OverviewDirector, Solution Lead - Critical Infrastructure
LOCATION: Arlington, VA; Washington, D.C.; Columbia, MD (HYBRID)
JOB STATUS: Full-time
CLEARANCE: Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
CERTIFICATION: INCOSE, PMP, CISSP, GICSP, CISA/CISM, IEC 62443 (preferred)
TRAVEL: Up to 30%
REPORTS TO: EVP & Mission Area Executive - Critical Infrastructure
SALARY RANGE: $200K - $250K
Astrion has an exciting opportunity for a Director, Solution Lead - Critical Infrastructure. This senior leader will serve as the strategic solution roadmap owner and senior solution architect for Astrion’s Critical Infrastructure mission area, focused on Transportation Infrastructure, Energy Infrastructure, and DIB Infrastructure.
The Solution Lead will help transform Astrion’s CIP business from SETA-heavy labor delivery to repeatable, technology-enabled Mission Solutions that create reusable evidence, tools, data, and recurring outcomes. The role will define and mature solution offerings such as Mission Evidence Packs, Digital Twins, OT/ICS Assessment & Hardening, Exercise & Readiness packages, resilience dashboards, and sector-specific readiness solutions.
This leader will partner closely with the Campaign Lead, Mission Segment Leaders, Operations, Growth, Astrion Core / Solutions leadership, Engineering, Finance, Contracts, partners, and customers to shape pursuits, make make/buy/partner recommendations, build demonstrations and MVPs, and ensure solution investments are tied to qualified pipeline and customer mission outcomes.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, systems engineering, computer science, cybersecurity, data science, operations research, business, or a related field; additional relevant experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.
- 15 years of experience in solution architecture, solution development, systems engineering, digital engineering, cyber-physical resilience, test and evaluation, critical infrastructure, defense, civil, energy, transportation, or GovTech markets.
- 8 years of leadership experience managing technical teams, solution architects, productized-services teams, or matrixed pursuit / engineering teams.
- Demonstrated ability to turn services-based capabilities into repeatable, market-facing Mission Solutions, including reusable artifacts, tools, templates, dashboards, demos, and delivery playbooks.
- Experience defining solution roadmaps, MVPs, reference architectures, implementation patterns, and maturation paths from concept to pilot to repeatable delivery.
- Strong understanding of systems engineering, mission integration, operational test and evaluation, cyber-physical resilience, digital engineering, data / AI, OT/ICS, or infrastructure modernization.
- Experience supporting federal capture, proposal, solution review, or customer-shaping activities with differentiated technical solutions and executable delivery approaches.
- Demonstrated judgment in make/buy/partner decisions, including assessment of internal capability gaps, partner technologies, build vs. buy tradeoffs, and investment priorities.
- Executive communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical solution strategies to customers, operators, growth teams, finance, contracts, partners, and senior leadership.
- S. citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS
- Experience in critical infrastructure protection, infrastructure resilience, mission assurance, transportation modernization, energy resilience, nuclear / advanced reactor markets, or DIB Infrastructure.
- Familiarity with one or more priority customer or market areas: FAA/DOT, DHS/TSA/CISA/CBP, DOE/NNSA, NRC, national laboratories, DoD infrastructure, NAVFAC, USACE, DIB Infrastructure, commercial nuclear, SMRs, utilities, airports, ports, rail/transit, hyperscalers, or data-center energy infrastructure.
- Experience with digital twins, model-based systems engineering, geospatial analytics, AI-enabled decision support, mission-thread modeling, consequence analysis, reliability analytics, or operational readiness dashboards.
- Experience with OT/ICS/SCADA environments, industrial control systems, facility-related control systems, control-system OEMs, or OT cyber vendors and standards such as IEC 62443, NIST guidance, CISA guidance, RMF, or CMMC.
- Experience building or integrating partner ecosystems with cloud, AI, digital twin, OT/ICS, control-system OEM, infrastructure engineering, national laboratory, small-business, or commercial channel partners.
- Experience with DOE/NNSA Management & Operating contractors, national laboratory procurement pathways, regulated-commercial infrastructure owners/operators, or international infrastructure markets.
- Experience with IR&D planning, product management, Agile / MVP delivery, MOSA / open-architecture principles, platform-enabled services, or product-attached professional services.
- Experience supporting M&A diligence or technology acquisition decisions for capability gaps in digital engineering, OT/ICS, AI, cyber-physical resilience, critical infrastructure, or energy markets.
- Active Secret or TS/SCI clearance. Relevant certifications such as INCOSE, PMP, CISSP, GICSP, CISA/CISM, IEC 62443, cloud certifications, or engineering licensure are a plus.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Own the Critical Infrastructure mission-area solution roadmap across Transportation Infrastructure, Energy Infrastructure, and DIB Infrastructure.
- Serve as the senior solution architect for the mission area, ensuring priority pursuits have differentiated, executable, and repeatable solution approaches.
- Define, mature, and package CIP Mission Solutions, including Mission Evidence Packs, Digital Twins, OT/ICS Assessment & Hardening, Exercise & Readiness packages, resilience dashboards, and sector-specific readiness solutions.
- Partner with the growth and program leadership team to ensure solution development is tied to 12-36-month pipeline priorities, customer demand signals, and capture strategies.
- Translate customer mission challenges into solution concepts, MVPs, demonstrations, reference architectures, technical volumes, delivery playbooks, and post-award transition plans.
- Lead make/buy/partner recommendations for the CIP solution roadmap, including gaps in OT/ICS, digital twin engineering, AI/data, cyber-physical assessment, commercial channels, and partner-enabled delivery.
- Integrate Astrion catalog capabilities and tools into CIP Mission Solutions where appropriate and contribute reusable CIP solution modules into Astrion solution catalog.
- Build and manage technical partner strategies with cloud, AI, digital twin, OT/ICS, control-system OEM, infrastructure engineering, national laboratory, small-business, and commercial channel partners.
- Establish solution governance and maturity criteria that move offerings from concept to pilot to repeatable to scalable while avoiding unnecessary bespoke architectures.
- Partner with Growth, Finance, Contracts, and Operations to support packaging, pricing, contract type considerations, data rights, partner roles, and product-attached services.
- Create customer-facing and internal artifacts, including capability statements, solution briefs, demos, MVP backlogs, white papers, reference architectures, technical differentiators, and proposal language.
- Support executive customer engagements by translating Astrion’s mission expertise into clear value propositions, mission outcomes, evidence requirements, and technical roadmaps.
- Capture lessons learned from wins, losses, pilots, demos, and program transitions; fold those lessons back into the CIP solution roadmap and Astrion Core.