OUSW(R&E) and DARPA Hypersonics Senior Technical Advisor

Amentum is a leading provider of engineering, scientific, and program management support services to some of the top agencies in the U.S. government, including the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering (OUSW(R&E)), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Intelligence Community.

The USW(R&E) serves as the primary advisor to the Department of War (DoW) leadership on all matters pertaining to the Department's Research and Engineering (R&E) enterprise, technology development and transition, developmental prototyping, experimentation, and administration of testing ranges and activities. The USW(R&E) also serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Department and is tasked with the imperative mission of ensuring the continuous advancement of technology and innovation within the DoW enterprise. As the CTO, the USW(R&E) advises the Secretary of War on all matters related to research, engineering, manufacturing, developmental test and evaluation, technology development, innovation, and protection activities and programs in the DoW and occurring internationally. Additional information on USW(R&E) is available here: https://www.cto.mil/

Amentum is seeking a Senior Subject Matter Expert (SME) to serve as a technical advisor to the Senior Official for Scaled Hypersonics within the OUSW(R&E). This SME role requires working on-site at the client location (Arlington, VA). Some travel (~25%), local as well as domestic, will be required. Annual salary range is between $250K-$300K, depending on qualifications and experience.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Provide timely and accurate technical counsel to the Senior Official for Scaled Hypersonics, covering the breadth of technical disciplines and programs concerned with the development and demonstration of technologies and hypersonic flight systems. This enables an integrated understanding of the state of the United States Defense Hypersonic Enterprise.

Identify and monitor hypersonic research, development, test and evaluation activities across the hypersonic enterprise including DoW, NASA, Department of Energy (DoE), Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), academia, and industry

Identify and monitor hypersonic system development, demonstration and acquisition programs across the enterprise

Provide regular technical updates and assessments to the Senior Official for Scaled Hypersonics on technology development activities and system development programs to maintain PDH awareness of progress, problems, investment needs and opportunities

Recommend possible client actions to address problems and investment needs

Provide hypersonic technology and system development technical counsel and guidance to R&E leadership, intelligence agencies, uniformed services, combatant commands and team members. Mentor team members in hypersonic technology and system development topics and support team taskings and actions. This delivers critical value to both the DoW, critical DoW stakeholders and the team.

Support the Senior Official for Scaled Hypersonics in meetings with senior DoW, USW(R&E), service, and COCOM leadership to provide technical counsel and perspectives on US hypersonic technology and system development

Support the intelligence community's efforts to assess foreign hypersonic technology and system development activities

Collaborate with team members to address taskings issued to the Scaled Hypersonics office, providing technical assessments and expertise to support those taskings

Support the planning and execution of national hypersonic technical meetings

Accept and execute taskings as directed by the Senior Official for Scaled Hypersonics and the Office Operations Manager

Support the Senior Official for Scaled Hypersonics in the development and assessment of new initiatives and investments to advance hypersonic technology and system development in accordance with the primary goals and priorities as outlined in the Hypersonic Strategic Approach. This will guide and drive growth in the DoW Hypersonic Enterprise, creating opportunities for next-generation system development and demonstration, advancement in hypersonic science and technology, and enhanced capabilities for current hypersonic systems.

Support the Senior Official for Scaled Hypersonics in developing, reviewing, and executing enterprise-level technology and system development roadmaps to achieve the goals of the Strategic Approach

Support the Program Objective Memorandum (POM) planning and annual Program Review process with technical assessments, evaluations and recommendations for program content and funding changes for hypersonic efforts

Formulate and direct concepts for new studies and programs for technology development, demonstration, and to examine the warfighting benefits of hypersonic systems

Evaluate hypersonic technology and system development initiatives across the enterprise to provide assessments of technical, programmatic, and fiscal fidelity and value

Required Qualifications:

Master of Science degree in a scientific or technological discipline relevant to hypersonics

At least 20 years’ relevant experience

Must have an active US Government Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance. Please note US citizenship is required to maintain a security clearance

Demonstrated experience with applied technology (not basic research) and a background working on complex systems

Demonstrated experience with hypersonics vehicles, systems, and programs

Demonstrated professionalism, maturity, sound judgement, and excellent communication and interpersonal skills necessary for daily interactions with senior-level government officials, other technical support personnel, and executive-level stakeholder audiences in a dynamic, fast-paced environment

Ability to work independently or in a team setting as circumstances dictate

Preferred Qualifications:

PhD in a scientific or technological discipline relevant to hypersonics

Prior experience supporting the military services, DARPA, or OUSW(R&E) on complex programs, systems, and demonstrations

Compensation Details:

$250K-$300K

The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good-faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.

Benefits Overview:

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. Offerings include:

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off and holidays

Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching)

Educational reimbursement

Parental leave

Employee stock purchase plan

Tax-saving options

Disability and life insurance

Pet insurance

Note: Benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements. Positions governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), or other employment contracts may include different provisions/benefits.

Original Posting:

07/13/2026 - Until Filled Amentum anticipates this job requisition will remain open for at least three days, with a closing date no earlier than three days after the original posting. This timeline may change based on business needs.

Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breas