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1761 - Director of Engineering

Sigma DefenseSan DiegoPosted 11 Sept 2026

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About this role

Sigma Defense is seeking a Director of Engineering to serve as the senior technical authority and lead of technical sales for our IMS Business Unit. This is not a role that manages engineers from a distance. It sits at the intersection of technical execution and business growth, and the person in it is expected to be credible in a design review, in front of a customer, and in a proposal color team in the same week. The Director is responsible not only for solving high-value engineering problems, but for building the organizational capability to solve those problems repeatedly without dependence on any single individual.

You will operate across a portfolio of software-intensive defense programs, providing the technical oversight that keeps delivery on track, leading the engineering contribution to new business pursuits, and raising the capability of engineers across the business unit. These three areas reinforce one another. Credibility earned on programs opens doors with customers. Customer engagement wins new work. A stronger engineering bench makes delivery more reliable and more competitive.

Engineers on our programs align formally to their Program Managers, who own contract budgets, headcount, and day-to-day tasking. That structure is intentional, and it frees this role from the administrative overhead of functional management so it can focus on the highest-value work: elevating technical quality across programs, winning new business, and building an engineering culture where individuals are equipped to compete and grow.

Although funded and prioritized within IMS, this position is positioned to extend technical leadership and strategic influence across organizational boundaries, contributing to cross-business initiatives and reinforcing a unified engineering identity across the company. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled: Sigma Defense Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

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Requirements Minimum 15 years of Government / Industry experience with at least 5 years in a leadership position. Demonstrated ability building and successfully implementing a technical sales strategy and increasing company revenue. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical approaches to non-technical executive and customer audiences. Demonstrated experience delivering software-intensive systems in a Department of War federal government contracting environment.

Experience serving as a technical authority across multiple concurrent programs or product lines, including intervening on troubled efforts and establishing a recovery path. Experience defining and enforcing engineering standards, architecture governance, or technical review processes at an organizational level. Experience developing engineering basis of estimate (BOE), labor mix, and schedule estimates supporting proposal pricing.

Experience representing an organization as a technical authority in customer-facing settings such as capability briefs, technical exchange meetings, industry days and program reviews. Demonstrated ability to lead through influence as well as direct authority, building credibility with program managers, executives, and customers who do not report to you. Proven track record of mentoring and developing engineers, with evidence of measurable career progression among those mentored.

Business development experience to include demonstrated contribution to competitive government proposals including: Authorship of Technical Volumes Solution Architecture Win Theme Development Technical Approach Sections Working depth in modern software engineering practice to include: Distributed Systems or Service-Based Architecture CI/CD and DevSecOps Pipelines Cloud or Hybrid Infrastructure Networks Artificial Intelligence Containerization Automated Testing Secure Development Practices The ideal candidate is: Technical enough to earn respect in a code or architecture review, and commercial enough to sit across from a customer and shape a pursuit.

Committed to building capability in engineers rather than manage their tasks. Comfortable being accountable for outcomes you influence but do not fully control. Capable of walking into a struggling program, identifying the real problem quickly, and creating a path forward rather than a list of observations. This position may require up to 20-30% travel to program sites, customer locations, corporate facilities, and industry events.

Travel volume fluctuates with proposal cycles and program needs. This role is based in San Diego, CA. Candidates can work from home, but must maintain a dedicated, professional home work environment with reliable high-speed internet suitable for daily video collaboration and customer engagement. Must be available to support proposal deadlines, program escalations, and customer engagements that occasionally fall outside standard business hours, including limited evening or weekend work during proposal color team and submission periods.

Must be able to work on-site at customer and government facilities during travel, including secure spaces where personal electronic devices are prohibited. Must be a U.S. citizen. Must be able to successfully complete a background investigation. Candidate Differentiators: Active DoW Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance. Advanced degree in a technical discipline, or an MBA paired with a technical undergraduate degree. Direct experience with C5ISR, tactical communications, mission systems, data transport, or similar defense mission domains.

Familiarity with DoW software acquisition pathways, Authority to Operate (ATO) and RMF processes. and DoW software modernization initiatives. E.g., Software Factory or platform-based delivery models. Experience adopting AI and machine learning capabilities into engineering workflows or delivered products. Experience supporting organic growth on existing contracts through customer relationship development and identification of new task order opportunities.

Prior experience operating in a matrixed organization where engineers align to program leadership rather than a functional chain. Personnel Clearance Level: Candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance or higher. Candidates currently holding an active Secret clearance or higher clearance are strongly preferred. Candidate must be eligible to access information subject to U.S. export control regulations (ITAR/EAR).

Education Requirements: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM). Essential Job Duties: Technical Authority and Program Support Serve as the senior technical voice across active programs, providing oversight, guidance, and hands-on support to ensure engineering quality and delivery confidence. Review and validate technical deliverables, ensuring outputs meet customer expectations and internal quality standards.

Provide direct technical leadership to programs experiencing execution risk, with the objective of stabilizing delivery, transferring knowledge, and returning sustained ownership to the program team. Partner with Program Managers during hiring to evaluate and vet engineering talent, ensuring new hires are well-positioned for success on their contracts. Advise on engineering approaches, architecture decisions, and technical risk across the program portfolio.

Growth and Business Development Lead the engineering contribution to new business pursuits. Drive technical solutioning and win theme development for proposals and recompetes, translating customer requirements into credible, competitive engineering approaches. Develop cost structures and timeline estimates for proposals, bringing both techn

Source listing: workable_sigmadefense

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