Office processes.

Skills

Problem-solving skills

Interpersonal skills

Oral communication skills

Written communication skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

Join a winning team!! SAIC’s Space and Intelligence Business Group is currently hiring to advance space capabilities supporting our Department of Defense (DOD) and Intelligence Community customers. Ten miles from the SAIC headquarters, our Chantilly, VA team supports systems development, targeting & intelligence analysis, systems engineering & integration, and more.

This position is for a Senior Acquisition Specialist for a large, multi-year contract supporting a cutting-edge and innovative space program. The Senior Acquisition Specialist must possess and have successfully demonstrated large major system acquisition (MSA) planning from pre-acquisition through competitive contract award. This position requires excellent oral and written communication skills, problem-solving skills, and interpersonal skills. The Senior Acquisition Specialist will partner with a well-established and highly skilled technical team and a contract support team to identify and generate highly tailored acquisition artifacts conforming to the intent of DoD 5000.01, The Defense Acquisition System. The ideal candidate brings a wealth of personal experience, best practices, and templates of highly successful acquisition strategies and plans.

The Senior Acquisition Specialist provides leadership, advice, and strong facilitation to guide multi-disciplined engineers and acquisition support personnel. Key responsibilities include:

1. Partnering with the Government Program Manager and a robust technical support team to plan and execute a fast-paced, highly streamlined major system acquisition.
2. Identifying and curating a list of required and desired acquisition artifacts.
3. Facilitating weekly meetings to assign writing tasks, track progress, and review content.
4. Participating in customer meetings and briefings to present acquisition strategies and plans.
5. Collaborating with the SETA PM on staffing and performance to ensure optimal delivery.
6. Tracking and reporting progress at multiple levels of Contractor and Government leadership.
7. Promoting best practices to improve the effectiveness of Program Office processes.

Qualifications

• Must possess an active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph.
• Experience with the Intelligence Community and/or the Department of Defense Program Office best practices.
• At least 3 years of experience in a satellite program office serving key leadership roles as a Government or Contractor.
• Bachelor's degree and 14 years of relevant experience; OR Master's degree and 12 years of relevant experience; PhD and 9 years of experience.
• Effective interpersonal skills across multiple groups, offices, and organizations, with strong briefing and writing skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively to a diverse audience of senior decision-makers with varying levels of programmatic and technical expertise.
• Effective communication, coordination, and customer engagement skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic, and team environment with minimal supervision.

Desired Qualifications include:

• Direct experience with key leadership roles supporting a major system acquisition, including pre-acquisition steps to complete IC or DoD acquisition approvals through Milestone A or B.
• Experience in tailored acquisition processes based on experimental research development programs.
• STEM degree with strong working knowledge of satellite engineering practices.

SAIC accepts applications on an ongoing basis with no deadline. Covid Policy: SAIC does not require COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters. Customer site vaccination requirements must be followed when work is performed at a customer site.