Assistant Project Manager

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best! We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear-sighted commitment to the mission. SPA: Objective. Responsive. Trusted.

The Joint, Office of the Secretary of War, Interagency Division provides expert support services to a range of customers spanning across the Department of War, Federal Civilian, and international markets. JOID provides a diverse portfolio of analytical and programmatic capabilities to help our customers make informed decisions on their most challenging issues.

The Acquisition and Technology Analysis Group within JOID specializes in the application of multi-disciplinary analytic skills to support multiple clients within the Department of War (DoW). These clients include the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)), Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSW(A&S)), DARPA, the Joint Staff, and USINDOPACOM. SPA provides critical decision support to enabling and executing a strategy of technological superiority and enabling the delivery and sustainment of secure, resilient, and preeminent capabilities to the warfighter quickly and cost effectively. Our team of experienced military, technical, and operations research analysts is skilled in evaluating military problems, identifying the driving factors, devising innovative approaches, collecting applicable data, developing necessary software tools, and performing thorough and timely assessments to inform technology and acquisition governance decisions to ensure U.S. military forces retain military superiority in the future.

We have an upcoming need for an Assistant Project Manager to work onsite at the Mark Center in Alexandria, VA.

The candidate will work in a team of discipline engineers (aerospace, mechanical, electrical, system safety) and project managers (PM, financial, contracts, project controls) to achieve positive project outcomes in support of TRMC hypersonics test infrastructure. Maintain complete awareness of project status and risks and ensuring that issues and challenges are anticipated, escalated, and effectively communicated to the Project Manager. Contribute to the project office knowledge management repository to document lessons learned, insights, and best practices. Assist with planning for project technical and milestone reviews, including the development of entry and exit criteria. Evaluate contractor deliverables for accuracy and completeness and prepare, collate, and disseminate briefings and summary reports for the Project Lead and the Government COR and PMO for decision-making. Prepare, collate, and disseminate meeting minutes for all project meetings. Generate and maintain processes and procedures for evaluating and monitoring technical performance with collaboration and input from project engineering staff. Prepare, collate, and disseminate monthly status reports for each project. Assist the Financial Manager with the documentation and dissemination of spend plans; the obligation, allocation, and distribution of funds; and the tracking of costs. Contribute to the long-term planning for the project office. Generate and maintain processes and procedures for evaluating and monitoring technical performance with collaboration and input from project engineering staff. Incorporate DoW-approved Generative AI (GenAI) tools into daily workflows to accelerate analysis and document revision and review. Lead productive meetings to a decisive outcome by identifying root causes and holding participants accountable for defining a concrete plan of action. Contribute to the drafting of the Statement of Work (SOW), Test Capability Requirements Document (TCRD), Systems Engineering Plan (SEP), and other management documents. Participate in technical design reviews and meetings, such as the System Requirements Review (SRR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), Integrated Product Team (IPT) meetings, Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs), etc. Attend and participate in Program Management Reviews (PMRs) and other management review meetings. Follow administrative and sensitive data protection guidelines, and adhere to DoD/TRMC records management requirements.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree
• 5+ years of DoD experience associated with project management, knowledge/data management, or systems engineering
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills with elements of project management (Cost, Schedule, Performance, etc.)
• Experience as part of a multi-disciplinary project management team supporting DoD projects
• Familiarity with project lifecycle stages for technical projects (technology maturation and risk reduction, engineering design, manufacturing & construction, testing & commissioning, operations & sustainment)
• Demonstrated experience collecting, organizing, examining, and interpreting data to support performance management, problem solution, analysis of alternatives, and decision-making
• Experience developing, monitoring, improving organizational, procedural, and operational systems for effectiveness, efficiency, and conformance to established guidelines
• Experience participating in Risk, Issue, and Opportunity Management including planning, identification, analysis, control, and monitoring
• Demonstrated experience maintaining strong relationships with customers and contractors; excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience writing technical reports and briefings
• Organized, detail-orientated, able to multi-task, self-driven, and able to work with limited direct supervision
• Active Secret clearance
• Able to work fully onsite based on client needs with up to 20% travel

Desired:

• Master's degree
• PMP certification
• Previous experience supporting TRMC or OUSW R&E
• As a multi-disciplinary team-member, having one or more of the following knowledge areas or skillsets:
  Demonstrated knowledge and experience with NARA and DoD Records Management policy and procedures
  FAR knowledge and experience with Government contracting. Previous contract specialist or similar
  Finance Management of contracts/projects
• Systems Engineering processes in the execution, or oversight of projects such as: Requirements Management; Risk Management; Technical Assessment; Configuration Management; Stakeholder Requirements Definition (operational requirements/CONOPS); Requirements Analysis (development, decomposition, traceability); Verification & Validation
• Familiarity with DoD acquisition cybersecurity requirements
• Experience writing statements of work, mission objectives, and performance-based requirements
• Experience writing and/or reviewing planning documents such as Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs), contract deliverables, contract data, baselines, and technical documents such as the Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP), Contract Work Breakdown Structure (CWBS), Integrated Master Plan (IMP), Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) / commissioning plan, Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP), Program Protection Plan (PPP), and others
• Experience as a SETA team member evaluating the performance of Government contractors
• Interest in learning about hypersonic test and evaluation concepts and infrastructure