Senior Defense Acquisition Lead for Air Force Programs

Socket.dev; Oklahoma; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Socket.dev seeks a Senior Acquisition Program Manager to support an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center customer at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. The role drives program planning, execution, and oversight across the lifecycle, coordinating with government personnel, contractors, and IPTs.

The successful candidate leads planning and staffing of acquisition actions, manages stakeholders, and develops decision-quality documentation for milestones. Travel up to 20%; U.S. citizenship is required.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting DoW acquisition programs, including contracting and program management across the lifecycle.
• Experience developing and staffing acquisition and contracting documentation (CDRLs, SOOs, SOWs) for R&D.
• Experience supporting milestone planning and staffing statutory/regulatory documentation.
• Experience managing or assessing program execution with focus on cost, schedule, and performance.
• Experience leading or operating within Integrated Product Teams across multiple disciplines.
• Strong knowledge of Federal acquisition processes and regulations.
• Strong communication skills for briefings, reports, and decision support for senior leaders.
• Ability to work independently in a dynamic environment and coordinate with Gov and contractor teams.
• Experience with classified or special access programs.
• Knowledge of Air Force LCMC frameworks, directives, and policies.
• U.S. citizenship required due to contract requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior program management and acquisition support for Government development and execution efforts.
• Lead or support planning, coordination, and execution of acquisition activities across the program lifecycle.
• Coordinate with program managers, engineers, contracting, finance, logistics, testing, and other teams for integrated execution.
• Maintain situational awareness and plan for major program events, reviews, and decision points.
• Develop and staff acquisition documentation required by statute, regulation, and policy for milestones and decisions.
• Develop, review, and coordinate acquisition strategies, milestone docs, briefing materials, and related artifacts.
• Support contract award and modification activities, including pre-award docs and source selection support.
• Review contractor deliverables and cost/schedule/performance reports; provide assessments and recommendations.
• Monitor contractor performance and impacts on cost, schedule, and performance.
• Lead and facilitate IPT activities to synchronize cross-functional efforts and decisions.
• Develop program roadmaps for capabilities, technologies, and product lines.
• Develop integration and transition plans to support execution and transitions.
• Support milestone planning, tracking, scheduling, staff coordination, and documentation for senior leaders.
• Identify risks/issues and develop mitigation strategies; communicate impacts and recommendations.
• Prepare clear written and oral communications for senior Air Force and industry stakeholders.
• Establish trusted relationships with government customers, contractors, and stakeholders.

Skills

Acquisition program management

IPT leadership

Communication skills

Independent work

Classified programs experience

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree + 18 years of experience

Master's degree + 10 years of experience

Project management certifications (DAU/PMP/Agile) desired

Job description

Socket.dev seeks a Senior Acquisition Program Manager to support an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center customer at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. The role drives program planning, execution, and oversight across the lifecycle, coordinating with government personnel, contractors, and IPTs.

The successful candidate leads planning and staffing of acquisition actions, manages stakeholders, and develops decision-quality documentation for milestones. Travel up to 20%; U.S. citizenship is required.