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From the employer's careers site First seen 8 Nov 2026

IT Strategist

Dark Wolf Arlington, VA senior full-time

Salary

$170,000 - $200,000 per year

Apply on Dark Wolf

Description

Dark Wolf is seeking an IT Strategist to drive strategy and execution for TS/SCI networks and systems, SIPRNet VDI network and systems architectures, and Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) for commercial SCIFs.

The role supports a high-stakes, department-wide transformation effort focused on enabling the customer to access classified data at mission speed through a government-funded, agile, contractor-delivered Minimum Viable Product.

The IT Strategist serves as a hybrid operator with deep knowledge of agency classified network engineering, security accreditation, vendor accountability, and on-the-ground operational execution.

The primary objective of this role is to oversee the strategic implementation of the Commercial Wide Area Network (CWAN) to streamline Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) access for the Defense Industrial Base (DIB).

The Senior IT Strategist will guide the paradigm shift from a government-funded infrastructure to a commercial fee-for-service model.

The IT Strategist will lead the Classified Infrastructure as a Service (CIaaS) Pilot, focusing on rapid capability delivery.

The core scope involves reducing the current 12 to 24-month site onboarding timeline to under 3 months by transitioning to a contractor-delivered minimum viable product.

The Strategist will also ensure the architecture strictly adheres to a Zero Data Footprint policy, guaranteeing that no classified data resides at the contractor facility.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Direct the establishment of IC Exchange Points (ICX) utilizing high-speed peering to connect contractor network backbones across Eastern, Central, and Western geographic regions.
  • Manage the implementation of a single, scalable Authority to Operate (ATO) that covers all global kiosks, ensuring new sites require only administrative updates rather than new ATO cycles.
  • Supervise the integration of government-controlled peering connected to a contractor Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) network.
  • Validate that all commercial transport network connections utilize mandatory Type-1 encryption.
  • Empower the contractor to operate as the industry Program Management Office (PMO), serving as the single accountability interface between government stakeholders and the DIB.
  • Authorize and evaluate future hosting services, including the implementation of centralized Virtual Resource Hosting Clusters for industry contract performance.

Required Qualifications:

  • 10+ years of tactical and strategic project management experience within the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, or Defense Industrial Base.
  • Extensive operational experience working with DCSA and DIA; Intelligence Community experience is a plus.
  • Deep working proficiency with the Risk Management Framework (RMF), the ATO lifecycle, and ICD 705 SCIF build-outs.
  • Practical understanding of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), secure cloud environments, Type-1 encryption transport, and modern software development lifecycles.
  • Proven ability to manage concurrent, multi-layered projects involving hardware deployment, facility construction, and complex IT network activations under tight deadlines.
  • Ability to communicate complex technical, cybersecurity, accreditation, and operational concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  • US Citizenship and currently possess a Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Project Management Professional (PMP).
  • Agile/Scrum certification, or DoD 8140/8570 compliance certification such as Security+, CISSP, or CISM.
  • Familiarity with classified cloud architectures such as AWS Secret/Top Secret or Microsoft Azure Government Secret.

The salary range for this position is $170,000.00 - $200,000.00 commensurate on experience and technical skillset.

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Skills

Required

  • Risk Management Framework (RMF)
  • ATO lifecycle
  • ICD 705 SCIF build-outs
  • Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
  • secure cloud environments
  • Type-1 encryption transport
  • modern software development lifecycles
  • project management
  • hardware deployment
  • facility construction
  • complex IT network activations

Nice to have

  • Project Management Professional (PMP)
  • Agile/Scrum certification
  • DoD 8140/8570 compliance certification
  • Security+
  • CISSP
  • CISM
  • classified cloud architectures
  • AWS Secret/Top Secret
  • Microsoft Azure Government Secret

Ready to apply?

You apply with the employer directly. Their original posting is here: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/darkwolfsolutions/jobs/8196639003

Apply on Dark Wolf