Chief of Platform Operations; DevSecOps​/CDE

Overview

Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc. (SPA) delivers high-impact, technical solutions to complex national security issues. With over 50 years of business expertise and consistent growth, we are known for continuous innovation for our government customers, in both the US and abroad. Our exceptionally talented team is highly collaborative in spirit and practice, producing Results that Matter. Come work with the best!

We offer opportunity, unique challenges, and clear‑sighted commitment to the mission. SPA:
Objective. Responsive. Trusted.

The Sea, Land, Air Analysis Group's mission is to deliver objective analyses, plans and strategies to US Navy, US Marine Corps, USAF, other DoD, and Australian Defence Force clients to support technology development, acquisition, delivery and sustainment decisions. The group provides the core of SPA thought leadership on Undersea Strategy, Software Development and Cost Estimating, with additional benchmark capabilities in AI/ML & Decision Analytics, Modeling and Simulation, and Future Force Assessments.

SPA has a need for a Chief of Platform Operations, who will serve as the leader for the Dev Sec Ops  platform and Common Development Environment (CDE) that underpins Mission Planning Enterprise development and integration. This role will be accountable for ensuring that pipelines, cloud services, test environments, and collaboration tools are reliable, secure, and fit for purpose. The Chief of Platform Operations will be responsible for enabling rapid, high‑quality integration and test activities by providing shared baselines, automation, and developer support.

The Chief of Platform Operations leads all work related to the Dev Sec Ops  platform and Common Development Environment, ensuring that pipelines, cloud services, test environments, and collaboration tools are reliable, secure, and responsive to mission planning needs. They are accountable for platform availability, performance, and compliance, and for enabling rapid, high‑quality integration and test activities across the enterprise. This role coordinates closely with engineering, test, and cybersecurity teams, as well as external developers, to provide shared baselines, automated test capabilities, and mission‑representative environments.

They also oversee platform‑related training and support for developers and testers, driving continuous improvement of the platform as a core enterprise capability.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in Dev Ops/Dev Sec Ops , platform engineering, or large‑scale software development environment operations
• Proven experience designing, implementing, and operating CI/CD pipelines and shared environments that support automated build, test, and deployment for complex systems
• Experience supporting or operating enterprise integration/test environments and tools for large software portfolios, including automated test management and reporting
• Strong understanding of secure configuration baselines, standard desktop configurations, and how they are applied in development and test labs
• An active Secret clearance and the ability to maintain it throughout employment

Desired

Qualifications:

• Master's degree in relevant field plus experience designing or operating “build‑on‑demand” or similar capabilities that assemble component combinations and drive automated test suites, including Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) automation
• Familiarity with mission planning tool chains, repositories, and collaboration platforms, and providing controlled access for multiple vendors and stakeholders
• Experience supporting multi‑classification and special access environments and labs (e.g., NIPR/SIPR, SAP/SAR, SCI)
• Background in performance monitoring, capacity planning, and reliability engineering for development and test platforms
• Experience developing and delivering developer training on platform tools, pipelines, and automated test frameworks

At SPA, we strive to deliver a robust total compensation package that will attract and retain top talent. Elements of the…