Job Summary

The Director of Defense Engineering Solutions provides strategic and technical leadership for the development, growth, and execution of Defense Engineering Solutions portfolio. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of ASE, this position is responsible for aligning engineering capabilities, technical talent, customer requirements, and business priorities to position the organization for future defense programs and emerging mission needs.

The Director works across program leadership, engineering, business development, capture, and functional organizations to identify opportunities, shape technical solutions, strengthen engineering capabilities, and ensure Yulista is positioned to successfully execute current and future defense engineering work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for ASE’s defense engineering portfolio, with emphasis on future growth, technical capability, and successful program execution.

• Develop and execute an engineering portfolio strategy aligned with ASE business objectives, customer priorities, and emerging defense engineering requirements.

• Identify opportunities to expand ASE capabilities across systems engineering, digital engineering, modeling and simulation, test and evaluation, aircraft and mission systems integration, and related technical disciplines.

• Partner with Business Development and Capture teams to evaluate opportunities, develop technical solutions, support capture strategies, and position ASE for new defense engineering work.

• Serve as a senior technical and business interface with DoD customers, industry partners, OEMs, and other key stakeholders.

• Provide executive-level oversight of engineering performance across the portfolio, identifying technical, schedule, workforce, and execution risks requiring leadership attention.

• Partner with Program Managers and engineering leadership to ensure appropriate technical resources, capabilities, and engineering disciplines are aligned to program requirements.

• Support development of technical approaches, statements of work, staffing models, basis of estimates, proposals, and engineering solutions for new and expanding programs.

• Assess current and future engineering workforce requirements and partner with Workforce Strategy and Talent Acquisition to identify critical skills, workforce gaps, and talent strategies necessary to support portfolio growth.

• Establish and strengthen technical capability areas that differentiate ASE within the defense engineering market.

• Promote consistent engineering practices, technical rigor, knowledge sharing, and collaboration across programs and engineering disciplines.

• Evaluate emerging technologies, customer priorities, and industry trends to identify opportunities for capability development and investment.

• Develop relationships across the defense engineering community to strengthen ASE’s technical presence, partnerships, and access to future opportunities.

• Mentor and develop engineering leaders and technical personnel across the organization.

• Support annual operating plans, strategic planning, forecasting, and other portfolio-level business activities.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

This position operates at the portfolio level and is responsible for the strategic direction, growth, technical capability, and overall performance of ASE’s defense engineering portfolio. Program Managers and designated technical leads retain responsibility for day-to-day execution of individual programs and projects.

The Director is expected to connect customer demand, technical capability, workforce requirements, and business growth to ensure ASE is positioned to pursue and execute increasingly complex defense engineering work.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.

• Minimum of 12 years of progressively responsible experience supporting defense, aerospace, aviation, systems engineering, test and evaluation, or related technical programs.

• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience overseeing engineering programs, technical organizations, portfolios, or multidisciplinary engineering teams.

• Demonstrated experience supporting Department of War programs and customers.

• Experience developing and/or executing technical strategies for complex engineering programs.

• Demonstrated ability to translate customer requirements and mission needs into executable technical solutions.

• Experience supporting business development, capture, proposals, technical solution development, or new program pursuits.

• Strong understanding of engineering program execution, technical risk, workforce requirements, cost, schedule, and performance.

• Demonstrated ability to build effective relationships with senior government customers, industry partners, technical leaders, and internal stakeholders.

• Strong executive communication, decision-making, and organizational leadership skills.

• Ability to travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, Business Administration, or a related discipline.

• Experience supporting Army, Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, or other DoW engineering organizations.

• Experience with IDIQs, task-order environments, SETA, engineering services, and/or technical support contracts.

• Experience developing technical partnerships with OEMs, universities, small businesses, and other industry partners.

• Prior P&L, portfolio financial management, or significant program financial responsibility.

• Active DoD security clearance.

Security Clearance

Ability to obtain and maintain the level of security clearance required by assigned programs. Active DoD security clearance preferred.

PREFERENCE STATEMENT
Preference will be given to Calista shareholders and their descendants and to spouses of Calista shareholders, and to shareholders of other corporations created pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, in accordance with Title 43 U.S. Code 1626(g).