The Mission Concepts and Capabilities (MCC) Division of Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is seeking to contingently hire a motivated, energetic, and experienced SPSS Senior Project Manager to support the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)) under the Specialized Program Support Services (SPSS) contract. The successful candidate will support OUSW(R&E) in its oversight of science and technology to solve current and future technological challenges for the Department of War (DoW). This on-site position is in the National Capital Region.

This position will support the Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies (OASW(CT)) and the OASW(CT) Principal Directors and support staff overseeing Critical Technology Areas, including Scaled Directed Energy (SCADE), Scaled Hypersonics (SHY), Integrated Sensing & Cyber (IS&C), Space Technology, Energy Resilience, Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI), Trusted & Assured Microelectronics (T&AM), Technology Innovation, Strategic Intelligence and Analysis, Nuclear Command, Control & Communications (NC3), Biomanufacturing (BIO), Contested Logistics Technologies (LOG), and Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance (Q-BID). This support will include developing and maintaining work products that support management decision making, strategy development, initiative definition, action tracking and monitoring, and meeting and workshop planning and execution.

This position is contingent upon winning the SPSS contract, customer acceptance of the successful candidate’s resume, and security clearance verification. We expect contract award in late 2025 or early 2026.

Essential Functions:

Support OASW(CT) project management, operational management, strategy development and planning, communication, and executive decision support Deliver high-quality read-aheads, briefings, and correspondence on time, ensuring accuracy and senior-leader readiness Support OASW(CT) management of multiple, concurrent projects Assess work assignments and quickly determine optimal courses of action

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline from an accredited college or university in a management or technical discipline Seven (7) years of experience Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility Ability to execute effectively in DoD staff environment, and communicate across audiences and senior levels of Government

Preferred Qualifications:

Master’s degree in a relevant discipline from an accredited college or university in a management or technical discipline Ten (10) years of relevant Program or Project Management experience Strong technical foundation with the ability to grasp diverse DoW technologies and communicate effectively with stakeholders Recent OASW(CT) experience as Government employee or contractor

 

COMPANY INFORMATION:

Applied Research Associates, Inc. is an employee-owned international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. The company, founded in Albuquerque, NM, in 1979, currently employs over 2000 professionals. ARA offices throughout the United States and Canada provide a broad range of technical expertise in defense technologies, civil technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement. The corporation also provides sophisticated technical products for environmental site characterization, pavement analysis, and robotics.

At ARA, employees are our greatest assets. The corporation realizes that employee ownership fosters greater creativity and initiative along with higher performance and customer satisfaction levels. ARA gives its employees the tools, training, and opportunities to take more active roles as owners. The culture is challenging; innovation and experimentation are the norm. Employees are eligible for contributions which not only add to the company’s success, but also their own through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). The motto, “Engineering and Science for Fun and Profit” sums up the ARA experience. For additional information and an opportunity to join this unique workplace, please visit our website at www.ara.com.

 

Please apply at www.careers.ara.com for the SPSS Senior Project Manager position.