Project Manager - ATO & Certification Process

Our Product Operations team is looking for a Project Manager to join our team. As the Project Manager for Product Operations you will be primarily responsible for owning the end-to-end Authority to Operate (ATO) and certification process, including NIAP Common Criteria, CSfC, and FIPS 140-3 validation for our product lines. You will ensure these systems are authorized for deployment on DoD and IC networks and remain in continuous compliance. As a secondary responsibility, you will support the Product Operations Lead on initiatives for the hardware team, including R&D-to-Manufacturing process development.

This is a hybrid position and you can work from our Arlington or Herndon, VA office. Some travel (10-20%) will be required to interface with our customers and employees collaborating on cleared programs.

What you will do:

• ATO Ownership (End-to-End): Own the end-to-end process for getting authorized for deployment on DoD and IC systems, then manage continuous and ongoing certification, accreditation, risk assessment, and security requirements.
• NIAP / Common Criteria, CSfC & FIPS 140-3: Serve as the go-to expert on the certification and continuous authorization process across NIAP Common Criteria, CSfC, and FIPS 140-3 validation, ensuring compliance with government requirements and policies.
• Cross-Functional Requirements & Reciprocity: Work with stakeholders inside and outside the company, including tech leads, product managers, and existing IC/DoW customers, to define a clear list of requirements and actions needed to achieve ATO certification and pursue reciprocal ATOs with existing customers.
• DevSecOps & Secure SDLC: Steward a DevSecOps approach with product and engineering teams so security is designed in from the start, and create the artifacts needed to support a secure software development lifecycle.
• Continuous Compliance: Support the ongoing system improvements needed to maintain certification and accreditation status as they evolve, including additional hardware and cybersecurity certification processes (e.g., FIPS 140-3 validation) from a project management perspective.
• Process & Standards Development: Partner with the Product Operations Lead to build R&D-to-manufacturing processes and standards that do not currently exist, including hand-off procedures, work instructions, and stage-gate criteria for transitioning a product from engineering into production.
• Status Reporting: Provide the Product Operations Lead and Product Leadership team with regular, consolidated status on ATO and certification milestones and, secondarily, on Product Operations initiatives supporting the hardware team.
• Documentation & Audit Readiness: Maintain certification and process documentation so both the compliance and Product Operations functions are repeatable and audit-ready, reducing reliance on institutional knowledge held by any one person.

What you will need:

• 7+ years of project or program management experience within a defense contracting or high-assurance hardware/software environment
• Experience certifying software and hardware systems on both DoW and IC networks
• Experience certifying commercial technologies in addition to government-owned technologies
• Experience with hardware certifications and cybersecurity validation, such as FIPS 140-3, for high-assurance product lines
• Interest in supporting US government national security missions across the intelligence and defense communities

Security clearance needed:

• Active TS/SCI

Salary Range 140000 - 190000 USD