Senior Advisor, National Security Space

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Colorado Springs, CO

About The Position

The Senior Advisor will lead NSSMA’s customer-development process with the warfighter community, ensuring that APL’s national security space portfolio is grounded in validated operational problems, realistic mission threads, credible user feedback, and measurable mission impact. The role will guide NSSMA through disciplined warfighter discovery, operational validation, sponsor demand creation, and institutional adoption of repeatable customer-development practices. The Senior Advisor will serve as a bridge among APL technical teams, USSF and USSPACECOM operators, joint and allied partners, senior enlisted leaders, mission commanders, and acquisition sponsors. Working closely with NSS Mission Area leadership, program managers, principal investigators, and external sponsors, the Senior Advisor will lead warfighter discovery, operational validation, portfolio assessment, and sponsor engagement activities while helping institutionalize a repeatable framework for operational learning and mission impact. The position directly supports NSSMA's strategic priorities in Decision Superiority, Multi-Domain Kill Webs, Combat-Ready Space Capabilities, Threat Understanding & Anticipation, and the development of a Space Warfighting Brain Trust.

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Operations Research, or in lieu of degree, Military education/training in Space Operations and Leadership, with significant Space-related experience.
20+ years of progressively responsible experience supporting national security space and military operations.
5+ years serving as a Senior Advisor, or related role, to senior military, government, or industry leaders on strategic and operational issues.
Significant operational leadership experience within the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force Space organizations, or U.S. Space Command.
Demonstrated expertise in space operations, command and control, mission integration, force readiness, training, or operational planning.
Strong understanding of the national security space enterprise, including operational, acquisition, and policy environments.
Proven ability to build trusted relationships across diverse stakeholder communities.
Excellent written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills.
An active TS/SCI +poly security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or higher in Engineering, Systems Engineering, National Security Studies, Strategic Studies, Business Administration, or a related field.
Previous experiences as a former senior military officer, senior enlisted leader, government executive, or equivalent industry executive with national security space experience.
Direct experience with USSPACECOM, Space Operations Command (SpOC), Combined Force Space Component Command (CFSCC), Joint Task Force–Space Defense (JTF-SD), National Space Defense Center (NSDC), NRO, or Intelligence Community organizations.
Experience leading operational assessments, exercises, experimentation, concept development, or mission engineering activities.
Knowledge of customer discovery, operational validation, mission-thread analysis, human-centered design, or related methodologies.
Experience shaping defense programs, strategic investments, or technology transition efforts.
Familiarity with AI/ML-enabled decision support, advanced analytics, autonomy, digital engineering, or space mission systems.
Demonstrated success developing strategic partnerships across government, industry, academia, and allied organizations.

Responsibilities

Lead engagement with U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, joint, allied, and intelligence community stakeholders to identify emerging operational challenges and mission needs.
Conduct structured operational discovery efforts with commanders, operators, planners, trainers, and acquisition stakeholders.
Translate operational pain points into actionable mission challenges, opportunity areas, and strategic investment priorities.
Develop and maintain a prioritized understanding of warfighter needs and mission gaps.
Partner with technical teams to translate advanced concepts into operationally relevant use cases.
Assess how proposed solutions support mission execution, decision-making, readiness, and combat effectiveness.
Design and support operational validation activities, including exercises, demonstrations, tabletop events, and mission-focused evaluations.
Identify adoption barriers, operational risks, and integration challenges that may affect mission success.
Serve as a trusted advisor to NSSMA leadership on operational relevance, sponsor priorities, and emerging mission opportunities.
Evaluate strategic initiatives and technical portfolios against current and future space warfighting needs.
Provide independent assessments regarding mission impact, operational utility, and sponsor alignment.
Support strategic planning, portfolio shaping, and new business development activities.
Strengthen relationships across USSF, USSPACECOM, NRO, Intelligence Community, and Joint Force stakeholders.
Support senior-level engagements, workshops, mission forums, and strategic discussions.
Help translate validated operational needs into future programs, partnerships, and sponsor-funded initiatives.
Identify and cultivate operational champions and early adopters.
Establish and mature repeatable processes for warfighter discovery, validation, and operational learning across NSSMA.
Mentor technical leaders and program teams on operational engagement best practices.
Develop frameworks, training materials, and assessment approaches that strengthen NSSMA's operational effectiveness.
Foster a culture of evidence-based decision making and continuous operational learning.