Job Description

ECS is seeking a Project Manager to work in our Fairfax, VA office.

ECS is seeking a highly motivated Project Manager, Special Projects to support a portfolio of dynamic initiatives for a Department of Defense (DoD) customer, including AI/ML innovation, Gen AI and Large Language Model (LLM) integration, Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) support, and strategic cloud efforts.

This role is ideal for a technically curious and solution-oriented project manager who thrives in fast-paced environments and enjoys engaging with cutting-edge technologies and diverse stakeholders. You’ll manage a range of “special projects” that change and evolve based on mission needs, with a focus on delivering value to the Navy’s most forward-leaning programs.

The successful candidate will work closely with stakeholders across the Navy, commercial vendors, and traditional federal contractors to shape and execute technical priorities. You’ll lead interdisciplinary teams, balance competing priorities, and ensure mission success through sound project planning, exceptional stakeholder management, and adaptive problem-solving.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the project manager for multiple special projects spanning Gen AI/LLM implementation, UUV systems, emerging AI/ML capabilities, and secure cloud tenant builds.
• Translate high-level mission objectives into executable project plans and technical requirements.
• Work closely with technical teams and stakeholders to define, track, and drive project priorities, risks, and timelines.
• Coordinate with DoD customers, integrators, cloud engineers, AI/ML specialists, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment of goals and deliverables.
• Support cloud modernization and deployment efforts, including onboarding workflows, tenant architecture, and solution adoption planning.
• Facilitate regular customer engagement sessions, provide clear project updates, and proactively manage risks and blockers.
• Develop and maintain documentation related to planning, status reporting, and technical delivery milestones.
• Manage subcontractors, vendors, and partners involved in the execution of assigned special projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Active Secret clearance (TS/SCI eligibility preferred)
• 5+ years of project or program management experience in a technical, defense, or R&D setting
• Proven experience managing cross-functional teams across technical and operational domains
• Ability to balance long-term strategic planning with rapid delivery of near-term priorities
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, especially in translating complex technical ideas to non-technical stakeholders
• Demonstrated success in high-velocity, high-ambiguity environments with shifting priorities
• Experience working in or supporting DoD or Navy programs
• Prior experience directly supporting Navy UUV programs or UUVGRU (or closely related undersea warfare / unmanned maritime systems efforts), with a clear understanding of mission objectives and operational context.
• Demonstrated track record managing software line(s) of effort within a larger DoD program, including integration with hardware systems, sensors, or autonomous platforms.
• Experience delivering software capabilities to Navy customers in a production environment, including fielding, sustainment, and iterative upgrades based on fleet/user feedback.
• History of working within Navy/DoD program offices or alongside prime contractors, successfully navigating government stakeholders, program reviews, and milestone events test events, deployments).
• Proven experience operating in classified environments supporting undersea or ISR missions, including handling program execution, reporting, and team coordination under strict security and operational constraints.