Software Project Manager & Engagement Lead (Defense Mission Software)

General Dynamics Information Technology; Falls Church (VA); Hybrid; USD 196,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Comprehensive health and wellness

Paid vacation and holidays

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

General Dynamics Information Technology is looking for a Software Project Manager and Engagement Lead to lead complex software modernization efforts for the Defense Division. You'll manage program delivery, AI/ML initiatives, and software product incubation while ensuring alignment between executive and program expectations.

This role requires 15+ years of experience and provides a hybrid work environment in Falls Church, VA, significantly contributing to mission-critical systems while fostering

Qualifications

• 15+ years of related experience required.
• Proven experience facilitating CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices.
• Active Secret clearance with ability to obtain TS/SCI is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and Coach dynamic technical teams for software modernization.
• Maintain transparent program control measures for stakeholder trust.
• Deliver software releases with measurable value on predictable cadence.

Skills

Agile Delivery

Agile Methodology

Product Management

Project Planning

Software Projects

Education

Bachelor’s in Computer Science

Tools

Jira

GitLab

Azure DevOps

ServiceNow

Job description

Job Qualifications: Agile Delivery, Agile Methodology, Product Management, Project Planning, Software Projects

Job Description

Type of Requisition: Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess: Secret

Clearance Level Must Be Able To Obtain: Top Secret/SCI

Public Trust/Other Required: None

Job Family: Technical Solutions

Skills: Agile Delivery, Agile Methodology, Product Management, Project Planning, Software Projects

Job Qualifications: Agile Delivery, Agile Methodology, Product Management, Project Planning, Software Projects

Certifications: None

Experience: 15 + years of related experience

US Citizenship Required: Yes

Role Overview

Are you ready to lead high-impact software modernization efforts for the Defense Division? As a Software Project Manager and Engagement Lead, you will lead complex mission software initiatives and program engagements across GDIT's Defense portfolio. Your work will span program delivery for defense division customers, incubation of new GDIT software products, and special strategic initiatives involving AI/ML, Software Factory deployments, and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). You will align executive, program, and stakeholder expectations with Agile execution, and you will bring rigor and focus to every engagement to ensure impactful delivery. You will harmonize executive, program, and stakeholder expectations with Agile execution, while bringing rigor and focus to the effort to ensure an impactful delivery.

Mission Impact (What Success Looks Like)

• Lead and Coach dynamic and matrixed technical teams focused on full lifecycle modernization efforts that assess, devise, and implement software or software-enabled solutions that enable delivery to our customers’ unique requirements
• Maintain transparent program control measures—product backlog, vision, roadmap and/or Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and Agile integration, controllable cost—to earn and keep trust with senior GDIT and Government Stakeholders.
• Deliver or enable delivery of mission‑relevant software releases or software-enabled services on predictable cadence with measurable value (operational outcomes, cyber posture, user experience).
• Transpose from the proposed solution a detailed engagement and action plan to deliver modernization outcomes aligning with software-development, DevSecOps, and Agile principles.
• Partner with Capability Team Leaders and help mature management practices relevant for (AI/Software development/DevSecOps/MBSE) to sustain velocity and quality across Defense programs and internal offering and product evolution.
• Provide learning forward capabilities that enrich offerings, market point of view, use cases, and enable best of breed offerings across the GDIT Technical Enterprise

Core Responsibilities

• Lead strategic Defense mission software engagements; own executive briefings/updates, out‑briefs, and fact‑based decision narratives.
• Align GDIT stakeholders on outcomes, risks, and resourcing; maintain transparent status.
• Set and control baselines—scope, cost, and project plans—bringing programmatic rigor to software delivery efforts.
• Orchestrate cross-functional team Agile delivery; maintain roadmaps, backlogs, release plans, and Acceptance Criteria/Definitions of Done; and report progress against roadmaps.
• Embed and run governance (risk reviews, ARB/CCB), keep RAID current, plan for ATO/IATT within Agile cadence and ceremonies; capture lessons to mature capabilities into reusable offerings through Retrospectives.
• Lead the stand‑up of Software Factory toolchains; integrate MBSE and govern AI/ML lifecycle with risk controls and policy compliance.
• Facilitate the embedding of DevSecOps/CI/CD with automated quality gates (build/test, SAST/DAST, artifact security) to validate readiness and improve velocity, reliability, and security.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Business-related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Required Experience: 15+ years of progressive technical and leadership experience with digital modernization efforts
• 15+ years leading several software delivery for mission‑critical systems (Defense/DoW/IC preferred) in parallel, including multi‑team Agile programs with strong governance.
• Demonstrated ability to brief Product Managers/Owners, executives and senior government leaders—concise narratives, data‑driven insights, and calm, facts‑first issue framing.
• Proven experience facilitating the building and running CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps practices; hands‑on familiarity with Jira/ GitLab / Azure DevOps and service workflows (e.g., ServiceNow).
• Experience translating software outcomes into roadmaps, backlogs, and release plans, establishing baselines, managing variances, and reporting credible status
• Clearance: Active Secret with ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI required
• U.S. Citizenship required
• Location: Falls Church, VA (Hybrid, requires a minimum of 3 days a week on‑site in office)

Certification Requirements (Program‑level Agile)

• REQUIRED: PMP, SAFe SPC, and/or Scrum Master (CSM/Advanced CSM/SSM or similar).
• PREFERRED: PMI‑ACP, Product Owner/Product Manager (PSPO/CSPO/POPM), SAFe Agilist (SA), ITIL 4 Foundation.

Preferred Experience

• DoW acquisition lifecycle familiarity; MBSE tooling (e.g., Cameo); secure cloud (AWS/Azure) and platform practices; AI/ML program considerations (risk, policy, ATO).
• Prior work with USAF/USSF/Navy/Army/COCOM/Joint programs; experience leading software efforts/scope as a component of a larger execution activity.

GDIT IS YOUR PLACE

• Full-flex work week to own your priorities at work and at home
• 401K with company match
• Comprehensive health and wellness packages
• Internal mobility team dedicated to helping you own your career
• Professional growth opportunities including paid education and certifications
• Cutting-edge technology you can learn from
• Rest and recharge with paid vacation and holidays

The likely salary range for this position is $195,500 - $264,500. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Travel Required: 25-50%

Telecommuting Options: Hybrid

Work Location: USA VA Falls Church

Additional Work Locations:

Total Rewards At GDIT: Our benefits package for all US-based employees includes a variety of medical plan options, some with Health Savings Accounts, dental plan options, a vision plan, and a 401(k) plan offering the ability to contribute both pre and post-tax dollars up to the IRS annual limits and receive a company match. To encourage work/life balance, GDIT offers employees full flex work weeks where possible and a variety of paid time off plans, including vacation, sick and personal time, holidays, paid parental, military, bereavement and jury duty leave. To ensure our employees are able to protect their income, other offerings such as short and long-term disability benefits, life, accidental death and dismemberment, personal accident, critical illness and business travel and accident insurance are provided or available. We regularly review our Total Rewards package to ensure our offerings are competitive and reflect what our employees have told us they value most.

Our Identity Verification Process: As part of the hiring process, we will ask you to complete an identity verification process that leverages advanced biometrics and artificial intelligence to ensure authenticity and protect against identity fraud. You are expected to be on camera during virtual interviews. We reserve the right to take your picture to verify your identity and prevent fraud. By proceeding, you authorize the collection, processing, and use of your biometric data for identity verification and security purposes.

About Our Work: We are GDIT. A global technology and professional services company that delivers technology solutions and mission services to every major agency across the U.S. government, defense and intelligence community. Our 26,000 experts extract the power of technology to create immediate value and deliver solutions at the edge of innovation. We operate across 50+ countries worldwide, offering leading mission-ready capabilities in AI, cloud, cyber and software development.

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Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans