Senior Program Protection Specialist

Air Combat Effectiveness Consulting•Lexington Park, MD

About The Position

ACE Consulting Group is seeking a Senior Program Protection Specialist to support Department of Defense acquisition programs at Naval aviation program offices located in Patuxent River, MD. The Senior Program Protection Specialist will provide subject matter expertise in program protection planning, system security engineering, and critical technology protection for advanced aviation and weapons systems. The candidate will support the development and implementation of Program Protection Plans (PPP), assist program offices in identifying and protecting Critical Program Information (CPI), and ensure protection strategies are integrated across the system lifecycle. This position supports government program managers, systems engineers, and security organizations to ensure program protection requirements are incorporated into acquisition strategies, engineering efforts, and sustainment activities. This position is contingent upon contract award

Requirements

Over 10 years of experience performing duties related to DoD acquisition, systems engineering, cybersecurity, or program protection.
At least 5 years of experience supporting program protection or system security engineering activities.
Experience supporting Naval aviation or weapons system acquisition programs.
Demonstrated experience conducting risk assessments, vulnerability analysis, and protection strategy development for defense systems
Strong experience in technical writing, analysis, and development of acquisition documentation.
Active Top Secret clearance with current background investigation is required.
TS/SCI eligibility desired.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting Naval aviation program offices.
Experience with Anti-Tamper, supply chain risk management, and system security engineering practices.
Familiarity with DoD acquisition processes and milestone reviews.
Professional certifications such as CISSP, Security+, or DAWIA certification.
Experience supporting classified programs and working within secure DoD environments.

Responsibilities

Develop, review, and maintain Program Protection Plans (PPP) in accordance with DoD and Navy policy.
Identify and document Critical Program Information (CPI) and mission-critical functions/components for aviation and weapons systems.
Conduct threat-informed risk assessments to evaluate vulnerabilities to foreign intelligence collection, supply chain compromise, and cyber threats.
Integrate program protection requirements with systems engineering, cybersecurity, and acquisition activities.
Support implementation of Anti-Tamper (AT) and supply chain risk management strategies.
Assist program offices with milestone documentation including acquisition strategies, system engineering plans, and test documentation.
Coordinate program protection activities with security offices, intelligence organizations, and program Integrated Product Teams (IPTs).
Provide technical analysis, briefing materials, and written reports supporting program leadership and senior stakeholders.
Participate in design reviews, risk assessments, and milestone decision reviews to ensure protection measures are incorporated into system design.
Provide subject matter expertise on DoD program protection policies, procedures, and best practices.