Senior Mission Manager

Nightwing; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

401k plan

Paid time off

Holidays

Additional insurances

Job summary

Nightwing in Northern Virginia seeks an experienced Senior Mission Manager to lead and coordinate intelligence, ISR, and collection operations in a fast-paced 24/7 environment. You will direct mission execution, manage resources, and enable actionable intelligence against high-priority threats.

The role demands mature operational judgment, leadership of multi-organizational teams, and the ability to make complex decisions under pressure. Travel may be required to support customer needs.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph or ability to obtain
• 8+ years of professional experience in intelligence, DoD, federal operations, or equivalent
• 6+ years in ISR, collection operations, or high-consequence environments
• Experience coordinating or leading sensitive missions and mission integration activities
• Ability to make complex operational decisions in high-stress environments
• Experience with tactical ground/air operations and mission-management systems
• Ability to work rotating 24/7 shifts, including nights weekends and holidays
• High school diploma or GED required

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination, resourcing, execution, and oversight of persistent collection operations
• Direct sensitive missions in a 24/7 operations center
• Develop and execute approaches to maximize collection effectiveness
• Coordinate with in-house teams, partners, and dispersed elements
• Assess operational risk, priorities, and resource constraints
• Provide time-critical recommendations and decisions under pressure
• Apply knowledge of collection platforms and ISR capabilities to support outcomes
• Integrate information from multiple sources for operational use
• Support all-source workflows including SIGINT, GEOINT, OSINT
• Mentor junior personnel and support team readiness
• Travel for mission requirements as needed
• Perform additional mission leadership duties as assigned

Skills

Leadership

Decision making

Clear communication

Team coordination

Operational risk management

Shift work adaptability

Education

High school diploma or GED

Bachelor’s degree (preferred) in related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Mission-management systems

Command-and-control tools

SIGINT workflows

GEOINT workflows

OSINT workflows

Job description

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers’ most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets.

Nightwing is seeking an experienced and cleared Senior Mission Manager in the Northern Virginia area. This position requires work in a secure, mission-focused operations environment. Rotating shift work may include nights, weekends, holidays, and surge support based on mission requirements.

This position may require travel as determined by the Customer.

Position Summary

The Senior Mission Manager will lead and coordinate sensitive intelligence, ISR, and collection operations in a fast-paced 24/7 mission operations center. This role is responsible for directing mission execution, coordinating resources, managing operational risk, and enabling actionable intelligence against high-priority national security threats.

The successful candidate will bring mature operational judgment, experience in high-consequence mission environments, and the ability to lead multi-organizational teams under pressure. This role requires the ability to make complex, multi-factor decisions, understand tactical and strategic mission impacts, and communicate clearly with analysts, operators, mission partners, and senior stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the coordination, resourcing, execution, and oversight of persistent collection operations supporting defined intelligence requirements.
• Direct sensitive missions in a fast-paced, high-impact 24/7 operations center.
• Develop and execute operational approaches that maximize collection effectiveness and resource utilization.
• Coordinate with in-house teams, geographically dispersed elements, mission partners, and other organizations supporting intelligence and operational objectives.
• Assess operational risk, mission priorities, collection gaps, resource constraints, and tactical-to-strategic implications of mission decisions.
• Make time-critical recommendations and operational decisions under pressure.
• Apply knowledge of collection platforms, ISR capabilities, command-and-control systems, and mission-management tools to support operational outcomes.
• Integrate information from multiple sources, including intelligence reporting, operational feeds, collection systems, and mission partner inputs.
• Support all-source intelligence and collection workflows, including SIGINT, GEOINT, OSINT, open-source information, and other relevant sources as required.
• Lead or support mission partner coordination in a 24/7/365 watch-floor or operations-center environment.
• Build operational understanding of assigned targets, areas of responsibility, mission tools, and customer tradecraft.
• Support the development of assessments, briefings, operational summaries, and senior-level recommendations.
• Mentor junior personnel and support team development, knowledge transfer, and operational readiness.
• Support domestic and international travel, exercises, or short-duration deployments as required.
• Perform other mission leadership or operational support duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph, or ability to obtain and maintain required clearance and polygraph eligibility based on contract requirements.
• 8+ years of relevant professional experience, or equivalent combination of education, training, military, law enforcement, intelligence, or operational experience.
• 6+ years of experience in intelligence, DoD, federal law enforcement, military operations, tactical operations, ISR, collection operations, aviation operations, crisis response, or other high-consequence operational environments.
• Experience coordinating or leading sensitive missions, persistent collection operations, mission integration activities, ISR operations, or related intelligence operations.
• Experience making complex operational decisions in high-stress or high-risk environments.
• Experience working with tactical ground operations, tactical air operations, command-and-control tools, mission-management systems, or operational platforms.
• Experience coordinating multi-organizational teams, mission partners, or geographically dispersed operational elements.
• Knowledge of collection requirements, resource allocation, mission execution, and operational tradecraft.
• Ability to work rotating shifts in a 24/7 operations center, including nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Ability to communicate complex operational information clearly through briefings, written products, recommendations, and shift turnover materials.
• High school diploma or GED.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in intelligence studies, national security, international affairs, military studies, aviation, criminal justice, emergency management, or a related field.
• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline.
• Prior mission management, watch-floor leadership, program leadership, team lead, or operations leadership experience.
• Experience with mission integration, dynamic ISR operations, collection management, or all-source intelligence operations.
• Experience supporting strategic-level targets, national-level threats, or assigned areas of responsibility.
• Experience applying customer or sponsor tradecraft to operational decision-making.
• Experience with SIGINT, GEOINT, OSINT, open-source information, and multi-source intelligence workflows.
• Experience developing assessments, operational narratives, targeting support products, or senior decision-support materials.
• Experience supporting domestic or international deployments, exercises, or field-based mission requirements.
• Valid driver’s license and REAL ID, if required for site access or mission travel.

Work Environment

This role operates in a mission-critical 24/7 environment requiring rotating shift work, operational focus, sound judgment, and the ability to lead under pressure. Candidates may support nights, weekends, holidays, surge operations, domestic travel, international travel, exercises, or short-duration deployments depending on mission requirements.

Salary & Benefits

The salary associated with this position ($99,000-$206,000) is commensurate with the selected candidate’s qualifications, years of relevant experience, and demonstrated level of expertise. Compensation will be determined based on these factors to ensure alignment with skills, responsibilities, and market standards.

Nightwing offers medical, vision and dental insurance coverage in addition to a 401k plan, PTO, Holidays, and additional insurances.

Nightwing is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.