Senior Program Manager - PKI

ValidaTek • Fort Meade, MD

12d • $155,000 - $200,000

About The Position

At ValidaTek, we modernize and optimize IT services to solve some of the most critical challenges facing federal civilian and defense agencies. From customers to partners to top-talent employees, ValidaTek puts people first, empowering them to exceed expectations and transform government organizations. Our employees are building purpose-driven careers, not just filling jobs. We bring together people with many different perspectives, experiences, and talents to drive innovation and achieve more together than we can individually. Our commitment to quality and performance optimization is the reason why our IT Service Projects and New Development Projects have been appraised at CMMI Maturity Level 5, positioning us as one of a handful of elite companies to receive the highest form of third-party validation. www.validatek.com

The Program Manager (PM) leads all Task Order (TO) management activities for a DISA DoD PKI Public Key Enablement (PKE) contract supporting DoD, federal mission partners, and external PKI interoperability. This role requires a highly specialized blend of deep technical PKI knowledge, regulatory/compliance expertise, and IT modernization leadership. The PM navigates DoD security boundaries, hardware cryptographic standards, and the transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), while bridging policy requirements with technical execution across a multi-tier engineering and support team.

Requirements

• Active or interim Secret clearance at time of hire; U.S. citizenship (mandatory for all personnel on this contract).
• Demonstrated experience as a Program/Project Manager on a DoD or federal IT services contract of comparable scope and size.
• Working knowledge of DoD PKI/PKE concepts: certificate lifecycle, PKI trust models (direct/explicit, cross-certificate/implicit), RA/LRA/KRA functions, and NPE certificate management.
• Familiarity with applicable DoD policy: DoDI 8520.02 (PKE), DoDI 8520.04 (Access Management), DoDI 8500.01E (IA), and NIST FIPS 201-3/SP 800-53.
• Experience managing IMS/schedule, cost/funding tracking, MSR reporting, and CPARS performance documentation.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field (or equivalent experience) plus PMP certification (or ability to obtain) and DoD 8570/8140 IAM Level II certification (or equivalent).
• Strong written/verbal communication skills; proficiency with MS Teams and MS Outlook for Government coordination.
• 8+ years of program/project management experience leading multi-disciplinary technical teams on federal or DoD IT services contracts of comparable size and complexity.
• Demonstrated success managing cost, schedule, and performance (EVMS or comparable financial/earned-value tracking) and reporting variances to Government stakeholders.
• Strong staff leadership skills, including recruiting, staffing plans, performance management, and retention for a distributed technical workforce.
• Experience administering FAR/DFARS-based contracts: deliverable tracking, CPARS reporting, subcontractor/teammate oversight, and Government audits/inspections.
• Proven risk management and issue-resolution skills, including developing corrective action plans (CARs) and escalation/notification procedures.
• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder-management skills, including briefing senior Government officials and leading formal program reviews (PMRs/IPRs).
• Experience developing and maintaining Program/Task Order Management Plans (TOMP), Integrated Master Schedules (IMS), and Work Breakdown Structures (WBS).

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience supporting DISA, the DoD PKI Program Management Office, or a similar cybersecurity/identity program.
• Familiarity with Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) migration planning (CNSA 2.0, ML-KEM/ML-DSA) and Zero Trust architecture initiatives.
• Experience with Active Directory Certificate Services (ADCS), smart card/PIV/CAC enablement, or federated trust/cross-certification models.
• Active PMP or PgMP certification; Earned Value Management (EVM) or Agile/Scrum delivery experience.
• Experience managing task orders under DISA/GSA IDIQ vehicles (e.g., SETI, Encore III) or similar large-scale, multi-award contracts.
• Experience leading proposal efforts, staffing plans, or transition-in/transition-out activities on incumbent or recompete contracts.

Responsibilities

• Own overall TO management: TOMP development/maintenance, PWBS, quality assurance, and program reviews (PMRs/IPRs).
• Direct transition-in/out activities, staffing, and Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) execution and reporting.
• Serve as primary Government point of contact; available within 1 hour of COR notification, M–F 0800–1700.
• Oversee Tier I–III PKE engineering/consultation support, custom software maintenance, and COTS/GOTS evaluation efforts.
• Manage compliance with CPARS, CMMC, SCRM, and DoD/DISA security and reporting requirements.
• Translate PKI policy, compliance, and security framework guidance (DoDI 8520.02/8520.04, NIST SP 800-53/800-131A) into actionable project tasks.
• Supervise SMEs and engineering staff supporting certificate issuance, AD/LDAP, endpoint enrollment, and NPE/ICAM integration.

Benefits

• Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors including but not limited to experience, geographic location, contract affordability, internal equity, education, and certifications. The upper end of the salary range may be reserved for individuals who have demonstrated tenure with the company, seniority, and proven excellent performance. This includes factors such as education, certifications, and extensive/unique experience beyond what is required.
• ValidaTek is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local laws. Applicants who are selected for employment will be required to verify authorization to work in the United States. Offers of employment will be contingent upon passing a post-offer background check.

What This Job Offers

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