Senior Defense Programs & Delivery Lead

Raft; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully covered healthcare, dental, and

Vision coverage

401(k) and company match

Take as you need PTO + 11 paidholidys

Education & training benefits

Generous Referral Bonuses

And More!

Job summary

Raft, a U.S.-based defense tech company headquartered in McLean, VA, is seeking a Delivery Programs Lead. This senior generalist role sits at the heart of Raft's delivery organization, reporting directly to the VP of Delivery and Product.

You will be embedded across Raft's programs, contract actions, customer relationships, and business growth efforts, learning the full operating model of a fast-moving defense software company from the inside out.

Qualifications

• 3–6 years of experience in systems engineering, integration engineering, technical program and product management.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or closely related field.
• Experience with Agile, DevSecOps, or system integration is a significant asset.
• Attention to detail in written and structured artifacts for contracts and proposals.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for executive briefs and customer deliverables.
• Strategic thinking with discipline and follow-through.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and fast-moving environments.
• High integrity and trustworthiness with customers and partners.

Responsibilities

• Support the VP of Delivery and Product across program execution, contract management, business development, and operations, serving as an extension of leadership across the full delivery portfolio.
• Get into the weeds of contract actions, teaming agreements, pricing structures, data rights provisions, and other transactional details that underpin Raft's customer relationships and growth.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with DoD customers and program stakeholders, representing Raft professionally while always carrying a business and growth mindset.
• Track delivery health across multiple concurrent programs: milestone progress, risk exposure, cross-team dependencies, and staffing.
• Support and contribute to business development activities including proposal inputs, capability briefs, white papers, RFI/RFP responses, and customer presentations.
• Engage directly with engineering teams to understand software development progress, deployment readiness, and technical risks, translating between the technical and the programmatic without losing fidelity on either side.
• Develop and maintain program documentation, contract summaries, internal SOPs, and briefing materials that enable Raft leadership to make fast, well-informed decisions.
• Assist with operational functions including recruiting coordination, budget tracking, and internal reporting as the business requires.
• Absorb Raft's operating model, product portfolio, contract landscape, and customer ecosystem with intent to progressively own more, stepping into accountability as trust is built and context is gained.

Skills

Systems engineering

Integration engineering

Technical program management

Product management

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Job description

Raft, a U.S.-based defense tech company headquartered in McLean, VA, is seeking a Delivery Programs Lead. This senior generalist role sits at the heart of Raft's delivery organization, reporting directly to the VP of Delivery and Product.

You will be embedded across Raft's programs, contract actions, customer relationships, and business growth efforts, learning the full operating model of a fast-moving defense software company from the inside out.