IT Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives

Overview

Job specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees. Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

SUMMARY:

The IT Strategist supports the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), Strategic Initiatives, and Classified Infrastructure as a Service (CIaaS) mission by driving strategy and execution for TS/SCI networks and systems, SIPRNet VDI network and systems architectures, and Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) for commercial SCIFs. The role supports a high-stakes, department-wide transformation effort focused on enabling the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to access classified data at mission speed through a government-funded, agile, contractor-delivered Minimum Viable Product.

The IT Strategist serves as a hybrid operator with deep knowledge of Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), classified network engineering, security accreditation, vendor accountability, and on-the-ground operational execution.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Drive CIaaS strategy and execution to modernize how the Defense Industrial Base accesses classified data while maintaining centralized government control of classified resources.
• Guide the transition to a government-funded, agile, contractor-delivered Minimum Viable Product operating at mission speed.
• Support the industry Program Management Office model by enabling commercial vendors to serve as the single point of accountability between government stakeholders, intelligence agencies, and the Defense Industrial Base.
• Establish program strategies that accelerate DIB operational onboarding from lengthy legacy timelines to an objective of less than three months per site.
• Support a shift from government-funded infrastructure to a commercial, fee-for-service model where industry can self-fund at mission speed.
• Guide scalable accreditation approaches where new sites can be treated as administrative updates rather than net-new accreditations when appropriate and approved.
• Support risk transfer strategies that move operational risk, lifecycle management, and infrastructure ownership to the contractor while preserving government authority to revoke access.
• Ensure a zero-data-footprint operating model where classified data remains on centralized government resources and does not reside at contractor facilities.
• Plan and execute architecture strategy for contractor network backbones, including high-speed peering via IC Exchange Points (ICX) across Eastern, Central, and Western geographic regions.
• Coordinate and oversee technical access to secure compute environments, including VLAN tunnels to IL6 clouds via existing SIPR circuits and dedicated connections to environments such as Microsoft Isolated Secret Region (ISR) or AWS Bubble.
• Manage rollout of Contractor VDI Networks leveraging Type-1 encryption over commercial transport to support seamless, zero-data-footprint execution.
• Lead Security Assessment and Authorization (A&A) efforts to obtain and maintain enterprise-wide Authority to Operate (ATO) packages for commercial CIaaS systems.
• Interpret and apply federal cybersecurity standards, including NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, NIST SP 800-53A, FISMA, CNSS, and Intelligence Community security guidance.
• Partner with DCSA to address bottlenecks in Facility Clearance (FCL) and Personnel Clearance (PCL) processing and support SCIF construction and accreditation lifecycle requirements under ICD 705.
• Manage continuous monitoring programs, configuration baseline compliance, vulnerability tracking, remediation activity, and Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) logs.
• Act as the central translator and synchronization point between network engineers, Information System Security Managers (ISSMs), Authorizing Officials (AOs), and non-technical mission leaders.
• Navigate Department of War contracting mechanisms to ensure commercial partners meet deliverables, Statements of Work (SOW) requirements, and technical standards.
• Coordinate configuration management, change management activities, and participation in Configuration Control Board (CCB) activities.
• Serve as a senior cybersecurity and program advisor to DIU leadership, providing strategic recommendations regarding authorization decisions, risk posture, and roadmap execution.
• Other duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, AND LICENSURE:

• Active, in-scope Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility is required.
• 10+ years of tactical and strategic project…