Senior Advisor, Defense Industrial Base Strategy & Industry Engagement

About the role

• Location: Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia
• Category: Funded
• Schedule (FT/PT): Full Time
• Travel Required: May require occasional domestic travel
• Shift: Day
• Remote Type: In-Office

Clearance required: Current Top Secret. Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility

Salary: $180,000 - $220,000

Who is ACT1 Federal? ACT1 Federal LLC is a 100% employee-owned company. We've served the Department of War (DoW) for nearly thirty years. Our core missions include weapon systems engineering, logistics, space domain expertise, global defense and security, business and financial management for security assistance and major defense articles, as well as military training and arctic security. Join us!

About the role

ACT1 Federal is seeking an experienced Senior Advisor, Defense Industrial Base Strategy & Industry Engagement who will support the U.S. Navy industrial capacity; strategic communications and executive engagement.

Also provide senior-level strategic planning, analytical, communications, and engagement-support services to the Director for Strategic Communications and External Engagement, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for the Defense Industrial Base (DASN (DIB)).

The analyst supports Department of the Navy (DON) efforts to communicate approved industrial-base priorities and initiatives to defense companies, capital providers, trade associations, state and local officials, and other relevant stakeholders.

The Senior Advisor will support U.S. Navy leaders advance defense industrial-base priorities through strategic analysis, executive communications, and engagement with defense companies, investors, trade associations, and government stakeholders. Supporting the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for the Defense Industrial Base, this role connects industrial strategy, private-capital perspectives, and senior-leader engagement to initiatives that strengthen shipbuilding, manufacturing capacity, and supply-chain resilience.

Responsibilities

• Research, analyze, and synthesize defense-industrial-base trends, corporate and investor information, market conditions, policy developments, industrial risks, and stakeholder interests relevant to DASN (DIB) priorities.
• Develop executive-level engagement products, including read-ahead packages, stakeholder profiles, engagement plans, agendas, talking points, speech drafts, correspondence drafts, decision memoranda, meeting materials, and follow-up packages.
• Translate complex industrial-base, acquisition, manufacturing, supply-chain, infrastructure, private-capital, workforce, and economic-security issues into concise, accurate, audience-appropriate communications and recommendations.
• Support planning and execution of approved senior-leader engagements with defense companies, trade associations, capital providers, investors, state and local officials, and other stakeholders. Engagement-support activities may include stakeholder mapping, background research, market analysis, agenda development, event coordination, site-visit planning, and preparation of engagement materials.
• Support communications and engagement activities related to strategic Department of the Navy initiatives, including shipbuilding and maritime industrial-base capacity, advanced manufacturing, supply-chain resilience, private-capital engagement, infrastructure and energy acquisition, workforce development, critical minerals, and industrial risk management.
• Prepare meeting summaries, trip reports, after-action reports, status updates, and recommended follow-through actions based on Government direction and approved engagement outcomes.
• Maintain action-item, decision, correspondence, and engagement trackers; identify dependencies, coordination requirements, overdue actions, and potential risks for Government review.
• Support development of strategic communications plans, stakeholder-engagement strategies, and executive-level products aligned with approved DASN (DIB), ASN (RD&A), DON, and Department of War priorities.
• Coordinate draft products and supporting information with relevant DASN (DIB) directorates, ASN (RD&A) offices, DON acquisition organizations, Department of War stakeholders, interagency organizations, and external stakeholders, as directed by the Government.
• Support surge requirements associated with executive engagements, time-sensitive taskers, major industrial-base initiatives, and travel.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in business, engineering, operations management, supply chain, economics, finance, public policy, national security studies, or a related discipline.
• 12+ years' experience in defense-industrial-base strategy; defense acquisition; strategic operations; industry engagement; private-capital or infrastructure investment; corporate strategy; economic security; strategic communications; public-sector consulting; advanced manufacturing; supply-chain resilience; shipbuilding or maritime industry; or related fields.
• Demonstrated experience supporting senior executive engagements involving defense companies, trade associations, investors, capital providers, Federal Government leaders, military leaders, or interagency stakeholders.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least one mission-relevant industrial sector or functional area, such as defense manufacturing, shipbuilding, maritime industry, supply-chain resilience, advanced manufacturing, energy or infrastructure, critical minerals, private-capital engagement, industrial-base investment, corporate transactions, or economic security.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare high-quality, executive-level written products under compressed timelines, including decision memoranda, read-aheads, talking points, correspondence, speeches, strategic communications plans, and meeting summaries.
• Demonstrated ability to independently research, analyze, and communicate complex policy, industrial, market, investment, acquisition, and stakeholder issues.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities; maintain action, decision, and correspondence tracking; and deliver accurate work products with limited supervision.
• Strong written, verbal, research, coordination, and stakeholder-management skills.
• The position may require support outside normal business hours to meet time-sensitive executive, engagement, or task-force requirements.
• Current Top Secret. Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility required.

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
• ACT1 Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Company Paid Life and AD&D Insurance
• Company Paid Short-Term Disability
• Voluntary Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401K with employer match
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Parental Leave
• Military Leave
• Education, Training & Professional Development
• Voluntary Accidental Injury/Critical Illness/Hospital Care
• Voluntary Pet Insurance, Legal Resources, and Identity Protection

Our people-first culture prioritizes the benefits of flexibility and collaboration, whether that happens in person or remotely.

• If this position is listed as remote or hybrid, you'll periodically work from a ACT1 Federal or client site facility.
• If this position is listed as onsite, you'll work with colleagues and clients in person, as needed for the specific role.