INDUSTRIES
Aerospace, defense and government contracting leadership 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.
The market right now
- (Stars and Stripes, April 2026)
- (Deloitte, May 2026)
- (AIA and McKinsey, June 2025)
- (GAO, July 2026)
- (ClearanceJobs, March 2026)
Leadership roles we recruit
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
Role guides
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.
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 data
- The BLS median for architectural and engineering managers is $171,270, and $211,450 in scientific research and development services (May 2025).
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.
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.
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 data
- Average cleared pay reached a record $126,125, and TS/SCI holders average $139,261. (ClearanceJobs, March and May 2026)
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.
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 data
- The BLS median for purchasing managers is $148,080 (May 2025).
How TAP runs this search
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
- 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.
- Most of our searches take 4 to 10 weeks, depending on the role, the market and any clearance requirements.
- 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.
Sources
- Stars and Stripes, FY2027 budget request, April 2026: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-04-21/pentagon-budget-2027-raise-for-troops-21442781.html
- Deloitte, US defense manufacturing, May 2026: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/aerospace-defense/us-defense-manufacturing-industrial-scale.html
- AIA and McKinsey, 2025 Aerospace and Defense Workforce Study, June 2025: https://www.aia-aerospace.org/news/aia-and-mckinsey-release-new-study-on-tackling-talent-gaps-in-aerospace-and-defense-industry/
- GAO, weapon systems assessment (GAO-26-108457), July 2026: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108457
- ClearanceJobs, clearance processing times, March 2026: https://news.clearancejobs.com/2026/03/19/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-a-clearance-q1-2026-update/
- The Aviationist, FY2027 budget request, April 2026: https://theaviationist.com/2026/04/22/pentagons-record-breaking-1-5-trillion-budget-request/
- ClearanceJobs, Portfolio Acquisition Executives, November 2025: https://news.clearancejobs.com/2025/11/17/inside-the-pentagons-new-acquisition-revolution-portfolio-executives-replace-layers-of-bureaucracy/
- Warfighting Acquisition University: https://www.waru.edu/
- INCOSE certification: https://www.incose.org/certification
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, architectural and engineering managers: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/architectural-and-engineering-managers.htm
- Covington, Inside Government Contracts, May 2026: https://www.insidegovernmentcontracts.com/2026/05/from-paper-reform-to-practice-how-agencies-are-actually-implementing-the-revolutionary-far-overhaul/
- Holland & Knight, CMMC Phase II suspension, July 2026: https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2026/07/dow-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-requirements
- NCMA certification: https://www.ncmahq.org/certification
- Air & Space Forces Magazine, Golden Dome contracts, November 2025: https://www.airandspaceforces.com/space-force-first-contracts-golden-dome-space-based-interceptors/
- ClearanceJobs, clearance reform, March 2026: https://news.clearancejobs.com/2026/03/09/the-security-clearance-reform-scorecard-just-changed-and-thats-a-good-thing/
- ClearanceJobs, 2026 Compensation Report, March 2026: https://news.clearancejobs.com/2026/03/31/new-report-reveals-security-clearance-compensation-climbs-to-record-high-amid-federal-workforce-uncertainty/
- ClearanceJobs, compensation by clearance level, May 2026: https://news.clearancejobs.com/2026/05/13/from-secret-to-ts-sci-to-full-scope-poly-how-security-clearances-impact-compensation/
- DefenseScoop, GAO on hypersonic programs, July 2026: https://defensescoop.com/2026/07/07/gao-pentagon-hypersonic-programs-schedule-constraints-production-woes/
- CSIS, rare earth export restrictions, April 2026: https://www.csis.org/analysis/rare-earth-export-restrictions-one-year-later
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, purchasing managers: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/purchasing-managers-buyers-and-purchasing-agents.htm
Last reviewed September 2026