Engagement Director

Engagement Director (TS Clearance)

Washington, DC Metro | Director Level | Frequent Travel | Active Top Secret Clearance Required | Permanent Placement

My client is an established government services firm that's growing its Department of War practice. They're looking for a Director-level strategic thinker: someone who can look at a complex defense supply chain, see what really matters, set the direction, and turn it into action senior defense leaders will back.

What you'd be doing

You'd start on a high-priority DoW effort focused on the unmanned systems (drone) industrial base, working with senior leaders, government stakeholders, and industry experts. You'd take on questions like these: Where are the supplier and component risks? Where is manufacturing capacity falling short? Who are the alternative sources? How do we speed up production?

From there, you'll:

• Set the strategic point of view and lay out clear courses of action for senior defense leaders
• Lead executive meetings, expert panels, and decision forums
• Build a network of experts across defense manufacturing, supply chain, components, and investment
• Shape a new industrial base capability, including the strategy, the offering, and how it grows
• Spot follow-on opportunities and build lasting relationships across government and industry

Travel: frequent, including Ft. Meade, Ft. Belvoir, the Pentagon, Fayetteville NC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Tinker AFB, and Colorado Springs.

What you bring

• An active Top Secret clearance (required)
• 10+ years of professional experience
• 4+ years of Director-level experience in strategy, supply chain, manufacturing, aerospace and defense, acquisition, or the defense industrial base
• A strategic mind: you can break down ambiguous, technical problems and turn them into a clear direction and real recommendations
• Executive presence, and experience advising and influencing senior leaders
• Strong knowledge of the defense industrial base, supply chain resilience, manufacturing, A&D, or emerging defense tech
• A track record of building something new, like a capability, program, team, or business
• A bachelor's degree

Nice to have: UAS, autonomous systems, or munitions experience; supplier mapping or sub-tier supply chain analysis; Palantir Foundry, JUPITER, or BLADE; a network across defense manufacturers and suppliers.