Operations Manager

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.

The Joint, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Interagency Division provides expert support services to a range of customers spanning across the Department of Defense, Federal Civilian, and international markets. JOID provides a diverse portfolio of analytical and programmatic capabilities to help our customers make informed decisions on their most challenging issues.

The Acquisition and Technology Analysis Group within JOID specializes in the application of multi-disciplinary analytic skills to support multiple clients within the Department of Defense (DoD). These clients include the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)), DARPA, the Joint Staff, and USINDOPACOM. SPA provides critical decision support to enabling and executing a strategy of technological superiority and enabling the delivery and sustainment of secure, resilient, and preeminent capabilities to the warfighter quickly and cost effectively. Our team of experienced military, technical, and operations research analysts is skilled in evaluating military problems, identifying the driving factors, devising innovative approaches, collecting applicable data, developing necessary software tools, and performing thorough and timely assessments to inform technology and acquisition governance decisions to ensure U.S. military forces retain military superiority in the future.

DARPA's Commercial Strategy Team applies an end-to-end approach to commercializing some of DARPA's most impactful technologies. Working with DARPA's top performers and researchers, and bringing in top entrepreneurs, venture and private investors, and other DoD and commercial experts and teams, we accelerate DARPA technologies to drive new products, services, and capabilities for the DoD and commercial markets for both economic and national security. DARPA has a 65-year history of bringing some of the top technical innovations to the world including the Internet, GPS, LEDs, self-driving cars, and more. The candidate will work with some of DARPA's most brilliant PMs and performers, as well as world class commercial advisors, corporate leaders, private investors, the DoD, and other US Government Agencies on behalf of the Director's Office (DIRO). Our mission is to accelerate the commercialization of some of our nation's most critical technologies to advance DARPA's mission: to pose and prevent strategic technological surprise.

SPA has an immediate need for a Commerical Strategy Operations Manager SETA to support DARPA's Commercial Strategy team onsite in Arlington, VA (travel up to 20%).

The Commercial Strategy Operations Manager SETA will work as part of an exciting team to provide expert business, technology advancement, and commercialization support in a demanding, and fast-paced professional services environment. Primary objectives are to deliver operations management support to the Commercial Strategy program and successfully serve DARPA's mission. The successful candidate will be an experienced pipeline operations manager in dual-use technologies, and exhibit a deep commitment to advancing national and economic security. Work closely with Commercial Strategy's leadership and DARPA's Technical offices, PMs, and other various stakeholder to build a strong commercialization pipeline and support ongoing commercialization efforts. Responsibilities include:

Program Administration:

Utilize Microsoft Dynamics, SharePoint, and other tools to track and manage detailed progress of commercialization efforts and communicate updates to relevant stakeholders. Ensure thorough documentation, reporting, and communication support to Team Leads to promote effective execution of commercialization initiatives.

Pipeline, Investment committee, and Accelerators Operational Support:

Support Commercial Strategy Team Leads in collaborating with PMs and Performers to accelerate the identification and transition of high-potential technologies from technical development to dual-use commercialization. Serve as a liaison across Commercial Strategy teams to help manage and optimize customer experience for Performers throughout their Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative (EEI) program journey. Assist the Pipeline Team in coordinating with PMs to ensure EEI Performers are paired with top-tier advisors (GSAs, SCAs, and SMEs). Collaborate with the Investment Committee Team and SCAs to support the preparation of Election Forms and compelling go-to-market cases, scheduling of meetings, and coordination of appropriate follow-up tasks from Investment Committee decisions. Work with the Accelerators Team to provide operational support to Performers throughout the EEI process, including a smooth transition from Investment Committee to the appropriate Commercial Accelerator team as assigned.

Gratuitous Service Advisor (GSA), Senior Commercialization Advisor (SCA) & SME Management:

Provide continuous onboarding support, training, and guidance to GSAs, SCAs, and SMEs from task/project assignment to completion. Communicate with and across Commercial Strategy teams, GSAs, SCAs, and SMEs to ensure operational efficiencies and compliance with both DARPA and Commercial Strategy policies and requirements. Ensure alignment between advisors and DARPA's commercialization objectives.

Required:

Active Secret clearance and Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Economics, Engineering, Mathematics, Technology, or a related field
• 5+ years of experience in operational management with responsibility for customer delivery, process improvement, and implementation to drive and achieve bottom-line results
• 3+ years of operational experience managing a commercial pipeline for new and existing customers utilizing a CRM platform across a distributed team, and in using software CRM tools to meet all compliance requirements and ensure customer delivery is achieved and reported
• 3+ years of experience in developing and optimizing new digital processes and integration of groups of people and organizations, including utilization of collaboration tools (i.e. CRM, SharePoint, Teams, database repositories)
• Prior experience with government or defense-related technology transitions or supporting market creation activities, including identification of commercialization pathways and development of go-to-market strategies
• Ability to work independently while managing multiple complex programs simultaneously
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to present complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Highly adaptable and skilled at problem-solving in fast-paced, evolving environments with the ability to work effectively with many diverse stakeholders from engineers to senior executives

Desired:

• Active TS/SCI clearance
• MBA or advanced degree, and/or military service
• 5+ years of experience in commercial strategy, R&D, or at a commercial startup in the health, defense, software, or industrial sectors
• Expertise in at least one of the 14 DoD critical technology areas
• Strong knowledge of DoD organizational structure and processes
• Previous DoD transition experience or dual-use commercialization experience
• Project Management Professional (PMP) or similar certification