Defense Government-Funded Research Lead
Noblis
Defense Government-Funded Research Lead
Noblis
Nonprofit federal contractor delivering systems engineering
Noblis is seeking a visionary leader to help establish us as a premier S&T powerhouse and key innovator within the DARPA and Undersecretary of War (R&E) research ecosystem by expanding our role as a government-funded capability innovator. This role will help our transformation from services provider to solution innovator by enabling the development capabilities across CWMD, Biomanufacturing, Digital Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and modeling & simulation that deliver disruptive mission impact.
The Opportunity
You will architect and execute our strategy to become a trusted solution partner to DARPA, DIU, CDAO, and SCO—positioning Noblis as the go-to innovator for advanced research that solves the hardest mission challenges. This is about building our reputation as a technical powerhouse that delivers game-changing capabilities, not just staff augmentation.
The ideal candidate brings deep DARPA and USW (R&E) relationships, a proven track record of transitioning breakthrough technologies from concept to operational impact, and the entrepreneurial drive to build our government funded research portfolio into a flagship demonstration of our innovation capabilities.
What You'll Do
Build Our Innovation Reputation: Work with Noblis CTO and the broader leadership team to establish Noblis as a recognized leader in delivering disruptive, mission-focused solutions that demonstrate our technical depth and innovation capacity. Shape how DARPA and USW (R&E) view us - as the team that brings breakthrough capabilities to their toughest problems.
Drive Solution-Focused Growth: Lead capture and business development for OTAs, BAAs, and other Government-Funding research (GFR) opportunities that showcase our ability to develop advanced solution sets. Collaborate across technical disciplines to package our best innovations into compelling proposals that win based on technical merit and mission impact.
Expand Our GFR Portfolio: Grow our government funded research footprint as proof that agencies trust us to deliver innovation on mission-critical challenges. Build a portfolio that demonstrates our S&T leadership and creates pathways to larger solution-based engagements.
Accelerate Technology Transition: Champion the journey from research concept to operational capability, working with Noblis CTO to develop and seize upon opportunities to transition internally funded research into operational impact. Work with clients to ensure our innovations don't stay in the lab—they get deployed, adopted, and create lasting mission impact.
Collaborate Across the Innovation Ecosystem: Partner with Noblis technical leaders, industry partners, and academic institutions to stay connected to frontier research and leverage cutting-edge ideas for mission advantage.
This position is central to Noblis' transformation into a recognized S&T powerhouse. You'll help shift our portfolio from services to solutions, demonstrate our innovation capabilities to the most demanding research sponsors, and build the reputation that attracts top technical talent and high-impact opportunities. Success means agencies seek us out because they know we deliver breakthrough capabilities that solve their hardest problems.
You will contribute to the success of an account, function and/or project, aligning your activities with company strategy and collaborate to improve current or create new Noblis methodologies, capabilities and/or services. As an employee, you: Attract, develop, engage and retain talent, encouraging innovation and collaborative problem-solving, and building a high-performing team. Work on novel assignments, issues and problems; assignments are large scope, high impact, high cost and are of high importance. Possess broad, deep expertise or unique knowledge in their field; resolve novel challenge with significant organizational impact and consult on solutions for novel, out-of-policy, or strategic issues. Act as a strategic advisor to top/executive management; collaborate with senior management on diverse, multi-area assignments. Build and maintain strategic relationships across groups; create and manage complex resource networks across internal/external groups. Operate under general direction with significant autonomy; demonstrate sound judgment in ambiguous situations and know when to escalate.
Bachelor's degree and 10 years of experience (or a Master's degree and 8 or a PhD and 6)
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Overview
Noblis and our wholly owned subsidiaries, Noblis ESI and Noblis MSD, take on some of the nation’s toughest challenges, delivering advanced solutions to our customers’ most critical missions. We bring together leading scientific, engineering, and management expertise in a culture grounded in objectivity and collaboration, ensuring our work creates lasting impact across federal missions.
We work with a broad range of government agencies in the defense, intelligence, and federal civilian sectors. Learn more and find opportunities at careers.noblis.org
Why Work at Noblis
At Noblis, we share a passion for excellence and innovation, and we create an environment where people can do meaningful work while maintaining the balance that keeps them energized and fulfilled. We seek out individuals with a natural curiosity and desire to collaborate and learn. We believe our people are our greatest strength, and we consistently seek exceptionally skilled, mission‑driven professionals who care deeply about doing work that enriches lives and makes our nation safer.
Noblis has earned numerous workplace awards for our culture, our commitment to employee well‑being, and our dedication to meaningful, impactful work. We also maintain a drug‑free workplace.
Remote/hybrid status is subject to change based on Noblis and/or government requirements.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, sex, age, national origin, religion, physical or mental disability, pregnancy/childbirth and related medical conditions, veteran or military status, or any other characteristics protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact us.
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At Noblis we recognize and reward your contributions, provide you with growth opportunities, and support your total well-being. Our offerings include health, life, disability, financial, and retirement benefits, as well as paid leave, professional development, tuition assistance, and work-life programs. Our award programs acknowledge employees for exceptional performance and superior demonstration of our service standards. Full-time and part-time employees working at least 20 hours a week on a regular basis are eligible to participate in our benefit programs. Other offerings may be provided for employees not within this category. We encourage you to learn more about our total benefits by visiting the Benefits page on our Careers site.
Compensation at Noblis is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the combination of education, certifications, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, internal and external equity, location, clearance level, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements and applicable employment laws. The projected compensation range for this position is based on full time status. For part time or on-call staff, compensation is proportionately adjusted based on hours worked. While monetary compensation is important, it's just one component of Noblis’ total compensation package.
Noblis is a nonprofit science, technology, and strategy organization that provides technical services and research to U.S. federal government agencies. It wins federal contracts and grants to deliver services such as systems engineering, program management, data analytics, cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation across defense, homeland security, intelligence, and civil agencies. It differentiates itself by applying applied sciences and model-based engineering across multi-cloud environments and by partnering with small businesses to fulfill contracts, with research leading to patented technologies like DNA data storage and secure authentication. Its goal is to advance public-interest technology solutions through rigorous research and mission-focused programs that improve national security, public safety, and government operations.
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