Director of System Engineering (Chief System Engineer)

NIRA, Inc. • Washington, DC

16d

About The Position

As a fast-growing professional services company, NIRA is a trusted advisor to federal agencies in their digital transformation-modernizing critical information dissemination infrastructure-and a pioneer in emerging technologies, including AI, Zero Trust, and supply chain resiliency. We are seeking a self-motivated, customer-oriented Director of Systems Engineering (Chief Systems Engineer) who is a recognized expert in Aviation and/or Information Technology (IT). This role serves as NIRA's senior technical authority for systems engineering and architecture on mission-critical federal programs.
Ideal Candidate Traits
Problem Solver: You spend 90% of the time understanding problems and 10% of the time finding solutions.
Storyteller: You're adept at presenting technical concepts in a compelling, accessible manner.
Change Agent: You relish creative chaos and take initiatives to enable transformative change.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years of relevant experience, including 5+ years supporting a major federal IT program.
• Knowledge and expertise in IT technologies, Cloud, DevSecOps, and Zero Trust concepts and implementation patterns.
• Proven ability to prioritize, plan, and deliver across multiple efforts in complex stakeholder environments.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• US Citizenship required. Must be able to obtain security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in aviation and knowledge of Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems.
• Expert knowledge of federal contracting and acquisition processes.

Responsibilities

• Storytelling: Create clarity, alignment, and momentum
• Shape and communicate modernization strategy that links mission needs to architecture, acquisition, and measurable outcomes.
• Translate complex technical concepts (Cloud, DevSecOps, CI/CD, software assurance, Zero Trust) into decision-ready guidance for technical and non-technical leaders.
• Produce and oversee high-quality acquisition and engineering artifacts, including CONOPS, requirements decomposition, gap analysis, AoA, architecture products, roadmaps, and cost/schedule inputs.
• People-connecting: Drive execution through collaboration
• Lead federal customer engagements to support acquisition planning and management of major IT programs.
• Build alignment across program offices, operators, security, data/information governance, enterprise architecture teams, and external partners.
• Represent NIRA in intra- and inter-agency working groups and communities of practice to advance interoperability and information management goals.
• Technical and organizational leadership
• Serve as the senior technical advisor and architecture authority; guide design reviews, ensure consistency, and resolve complex integration and interoperability issues.
• Lead and grow NIRA's systems engineering practice-mentor staff, reinforce standards and best practices, and support recruiting and onboarding.
• Support business development and proposals across shaping, capture, solutioning, and proposal execution; may serve as a solution architect, proposal lead, and/or capture manager.

Benefits

• NIRA offers competitive compensation and benefits, including employer-paid health, life, and disability insurance, plus a 401(k) plan with generous employer matching vested immediately.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director