Senior Modernization Systems Engineering Lead

estimated starting salary range: usd $/yr.

- usd $/yr. Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.

the department of war (dow) test resource management center (trmc) planning, building, and funding the nation's critical test and evaluation (t&e) infrastructure required to validate and field decisive military capabilities. Within trmc, the test resource - investments (tr-i) division serving as the enterprise capability development and investment engine, directing capital modernization accounts (cteip, t&e/s&t, jmetc) and operational test resources across national ranges, specialized laboratories, and high-tempo joint exercises.

as the senior modernization systems engineering lead (seta support), you being the principal technical architect driving how the nation anticipates, plans, and resources test capabilities decades into the future. Partnering directly with senior government leadership, you establish the systems engineering rigor, digital engineering ecosystems, and governance frameworks that empowering 11+ strategic portfolio teams to construct domain-tailored modernization roadmaps and high-stakes test event campaigns.

a. Road mapping governance, tailoring guidance & enterprise synchronization (30%)

• serving as the senior systems engineering lead to the government modernization lead, assisting in the development and issuance of authoritative guidance, instructions, milestone schedules, and calling memos directed to the portfolio managers (pfms)
• ensuring portfolio road mapping teams execute their efforts with enterprise-level consistency, technical depth, and timeliness, while actively coaching pfms on how to tailor road-mapping frameworks to the distinct physics, technology maturity horizons, and operational nuances of their respective domains (rejecting rigid "one-size-fits-all" templates)
• establishing standard data structures, review gates, and maturity scales that enable objective cross-portfolio comparisons without undermining domain-specific requirements.
• guiding pfm teams incorporating dynamic, dual-horizon road-mapping that reconciles visionary 30-year capability goals with high-velocity shifts occurring across the immediate 1-to-4-year horizon
• advising pfm teams on integrating digital engineering (de) principles and model-based systems engineering (mbse) into their road-mapping architectures, establishing digital traceability from warfighter mission threads and weapon system digital models to physical and virtual range capabilities
• ensuring portfolio roadmaps integrate comprehensive test event planning, verifying that pfm roadmaps plan not only for physical brick-and-mortar facilities, but also for the operational execution, scheduling, and trmc operational funding (o&m) required for major campaigns (including flight tests, cyber trials, directed energy lethality events, and joint unit exercises)
• monitoring roadmap development schedules across all 11+ portfolios, identifying delivery risks early, conducting intermediate pulse-checks, and reporting progress directly to the government lead

b. Gap identification standards, working group governance & solicitation (20%)

• advising the government lead on establishing criteria for how pfm teams identify, document, and defend capability gaps against national defense strategy (nds) priorities, joint war fighting concepts, and service modernization roadmaps. Developing training materials
• reviewing and validating technical gaps identified by portfolio working groups to ensure shortfalls are backed by engineering evidence, weapon system program schedules, digital thread analyses, and operational range…