Senior Technical Engagement Lead

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University

4d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is based onsite at the SEI's customer location at Eglin AFB in Florida. This is not a remote position. Position Summary: This position within the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) will be physically located at Eglin Air Force Base, FL, supporting the Rapid Fielding of High Assurance Software Technical Directorate. This role serves as a trusted advisor and transformation leader, working directly with Department of Defense (DoD) program offices and stakeholders to help them navigate complex technical, organizational, and acquisition challenges. This position emphasizes leadership, systems thinking, and change enablement—helping programs evolve how they plan, acquire, govern, and sustain software-intensive capabilities. The Senior Technical Engagement Lead will be expected to build trust quickly, communicate effectively with diverse audiences, and provide clear, steady guidance during periods of uncertainty, organizational friction, or external pressure. Success requires the ability to translate complexity into actionable direction, align stakeholders around a shared vision, and help programs move from current-state constraints toward achievable, improved future states. This role is ideal for a leader who has participated in or led meaningful transformations in DoD or similarly complex environments and who brings both confidence and calm when operating in high-consequence, high-ambiguity settings.

Requirements

BS with 10+ years, MS with 8+ years, or PhD with 5+ years of relevant experience in engineering, systems, management, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience working with or within Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition programs, program offices, or government-sponsored development efforts.
Proven ability to lead, influence, or enable transformation, whether technical, organizational, process-oriented, or cultural.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively across leadership, technical staff, contractors, and non-technical stakeholders.
Demonstrated capacity to operate effectively in ambiguous, high-pressure environments, providing clarity and steadiness during periods of uncertainty.
Strong systems-thinking mindset with the ability to see interdependencies across technology, people, process, and policy.
Experience advising senior leaders and helping them make informed decisions under constraints.
Ability to travel (~25%) to support SEI mission needs.
Ability to work onsite at SEI or customer facilities at least 75% of the time.
Applicants must have an active Department of Defense Secret security clearance, and must be able to meet additional customer-specific security requirements.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience leading or supporting Agile, DevSecOps, or digital modernization initiatives within government or regulated environments.
Familiarity with software-intensive systems sufficient to maintain credibility with engineering teams (deep coding expertise not required).
Experience navigating complex stakeholder ecosystems involving multiple contractors, oversight organizations, and governance bodies.
Demonstrated mentorship or leadership of multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted advisor to government program offices, helping leadership understand challenges, tradeoffs, and options related to software-intensive systems and acquisition.
Engage with senior government and contractor stakeholders to build alignment, shared understanding, and momentum toward improved practices and outcomes.
Help programs assess their current state across acquisition, governance, engineering, and organizational processes, and articulate practical, phased improvement strategies.
Guide and support organizational, cultural, and process transformations, including shifts toward Agile, DevSecOps, or modern acquisition approaches, as appropriate to program context.
Facilitate difficult conversations, decision-making, and prioritization in environments characterized by competing objectives, legacy constraints, and external pressures.
Translate technical and programmatic complexity into clear, concise communication suitable for leadership decision-making.
Provide steady leadership and continuity during periods of transition, disruption, or heightened scrutiny.
Collaborate with SEI technical experts to bring the right depth of expertise to customer challenges while maintaining a strategic, integrative perspective.
Capture lessons learned and help codify repeatable approaches and insights that can benefit other government programs.

Benefits

Please visit “Why Carnegie Mellon” to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.
Click here to view a listing of employee benefits
Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.

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