Senior Software Acquisition Innovation Specialist

About the role

We’re seeking an acquisition innovator to join our team of high-performing, highly experienced professionals and researchers to shape the development of forward-thinking DoD software acquisition policy and practice. If you have experience in modern DoD software acquisitions and are a creative thinker who can seek solutions to complex challenges, we’d love to meet you.  

As a Senior Software Acquisition Innovation Specialist at the SEI, you’ll have the opportunity to work directly with DoD policy teams and programs, leading and participating on client and research teams that are focused on solving the toughest software acquisition challenges. In this position, you’ll be part of a mission-focused culture of collaboration, transparency, and delivering timely, high-quality, high-impact work. We are leading the way in establishing acquisition approaches for advanced software technologies and methods.
 

What you’ll do

• Collaborate with and advise DoD acquisition programs on the development and execution of acquisition strategies, tools, and assets that incorporate modern software approaches and technologies
• Proactively work with stakeholders from across the acquisition enterprise to identify and address software-related policy needs both in and across programs
• Research the acquisition implications of emerging software technologies and methods
• Collaborate with technical teams across the SEI to identify and execute on opportunities to transition the SEI’s technical innovations into DoD acquisition programs
• Abstract and synthesize data and experiences to inform programmatic strategies, research projects, and policy recommendations
• Develop approaches to apply innovations into contexts beyond the DoD

Who you are

• You have good understanding of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework, with recent direct experience applying the DoD Software Acquisition Pathway (DoDI 5000.87), Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) strategies, or other accelerated/innovative acquisition approaches for software-enabled capabilities.
• You have good understanding of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and use of Other Transaction Authority (OTAs), with some experience writing Requests for Proposal (RFPs).
• You have experience in at least one of the following areas, in DoD acquisitions:
  • DevSecOps or software factories
  • Agile software methodologies
  • Digital engineering and model-based systems engineering
  • DoD contract and financial planning and integrated performance management
  • You may also have a Defense Acquisition University certification in a field supporting software acquisition
• You are a collaborative problem solver.
• You communicate clearly and can adapt your communication style to different audiences.
• You are eager to work on diverse problems with multiple factors that require analysis, innovation, creativity, and evaluation.
• You deliver high-quality work and care about the impact of your work.
• You have a combination of relevant education and experience: BS in a software-related, quantitative/analytical, or acquisition-relevant field with 10 years’ experience; MS in the same fields with 8 years’ experience; or PhD in those fields with 5 years’ experience.  

You are able to

• You’re willing to travel (approximately 25%) outside your office location to other SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.
• You will be subject to a background investigation and must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense security clearance.
• Applicants for this position must be currently legally authorized to work for CMU in the United States. CMU will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for this opportunity.
   

Who we are

The SEI delivers innovative methods, tools, algorithms, and frameworks to meet current software and cybersecurity needs and provide a foundation for combating future ones. The SEI works closely with defense and government organizations, industry, and academia to continually improve software-intensive systems. The SEI’s core purpose is to help organizations improve software engineering capabilities and develop or acquire the right software, defect-free, within budget and on time, every time. 
 

The Software Acquisition Pathways (SAP) team is a group of highly skilled technical professionals making a substantial impact on modernizing DoD