Mission Architect

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc•,

1d•$214,091 - $231,654

About The Position

General Dynamics Mission Systems is hiring a Mission Architect focused on embedded security, anti-tamper, operating system and hypervisor security, avionics, and tactical radios and networks. The role combines technical mission architecture with business development, serving as a principal technical authority who shapes government customer requirements, architects technical solutions, and leads captures for government-funded research and development programs. The position supports growth of the company’s defense cyber R&D and anti-tamper portfolio through technical leadership, customer relationships, capture strategy, and proposal development. The Mission Architect develops and leads business development pursuits, maintains relationships with government and industry stakeholders, assesses market and customer needs, and advises management on opportunities. The role also provides technical and business leadership for portfolio strategy, leads and mentors multidisciplinary engineering teams, and monitors business growth and profitability targets. The position requires a Department of Defense Secret clearance at hire, with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance preferred. U.S. citizenship is required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience, plus at least 10 years of relevant experience; alternatively, a master’s degree plus at least 8 years of relevant experience.
At least 10 years of demonstrated experience generating and capturing government-funded R&D business.
At least 10 years of experience authoring and leading proposal captures for government-funded R&D programs, with demonstrated success winning funded awards.
At least 5 years of experience serving as a principal investigator or technical authority on funded government research efforts.
Experience leading or directly contributing to multiple concurrent government research programs.
Direct, hands-on research and engineering experience—not solely oversight or program management—in at least two of these areas: operating system or hypervisor security; embedded or tactical computing platform security; avionics or other flight-safety-critical embedded systems; tactical radio and tactical network systems.
Direct experience developing, integrating, or transitioning anti-tamper or cybersecurity technologies into customer systems, including familiarity with DoD Anti-Tamper policy and DoD Cyber Security/Zero Trust policy.
Experience growing and leading a technical team supporting research capture and/or program delivery.
Working knowledge of government contracting and acquisition practices.
Department of Defense Secret security clearance required at time of hire; ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance is preferred.
U.S. citizenship is required.
Ability to articulate examples of conceiving, architecting, and leading novel technical research efforts through funded programs and capability transition.
Ability to articulate examples of identifying, pursuing, and winning large capture efforts related to the company’s business.
Broad awareness of government budgets, customer priorities, mission gaps, and market dynamics in embedded security and anti-tamper.
Credibility as a technical authority on operating systems/hypervisors, anti-tamper, and embedded security with engineering peers, customers, and executive leadership.
Strong interpersonal, communication, collaboration, and leadership skills; ability to thrive in an interactive team environment across technical, program, and business development functions.
Recognized ability to build relationships with senior-level customers and internal counterparts.
Ability to work under pressure while handling multiple tasks and priorities.
May require an understanding of international business and export processes.

Nice To Haves

Direct, hands-on research and engineering experience across all of the following: operating system/hypervisor security, embedded/tactical platform security, avionics, and tactical radio/network systems.
Graduate degree with a completed thesis or other sustained research effort relevant to secure systems, distributed systems, or network security.
Authored or co-authored technical publications or conference proceedings in relevant government or industry venues.
Experience curating and presenting research at government-sponsored technology demonstrations or technical forums.
Experience growing an internal research organization from an individual-contributor effort into a multidisciplinary engineering team, including mentoring staff into senior or technical-lead roles.
Experience serving as a technical interface across multiple simultaneous government customer contracts and organizations.
Experience spanning classified defense program work and product-oriented R&D transition into fielded or commercial capabilities.
Familiarity with GDMS Idaho Scientific’s product portfolio, including Helios, Bedrock, and Keystone.

Responsibilities

Direct business development activities for embedded security, operating system/hypervisor security, and anti-tamper R&D offerings to government agencies and firms performing government business.
Serve as principal technical architect and capture manager for assigned new-business opportunities, translating mission needs into research roadmaps, technical solutions, and win strategies.
Maintain business development and technical relationships with government program offices, research laboratories, defense-industry primes, and subcontractor teams.
Partner with account teams on fielded embedded security and anti-tamper programs to identify sustainment and technology-refresh opportunities while prioritizing new R&D program capture.
Evaluate and manage new business opportunities, initiatives, partnerships, alliances, and joint ventures in secure computing, embedded operating systems, avionics, and tactical networking.
Oversee market analysis, monitor competitive R&D activity, and identify emerging mission gaps and new program starts across the embedded security and anti-tamper customer base.
Define vision, strategy, and tactics for business development pursuits, including technology roadmaps covering embedded security, secure processing, anti-tamper, and cyber resilience.
Author and direct proposal development for government R&D opportunities, using technical expertise to strengthen technical volumes and win themes.
Advise higher management on the status of and recommended actions for existing and potential business development opportunities across the embedded security portfolio.
Provide technical and business leadership in planning, design, due diligence, and implementation of strategic objectives for the embedded security and tactical systems portfolio.
Represent the company at technical conferences, industry days, and government technology demonstration events.
Lead and mentor multidisciplinary engineering teams supporting technical capture and solution development.
Develop and monitor profitability, productivity, and growth targets for the assigned technology and business area.
Manage planning, staffing, budgeting, and expense priorities; manage people, including performance evaluations, pay increase recommendations, and hiring and termination decisions.
Direct or technically evaluate subcontractor support on government research programs.