Chief Engineer

Title:

Chief Engineer

This Project Lead/Chief Engineer serves as the senior technical leader and project lead for a complex government-sponsored engineering and technology development effort. This individual is responsible for leading a multidisciplinary team comprised of cybersecurity professionals, system administrators, and cloud engineers. The successful candidate will guide program execution, foster productive customer relationships, and ensure that mission objectives are achieved through disciplined technical and program management practices. This individual will be comfortable presenting alternative courses of action, associated risks, and recommended paths forward. The successful candidate will also possess a strong engineering foundation, exceptional leadership skills, and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments while balancing mission needs, technical realities, contractual responsibilities, and team capacity.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead execution of a complex technical program supporting government stakeholders and mission objectives.
• Serve as the primary interface between government leadership, contractor personnel, and other program stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain effective program governance, communication, decision-making, and execution processes.
• Translate customer objectives into clear, actionable requirements, priorities, and execution plans.
• Lead technical and program planning activities, including roadmap development, risk management, and resource prioritization.
• Ensure alignment among program objectives, stakeholder expectations, technical approaches, and contractual responsibilities.
• Facilitate collaboration across engineering, cybersecurity, operations, and other functional teams.
• Identify, communicate, and mitigate technical, schedule, cost, and programmatic risks.
• Provide independent technical and programmatic recommendations to government leadership and stakeholders.
• Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Required Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline and 15 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree (or higher) in a technical discipline and 12 years of relevant experience.
• At least ten years of experience providing systems engineering work, including knowledge of and experience with complex engineering designs and delivery
• At least five years of experience providing support to DoD Service organizations and/or Intelligence Community agencies

• Demonstrated success leading complex technical programs involving multiple stakeholders.
• Experience with Department of Defense acquisition, systems engineering, and program management practices.
• Strong engineering background with the ability to engage deeply on technical issues and system-level tradeoffs.
• Experience developing and managing requirements, priorities, schedules, and execution plans.
• Experience working directly with government customers and senior decision-makers.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and competing priorities.

Desired Experience:

• Five years of experience providing rapid prototyping or development
• Five years of experience performing Test & Evaluation (T&E) activities
• Five years of experience in the identification, development, and application of multiple intelligence sources (Signal Intelligence, Geospatial Intelligence, etc.) and applications and knowledge of multiple engineering technology systems and data flow

Additional Qualifications:

• Position requires U.S. Citizenship and active TOP SECRET security clearance
• Experience with cloud-based architecture (particularly AWS), services, or modernization initiatives.
• Experience managing an IT system
• Experience in maturing a prototype into an operational system
• Experience supporting cybersecurity, information assurance, or cyber operations programs.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in highly dynamic environments.
• Proven ability to solve problems creatively
• Strong familiarity with project management software tools, methodologies, and best practices
• Experience seeing projects through the full life cycle
• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to complete projects according to outlined scope, budget, and timeline
• Experience with leading and supervising technical teams
• Knowledge and experience in accrediting and operating secure information systems at multiple levels, to include secure networking and deployment to secure cloud computing environments
• Desired Leadership Characteristics
  • Exercises sound judgment and maintains credibility with both customers and technical teams.
  • Builds trust through transparency, professionalism, and consistent execution.
  • Able to influence stakeholders and drive alignment across organizations with differing priorities.
  • Comfortable presenting alternative courses of action, associated risks, and recommended paths forward.
  • Balances mission urgency with technical rigor, program discipline, and long-term sustainability.
  • Demonstrates the courage to raise concerns, identify risks, and provide candid recommendations when appropriate.
  • Maintains a solutions-oriented mindset while navigating complex organizational challenges
     

Salary Range based on the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities

$175,000-240,000

The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

Additional Compensation:

KBR may offer bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation to certain job titles or levels, per internal policy or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be in the form of sign on bonus, relocation benefits, short term incentives, long term incentives, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture.  These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company.  That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together. 

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture.  These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company.  That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together. 

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.