Field Operations Lead

The Force Protection Division is looking for a Field Operations Lead to serve as the primary on-site execution lead for the Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) Increased Access OTA Prototype and is responsible for planning, coordinating, and overseeing all field deployment, installation, operational integration, and site execution activities.

The Field Operations Lead acts as the operational bridge between the Program Manager, technical team, Government stakeholders, installation personnel, subcontractors, and field support personnel to ensure successful deployment and operationalization of the layered protection ecosystem.

This individual is responsible for ensuring deployment activities are executed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with operational constraints while maintaining mission continuity throughout the period of performance.

The Field Operations Lead is the primary execution lead responsible for translating plans into operational reality. This role ensures that deployment activities, Government coordination, technical integration efforts, and operational validation activities are successfully executed in the field while maintaining mission continuity and supporting delivery of the program's operational objectives.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day field execution activities.
• Plan and coordinate deployment sequencing and operational activation activities.
• Ensure field activities remain aligned with program objectives and schedule commitments.
• Serve as the primary field representative for Leidos during deployment operations.
• Support installation access planning and coordination.
• Facilitate field-level communications between Leidos and Government personnel.
• Oversee sensor installation, infrastructure deployment, and operational activation activities.
• Coordinate field support personnel and subcontractor deployment teams.
• Monitor deployment progress and resolve field execution issues.
• Coordinate field participation during demonstrations and operational evaluations.
• Assist with end-to-end operational workflow validation.
• Support Operational Readiness Reviews (ORRs) and Government demonstrations.
• Coordinate access approvals, escorts, and site-specific restrictions.
• Support environmental, safety, and operational compliance activities.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 – 12 years of prior relevant experience or Master’s with 6 – 10 years of prior relevant experience.
• Field Operations Leadership for Systems Integration and Field Deployment activities on DoD programs.
• Experience with Multi-Vendor Integration Activities.
• Communications Infrastructure Deployment in OT/ICN Operational Environments.
• Strong leadership and coordination skills.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent activities with strong problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities.
• Ability to operate effectively in dynamic field environments.
• Operational test and evaluation experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills; ability to communicate with executive leadership (internally or client) regarding matters of significant importance to the organization/project. 
• Bias for action and problem resolution and collaborative decision-maker
• Knowledge of agile development methodologies and management
• US citizenship and current secret clearance

Preferred Qualifications 

• Physical security or force protection systems experience.
• Operational Technology (OT) / Industrial Control Network (ICN) integration experience.
• Experience supporting USA or other DoW customers

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.