Full-Time
Legal Assistant
Systems Planning and Analysis
1,001-5,000 employees
Provides data-driven national security analytics
Compensation Overview
$120k - $155k/yr
No H1B Sponsorship
Arlington County, Arlington, VA, USA
In Person
Onsite support is required in Arlington, Virginia.
US Top Secret Clearance Required
Master's, JD
 Legal (1) |
|---|
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- A Master's degree or Juris Doctor degree.
- At least 2 years of experience in a law firm, corporate in-house counsel office, or government legal office, unless the candidate is a recent law school graduate with superior grades.
- Experience preparing legal documents, briefs, and other written correspondence; developing Excel spreadsheets; and coordinating meetings.
- Ability to conduct legal research and draft legal documents that are clear, concise, and logically constructed.
- Strong organizational skills, ability to multitask and respond to quick-turnaround requests, and proficiency with modern personal computer systems and tools.
- Ability to perform recurring work assignments of varying difficulty and complexity with or without assistance.
- Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of individuals orally and in writing.
- Ability to obtain a Secret clearance.
- Conduct legal research, perform analysis, and communicate results orally and in writing in support of the DARPA Office of General Counsel.
- Assist in providing advice to DARPA offices regarding legal matters within the scope of the DARPA mission.
- Active TS/SCI clearance.
- Department of War experience.
- Experience in federal procurement law, intellectual property, and/or government ethics, and knowledge of applicable laws and regulations.
- A Master of Laws (LLM) in a relevant field such as government procurement, technology law, or environmental law.
- Detailed knowledge of Department of War report formats and forms.
SPA helps the U.S. government make high-stakes national security decisions by using modeling, simulation, and rigorous analysis. It builds data-driven analyses and forecasts outcomes for programs across the Navy, DoD, Homeland Security, and Energy, including space systems, cyber, and undersea warfare. It differentiates itself through decades of government-focused work, strategic acquisitions (MCR Federal, Intrepid, Group W), and an Office of Innovation that expands capabilities in AI, data science, and digital engineering. Its goal is to deliver accurate analyses and new capabilities quickly to guide defense investments and programs.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
$20.1M
Headquarters
Alexandria, Virginia
Founded
1972
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- SPA won a $151 million DARPA I2O SETA contract in January 2026.
- Virginia approved SPA’s $46.9 million expansion, targeting 1,200 jobs by 2030.
- SPA expanded into OUSW R&E in March 2026, broadening beyond naval work.
What critics are saying
- SPA depends on federal defense budgets, with NNSA and DARPA contracts dominating 2026 growth.
- Arlington Capital’s ownership pressures SPA for bolt-on acquisitions, integration, and margin discipline.
- Losing TRIDENT support would gut SPA’s legacy moat and trigger cascading contract losses.
What makes Systems Planning and Analysis unique
- SPA owns deep Navy Strategic Systems Programs roots, including 2026 Trident II support renewals.
- Its 2026 fellows program formalizes elite expertise in AI, cloud, and wargaming.
- Raj Badhwar’s CIO mandate links secure enterprise IT to mission delivery and acquisitions.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 27%1 year growth
↑ 27%2 year growth
↑ 27%Systems Planning & Analysis, an independent provider of analytical insights for national security programmes, has appointed four new Fellows to advance its technical capabilities across key domains. The appointments expand SPA's expertise in software engineering, DevSecOps and cloud, applied artificial intelligence, and digital wargaming. The newly appointed Fellows are Ian Harding (Software Engineering), Steven Hernandez (DevSecOps and Cloud), Amy Soller (Applied Artificial Intelligence), and Phillip Pournelle (Digital Wargaming). These senior subject matter experts will lead the development and integration of advanced capabilities across complex, multi-domain environments for national security clients. The appointments reinforce SPA's focus on accelerating mission-ready solutions, from scalable software systems and secure cloud architectures to AI applications and analytical wargaming tools that inform critical defence and intelligence decisions.
SPA taps Raj Badhwar as CIO. On January 28, Systems Planning & Analysis (SPA) announced that Raj Badhwar has joined the company as chief information officer (CIO). Badhwar serves on SPA's executive leadership team and reports to Chief Executive Officer Rich Sawchak. As CIO, Badhwar leads SPA's enterprise information technology (IT) organization, including digital strategy, architecture, engineering, operations, data management, and business intelligence. He focuses on delivering secure, resilient, scalable technology, and cybersecurity platforms in close partnership with SPA's business and mission teams. "Raj brings deep expertise in cybersecurity, cloud, and enterprise IT that will be critical as SPA continues to grow and support increasingly complex national security missions. His leadership will help ensure our technology remains secure, modern, and aligned with both our customers' needs and our long-term strategy," Sawchak said. Badhwar's priorities include strengthening technology capabilities that support SPA's national security customers, increasing efficiency and scalability across the IT organization, and ensuring that technology investments align with mission delivery, business growth, and acquisition activities. "My work at SPA will center on ensuring technology directly supports mission outcomes for our national security customers. That means strengthening security and resilience, simplifying operations as we scale, and advancing our cloud, data, and cybersecurity capabilities in a disciplined and trusted way," noted Badhwar. Badhwar brings more than 30 years of experience leading secure technology and cybersecurity organizations across engineering, defense, financial services, and cloud platforms. Start 2026 ahead of the competition with a paid subscription to IC News. You'll get full access to its searchable archive of 15,000+ articles, plus new articles each weekday.
Systems Planning & Analysis has acquired Group W, a data science and defense analytics company that focuses on modeling, simulation and wargaming capabilities to the Defense Department.
SPA has acquired Group W, enhancing its capabilities in mission-critical modeling and simulation for defense. This acquisition unites SPA's analytical insights with Group W's expertise in data science and wargaming for the DoD. The merger aims to create a leading defense modeling and simulation company. Legal counsel for SPA was provided by Sheppard Mullin and Morrison Foerster, while Stout and Holland & Knight advised Group W. SPA is backed by Arlington Capital Partners.
On September 11, Systems Planning & Analysis (SPA) announced a significant investment to expand its global headquarters in Alexandria and enhance its operational presence in Fairfax County.