Flight Support Sector Lead

AVIAN

. Lead the strategic direction, performance, health, and growth of AVIAN’s Test & Evaluation | Flight Support sector .

Posted 10/5/2026full-timeLexington Park • Maryland • United StatesSenior💰 $140,000 - $170,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates strong leadership in managing complex DoD contracts and programs, with a focus on financial performance, risk management, and strategic growth. Possesses extensive experience in test & evaluation, flight support, and developing high-performing teams within the defense contracting sector.

Highest-signal resume keywords

DoD Program ManagementTest & Evaluation ExpertiseFinancial AcumenLeadership DevelopmentCustomer Relationship Management

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Program ManagementRisk ManagementFinancial Performance AnalysisTransition PlanningOpportunity QualificationCapture PlanningProposal DevelopmentContract ComplianceStaffing StrategiesPerformance Evaluation

Soft Skills

LeadershipCoachingCommunicationCollaborationAccountability

Certifications & Qualifications

U.S. DoD Secret Security ClearanceU.S. DoD Top Secret Security Clearance (Desired)

Industry Keywords

Defense ContractingAviationNaval AviationUnmanned AviationFederal GovernmentMulti-Program PortfoliosIDIQ ContractsCost-Reimbursable ContractsFixed-Price ContractsCPARS Documentation

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

TFS

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead the strategic direction, performance, health, and growth of AVIAN’s Test & Evaluation | Flight Support sector
Own portfolio-level delivery performance, customer confidence, workforce continuity, financial performance, risk management, technical capability, quality, and strategic relevance
Directly lead, develop, and hold accountable Program Managers, Team Leads, and sector personnel
Establish sector operating cadence and conduct portfolio reviews covering performance, finances, staffing, risks, transitions, recompetes, and growth opportunities
Maintain working knowledge of assigned contracts and subcontracts, including scope, funding, staffing, deliverables, relationships, options, recompetes, and risks
Use financial, operational, staffing, funding, and performance data to manage economic performance and direct corrective action
Partner with Finance, Contracts, HR, Talent Acquisition, Security, Quality, Business Development, and other leaders
Serve as senior TFS representative to Naval Test Wing Atlantic, NAVAIR, program offices, prime contractors, teaming partners, and industry stakeholders
Build trusted senior customer, partner, and industry relationships
Lead high-stakes customer, partner, and internal discussions and serve as senior escalation point
Lead planning and oversight for awards, recompetes, option exercises, extensions, scope or funding changes, performance recovery, leadership transitions, and closeouts
Develop transition plans, staffing and recruiting strategies, customer-engagement approaches, forecasts, risk practices, milestones, and decision points
Make staffing, resource, and investment tradeoffs and present recommendations on material business decisions
Build a resilient leadership bench through coaching, succession planning, and stretch opportunities
Foster a high-accountability, innovative, employee-owner culture
Partner with Business Development on growth plans, customer priorities, opportunity qualification, capture, proposals, and recompetes
Lead recapture strategy and capture planning for TFS recompetes and follow-on opportunities
Protect and expand existing work through customer intimacy, account development, partnerships, and delivery excellence
Ensure compliance with contract requirements, company policies, customer direction, security, quality, timekeeping, labor charging, and ethics controls
Provide decision-ready sector assessments, financial outlooks, risk evaluations, and recommendations to the President and AVIAN leadership

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in business, management, finance, engineering, operations, a relevant technical discipline, or a related field
Active U.S. DoD Secret security clearance, with ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret eligibility as required
10+ years of progressively responsible experience in DoD, federal government, defense contracting, aviation, test & evaluation, flight support, program management, or a closely related operational environment
5+ years of progressive leadership experience, including direct supervision of Program Managers, Team Leads, managers, or other professional personnel
Demonstrated experience in test & evaluation, naval aviation, flight support, unmanned aviation, counter-unmanned systems, or a comparable DoD mission-support environment
Demonstrated experience leading complex Government contracts, task orders, subcontracts, programs, or portfolios
Demonstrated financial and operational acumen using budget, funding, staffing, schedule, and performance data
Demonstrated growth orientation and experience supporting opportunity qualification, capture, proposal, recompete readiness, and transition planning
U.S. Citizenship required
Desired: Master’s degree in a relevant discipline
Desired: Active U.S. DoD Top Secret security clearance
Desired experience with multi-program or multi-contract Government-services portfolios
Desired experience with IDIQ, task-order, cost-reimbursable, time-and-materials, and fixed-price contracts
Desired P&L accountability
Desired experience with CPARS documentation and evaluation processes
Desired experience leading or contributing to DoD or federal-services capture and proposal efforts

Benefits

Comp & perks

Employee ownership with a direct stake in the company’s success
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Telemedicine services
TRICARE supplement for veterans
Flexible and paid time off
11 paid holidays
Paid sick leave
Maternity and bonding leave
Military training leave
Employee community initiatives
Collaborative employee-owned culture
Real growth and opportunities to shape company direction