Industries / Aerospace, Defense and Government

Aerospace, Defense and Government Executive Search

Defense budgets and backlogs are at record levels, but programs move only as fast as the leaders running them, and many roles require an active clearance. Here's what makes each leadership search hard right now, what to look for, and what to watch out for.

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Across our careers, we've recruited for roles like these.

A jet climbing through a dark blue sky — PROGRAMS · ENGINEERING · CONTRACTS · CAPTURE · CLEARED

Our placements include organizations like

The White House · NASA · Google · Boeing · Lockheed Martin · Big 4 firms · Fortune 100 companies · DoD programs · Oil and gas · Startups

The market right now

Record budgets and backlogs. Programs move only as fast as their leaders.

$1.5 trillion

The FY2027 defense budget request is $1.5 trillion, about 42% above FY2026. It is a request, not yet enacted.

Stars and Stripes, April 2026

$557 billion

The three largest defense primes hold $557 billion in combined backlog, 2.7 times their 2025 sales.

Deloitte, May 2026

14.5%

The US aerospace and defense workforce had 14.5% attrition in 2024, and talent leaves the industry for tech at twice the rate it comes in.

AIA and McKinsey, June 2025

12+ years

GAO found the average time to deliver new capability across 104 major programs is now more than 12 years.

GAO, July 2026

227 days

Security clearance processing took 156 days for Secret and 227 days for Top Secret in the first quarter of FY2026.

ClearanceJobs, March 2026

HIRING IN AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE?

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Leadership roles we recruit

The leaders aerospace and defense companies need most.

Every role links to our guide: why it's hard to hire right now, what to look for and what to watch out for.

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Program Manager and Director of Programs
Director of Systems Engineering and Chief Engineer
Director of Contracts and Subcontracts
Capture Manager and Director of Business Development
Security-cleared engineering and technical leaders
Director of Quality and Mission Assurance
Director of Supply Chain

In demand now

Facility Security Officer and Director of Security
CMMC and Cybersecurity Compliance lead
Director of Export Compliance (ITAR)
Director of Space Systems
Director of Test and Evaluation
Director of Munitions Manufacturing
AI and Autonomy program leaders

How every search starts

We define what great looks like before we contact anyone.

Every search starts with an intake that goes deeper than the job description. Here's how a search brief reads for a Program Manager in aerospace, defense and government, built from our role guide below.

Start a Search See a candidate website

Search brief · private

Search brief

Program Manager

Aerospace, Defense and Government

Must-haves

A program of similar value and contract type (cost-plus, fixed-price or other transaction agreement).
A development-to-production transition.
Earned value fluency, including explaining their own variances and how they recovered.
An active clearance at the program's level.

Screen out

Only cost-plus development experience for a fixed-price production role.
A "PM" title that was really program office analysis or scheduling.
No story of recovering a troubled program.

Where we'll look

Prime contractorsTier 1 and Tier 2 suppliersSpace and defense technology companiesCommercial aerospaceCleared leaders on adjacent programsLeaders who aren't looking

Sample search brief, for illustration

Role guides

What to look for in every aerospace and defense leadership hire.

Program Manager and Director of Programs

Why it's hard right now

Production is ramping, with the FY2027 request raising F-35 procurement from 47 to 85 aircraft (The Aviationist, April 2026), and the Pentagon is shifting accountability to Portfolio Acquisition Executives while pushing commercial-first buying. (ClearanceJobs, November 2025)

What to look for

A program of similar value and contract type (cost-plus, fixed-price or other transaction agreement).
A development-to-production transition.
Earned value fluency, including explaining their own variances and how they recovered.
An active clearance at the program's level.
PMP.
DAWIA Program Management certification, now run by Warfighting Acquisition University (formerly DAU).

Watch out for

Only cost-plus development experience for a fixed-price production role.
A "PM" title that was really program office analysis or scheduling.
No story of recovering a troubled program.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Systems Engineering and Chief Engineer

Why it's hard right now

Engineering is both the top demand area and the hardest to source, cited by 76% of firms (AIA and McKinsey, June 2025), and GAO found many programs starting with immature technology. (GAO, July 2026)

What to look for

Full lifecycle ownership from requirements to verification.
Major design reviews led (SRR, PDR, CDR).
Model-based systems engineering tied to a program result.
Realistic technology and manufacturing readiness assessments.
INCOSE CSEP or ESEP.

Watch out for

Model-based systems engineering experience that's all tools and no delivered program.
Experience in only one lifecycle phase.
A chief engineer title without real design authority.

Pay dataThe BLS median for architectural and engineering managers is $171,270, and $211,450 in scientific research and development services (May 2025).

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Contracts and Subcontracts

Why it's hard right now

The rules are changing. The Revolutionary FAR Overhaul is being rolled out agency by agency (Covington's Inside Government Contracts, May 2026). CMMC Phase 2 was suspended in July 2026, but existing DFARS cybersecurity requirements and compliance affirmations still apply. (Holland & Knight, July 2026)

What to look for

FAR and DFARS depth plus other transaction agreement and commercial-item experience.
Negotiations involving certified cost or pricing data.
Flowdowns to lower-tier suppliers.
DCAA and DCMA audits.
NCMA CPCM or CFCM.

Watch out for

Commercial-only contracting.
Can't name a negotiation they won.
Treats cyber clauses as someone else's problem.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Capture Manager and Director of Business Development

Why it's hard right now

Buying is shifting toward portfolio executives, commercial-first acquisition and other transaction agreements, so older networks and methods go out of date quickly. (ClearanceJobs, November 2025; Air & Space Forces Magazine, November 2025)

What to look for

Documented wins with contract value, their role and their win rate.
Disciplined win-probability and price-to-win analysis.
Teaming.
Current relationships with the specific agency.
Shipley or APMP training.

Watch out for

Credit taken for team wins.
A record of only recompetes.
Customer relationships from before recent reorganizations.
Unclear on post-government employment restrictions.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Security-cleared engineering and technical leaders

Why it's hard right now

About 80% of new hires start work on an interim clearance, and 78% of cleared workers say they're at least somewhat likely to change jobs. (ClearanceJobs, March 2026) Non-citizens can't hold clearances, which narrows the pool.

What to look for

Current clearance eligibility and access (level, SCI or SAP, polygraph) confirmed through your Facility Security Officer before any offer.
Leadership inside SCIF or SAP environments.
Enrollment in continuous vetting.

Watch out for

"Clearable" candidates, or a long gap since they last held access.
Overstated access.
Pay expectations anchored to startup equity.

Pay dataAverage cleared pay reached a record $126,125, and TS/SCI holders average $139,261. (ClearanceJobs, March and May 2026)

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Quality and Mission Assurance

Why it's hard right now

Production ramps expose quality gaps. GAO found quality problems that forced production-line fixes on a Navy hypersonic missile program. (DefenseScoop, July 2026)

What to look for

AS9100, first-article inspection (AS9102), APQP and PPAP.
Counterfeit-parts prevention.
Root cause and corrective action with measured results.
Lower-tier supplier quality.
DCMA audits.
Flight-hardware mission assurance for space roles.

Watch out for

Runs the quality paperwork with no impact on the production floor.
No escape-rate or cost-of-quality numbers.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Supply Chain

Why it's hard right now

The constraints sit deep in the lower tiers (solid rocket motors, energetics, castings and forgings), with lead times of two to four years (Deloitte, May 2026). A DFARS rule bans magnets from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea starting January 1, 2027. (CSIS, April 2026)

What to look for

Multi-tier supplier mapping.
New suppliers qualified on schedule and real second sources in place.
DPAS rated orders and specialty-metals rules.
Long-lead planning.

Watch out for

A commercial cost-cutter with no supplier-qualification experience.
Visibility only into first-tier suppliers.
Reliance on spot buys.

Pay dataThe BLS median for purchasing managers is $148,080 (May 2025).

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

How TAP runs this search

Where we find aerospace and defense leaders.

We start with an intake that goes deeper than the job description, then map who is doing this job today at companies like yours, including cleared leaders, with clearance status confirmed through your Facility Security Officer before any offer. Every candidate is interviewed in depth before you meet them, and you get a private website on each finalist: interview video, a rating on each of your requirements, compensation, timing and why we recommend them. Our goal is your hire from the first two candidates we present.

See how every search runs What's on a candidate website

Prime contractorsTier 1 and 2 suppliersSpace companiesDefense technologyCommercial aerospaceAdjacent cleared programs

Prime contractors
Tier 1 and 2 suppliers
Space companies
Defense technology
Commercial aerospace
Adjacent cleared programs

Leaders who aren't looking

01
Intake
Deeper than the job description.
02
Map
Who is doing this job today at companies like yours.
03
Interview
Every candidate, in depth, before you meet them.
04
Candidate website
Video, ratings on your requirements, pay and timing.
05
Hire
Our goal: your hire from the first two candidates we present.

Talk with TAP

Hiring for one of these roles, or want a second opinion on how to recruit for it?

Across our careers, we've recruited for roles like these. Tell us what you're hiring for and we'll share what we'd look out for, whether or not you start a search with us.

Start a Search Talk With TAP

Jonathan Tureau

Founder & Principal Recruiter

Founder-led, on every search. 17 years in recruiting, and a third-generation recruiter.

FAQ

Questions about aerospace and defense leadership searches.

Still have a question? Talk With TAP

Can TAP recruit for roles that require a security clearance?

Yes. We confirm each finalist's clearance level and status with your Facility Security Officer before an offer, and we never handle classified information. Cleared searches can take longer if a clearance needs to be transferred or reinstated.

How long does an aerospace or defense leadership search take?

Most of our searches take 4 to 10 weeks, depending on the role, the market and any clearance requirements.

What does TAP charge for an aerospace or defense leadership search?

25% of the new leader's first-year compensation. On most packages, an engagement fee paid at the start is credited toward it, and the placement fee is invoiced on your new leader's start date. See the full fee guide.

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Sources 20 citedLast reviewed September 2026

Aerospace, Defense and Government Executive Search

Record budgets and backlogs. Programs move only as fast as their leaders.

Get a second opinion on your search before you start.

The leaders aerospace and defense companies need most.

We define what great looks like before we contact anyone.

Program Manager

What to look for in every aerospace and defense leadership hire.

Where we find aerospace and defense leaders.

Intake

Map

Interview

Candidate website

Hire

Hiring for one of these roles, or want a second opinion on how to recruit for it?

Questions about aerospace and defense leadership searches.

Other industries we recruit for.

Technology and AI

Energy, Oil and Gas

Manufacturing and Industrial

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Hospitality, Travel and Luxury

Construction, Infrastructure and Real Estate