Deputy Chief Information Officer

Position Summary DSD Laboratories is seeking a Deputy Chief Information Officer (Deputy CIO) to serve as the principal deputy to the CIO and share responsibility for the leadership, execution, and operational performance of DSD’s rapidly growing portfolio of technology, product development, research and development, cybersecurity and compliance, and strategic growth initiatives. This is a highly visible technology leadership position at the center of DSD’s technology organization. The Deputy CIO will help translate corporate and CIO strategy into executable priorities across DSD’s proprietary technologies, AI and software development, SBIR/STTR programs, certification and compliance efforts, Government customer engagement, industry partnerships, and technical workforce. The position is empowered to exercise delegated authority, resolve cross-organizational issues, establish priorities, and represent the CIO internally and externally while ensuring that DSD’s technical commitments are visible, owned, and met. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable shaping technology priorities with executive leadership, leading a portfolio review with software developers and engineers, making or recommending resource and execution decisions, representing the CIO with Government customers and industry partners, overseeing readiness for CMMC or ISO audits, guiding technical contributions to growth and capture efforts, and holding senior technical leaders accountable for results. Key Responsibilities Technology Strategy & Portfolio Governance: Partner with the CIO to translate corporate objectives into technology strategy, priorities, roadmaps, and investment decisions. Maintain an enterprise view of DSD’s technology portfolio, evaluate competing priorities and dependencies, recommend or make delegated tradeoffs, and ensure technology initiatives remain aligned with business, customer, product, cybersecurity, and growth objectives. Portfolio Execution & Accountability: Direct execution across major CIO initiatives by establishing scope, milestones, owners, dependencies, resource needs, decision points, and completion criteria. Identify and resolve schedule, resource, and execution barriers within delegated authority, hold initiative owners accountable for outcomes, and escalate matters requiring CIO or executive-level decision. Delegated Decision-Making & CIO Representation: Serve as the CIO’s principal deputy and act on behalf of the CIO within delegated areas of responsibility. Make or facilitate timely decisions, communicate direction across the technology organization, ensure decisions and rationale are documented, and represent the CIO in internal executive forums and selected customer, partner, and industry engagements. Executive Reporting & Communications: Maintain executive-level visibility into the health of DSD’s technology portfolio, including performance, risks, resources, decisions, and major milestones. Prepare and present briefings, recommendations, memoranda, and portfolio updates for the CIO, CEO, executive leadership, Government customers, and other stakeholders as appropriate. Certification, Compliance & Cybersecurity Oversight: Provide executive oversight of DSD’s FedRAMP, CMMC, CMMI, ISO, and NIST/RMF initiatives in partnership with the CIO and Chief Information Security Officer. Ensure program priorities, ownership, corrective actions, evidence readiness, policy decisions, and organizational dependencies are understood and addressed while preserving appropriate technical and control ownership within the CIO and CISO organizations. Growth, Capture & Technical Solution Leadership: Lead and coordinate the technology organization’s contributions to SBIR/STTR submissions, RFI/RFP/CSO/OTA responses, white papers, technical presentations, Industry Days, customer demonstrations, and solution requests. Ensure technical approaches are credible, differentiated, executable, and aligned with DSD’s technology strategy and delivery capabilities. Partner, Marketplace & Ecosystem Leadership: Oversee DSD’s technical relationships and commitments with technology companies, research organizations, universities, manufacturers, and Government innovation channels including Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace and Platform One Solutions Marketplace. Represent the CIO as delegated and ensure partnerships produce measurable technical, customer, or growth value. Technical Workforce Leadership: Partner with the CIO and organizational leaders to shape technical workforce strategy, organizational structure, staffing priorities, recruiting, leadership development, succession planning, training, and capability development across DSD’s developers, engineers, cybersecurity personnel, and technical staff. Ensure workforce investments align with current delivery needs and future technology priorities. Cross-Functional Executive Leadership: Serve as a senior technology leader across Growth, Operations, Contracts, Cybersecurity, Human Resources, Finance, and program leadership. Resolve cross-functional technology dependencies, establish shared priorities, and ensure business and technical decisions are sequenced and executed effectively across the company. Operational Governance & Special Initiatives: Establish an effective operating rhythm for the CIO organization, including portfolio reviews, decision forums, performance reporting, and accountability mechanisms. Take direct ownership of high-priority or unassigned initiatives at the direction of the CIO and drive them to completion. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Management or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred. Equivalent professional experience will be considered. Significant progressive leadership experience in information technology, software or product development, engineering, technology operations, cybersecurity, or related technical organizations, including responsibility for complex portfolios, teams, programs, or organizational functions. Demonstrated experience translating business and executive priorities into technology strategy, portfolio decisions, executable plans, governance mechanisms, and measurable outcomes across multiple concurrent initiatives. Strong technical literacy and judgment sufficient to engage credibly with software developers, cloud and DevSecOps engineers, architects, cybersecurity personnel, and technical leaders; evaluate tradeoffs; and communicate technical implications accurately to executive and Government audiences. Demonstrated executive communication capability, including the ability to develop and deliver recommendations, briefings, status reporting, memoranda, and presentations suitable for senior corporate and Government audiences. Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing enterprise and technology initiatives, make sound decisions with incomplete information, and balance delivery, technical risk, workforce constraints, compliance requirements, and business objectives. Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and delegated authority, hold peers and senior personnel accountable for outcomes, resolve cross-organizational conflict, and maintain trusted working relationships. Ability to operate independently, exercise sound executive judgment, make recommendations and delegated decisions, and drive initiatives to closure without continuous direction. Experience with portfolio, project, work management, collaboration, and documentation systems used to govern complex technical work and executive reporting. Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment in handling sensitive business, personnel, security, and customer information. Preferred Qualifications Prior experience as a Deputy CIO, CTO, Vice President or Director of Technology, Director of Engineering, senior technology operations leader, technical portfolio executive, or comparable role supporting or leading a complex technology organization. Experience within the Defense Industrial Base, a Government contractor, or another regulated environment. Familiarity with FedRAMP, CMMC, CMMI, ISO, NIST, and RMF cybersecurity, quality, and process maturity frameworks. Experience supporting SBIR/STTR programs, including Phase I/II execution and Phase III transition or commercialization activities. Experience supporting Government capture, proposals, Industry Days, technical evaluations, or customer demonstrations. Experience supporting the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, or broader Federal Government. Familiarity with Microsoft 365 and Azure environments, including Government cloud, and with modern software development and DevSecOps practices. Familiarity with Platform One, Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, Cloud One, or DoD software factory and cloud environments. Technology, project management, Agile, cybersecurity, cloud, or process improvement certification such as PMP, CSM, CISSP, cloud platform certification, or equivalent, as relevant to prior responsibilities.