Critical Technologies Operations Manager

Applied Research Associates, Inc.•Alexandria, VA

33d•Onsite

About The Position

The Mission Concepts and Capabilities (MCC) Division of Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is seeking to contingently hire a motivated, energetic, and experienced Senior Operations Manager to serve as the On-Site Task Lead for ARA's effort supporting the Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies (OASW(CT)). The successful candidate will serve as the Senior Operations Manager leading a large task order supporting and coordinating with the OASW(CT) Principal Directors and support staff overseeing Critical Technology Areas, including Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE), Scaled Hypersonics (SHY), Integrated Sensing & Cyber (IS&C), Space Technology, Energy Resilience, Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI), Trusted & Assured Microelectronics (T&AM), Technology Innovation, Strategic Intelligence and Analysis, Nuclear Command, Control & Communications (NC3), Biomanufacturing (BIO), Contested Logistics Technologies (LOG), and Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance (Q-BID). The Senior Operations Manager will be responsible for leading ARA operations management support to the OASW(CT) front office for senior OASW(CT) leadership. This support will include continuous process improvement, mapping and tracking workflows, facilitating interdepartmental communication, and allocating resources necessary for the timely completion of all tasks and assignments. The Senior Operations Manager must be proficient in interfacing, communicating, and collaborating with government personnel at all levels (e.g., action officer to senior leader, civilian and military). This position is contingent upon ARA winning the Critical Technologies task order, customer acceptance of the successful candidate's resume, and security clearance verification. We expect contract award in the first quarter of calendar year 2026.

Requirements

Bachelor and Master's degree in a relevant discipline from an accredited college or university
Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility
10 years of relevant Program or Project Management experience
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong leadership abilities

Nice To Haves

Strong technical foundation with the ability to grasp diverse DoD technologies and communicate effectively with stakeholders
Experience working with task management software systems such as CATMS or the Task Management Tool (TMT)
Recent OASW(CT) experience as Government employee or contractor

Responsibilities

Lead on-site program and operations support, conducting frequent and effective communication and coordination across internal OASW(CT) offices and external organizations to ensure success
Manage and allocate staff resources, de-conflicting priorities and ensuring timely completion of OASW(CT) tasks
Facilitate continuous process improvement, mapping and tracking workflows to maximize efficiency
Deliver high-quality read-aheads, briefings, and correspondence on time, ensuring accuracy and senior-leader readiness
Manage the Correspondence and Task Management System (CATMS) and related tools to track and ensure timely completion of all taskers
Maintain workforce stability and on-site coverage, coordinating schedules to ensure continuous operational support
Organize and store work products per government policy, supporting OASW(CT) knowledge-management practices

Benefits

employees are our greatest assets
employee ownership fosters greater creativity and initiative along with higher performance and customer satisfaction levels
ARA gives its employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take more active roles as owners
Employees are eligible for contributions which not only add to the company's success, but also their own through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

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