Portfolio Director (Active Secret Clearance or Ability to obtain one)

Company Overview:

 

Work Where it Matters

 

Akima Systems Engineering (ASE), an Akima company, is not just another federal systems support contractor. As an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), our mission and purpose extend beyond our exciting federal projects as we support our shareholder communities in Alaska.

 

At ASE, the work you do every day makes a difference in the lives of our 15,000 Iñupiat shareholders, a group of Alaska natives from one of the most remote and harshest environments in the United States.

 

For our shareholders, ASE provides support and employment opportunities and contributes to the survival of a culture that has thrived above the Arctic Circle for more than 10,000 years.

 

For our government customers, ASE delivers solutions in maritime IT, systems engineering, and integration across the Department of Defense and stands ready to help improve operational performance at a reasonable and sustainable cost.

 

As an ASE employee, you will be surrounded by a challenging, yet supportive work environment that is committed to innovation and diversity, two of our most important values. You will also have access to our comprehensive benefits and competitive pay in addition to growth opportunities and excellent retirement options.

Description:

ASE is seeking an experienced Portfolio Director to lead and grow a portfolio of federal government programs within our Systems Engineering, IT, and Mission Support business line. The Portfolio Director serves as the senior programmatic authority for a group of Program Managers (PMs) and Project Managers, owning the overall cost, schedule, technical performance, and financial health of every program within the portfolio. This role blends hands-on program oversight with strategic business leadership.  To join our team of outstanding professionals, apply today!

 

The Portfolio Director is directly accountable for portfolio growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction, and serves as the primary escalation point between the PM team, Shared Services, executive leadership, and the customer. The ideal candidate is a senior-level federal contracting leader who combines strong financial acumen, proven people leadership, and an established track record of growing programs through capture and business development. This position will report to the Sr. Director of Operations.

 

This Hybrid position requires that you live within commuting distance from Herndon, VA.

Responsibilities:

• Own the overall cost, schedule, and performance of an assigned portfolio of programs, ensuring each program meets or exceeds contractual and customer expectations.
• Provide strategic oversight and day-to-day operational support to each Program/Project Manager within the portfolio; serve as the first point of contact for programmatic support, escalations, and issue resolution.
• Establish clear performance metrics for each PM within the portfolio; evaluate performance against those metrics and provide ongoing coaching, assistance, and guidance to the project management team.
• Maintain the financial health and growth trajectory of the portfolio as a whole, ensuring alignment with corporate-level revenue, margin, and growth targets.
• Drive the successful delivery of every program in the portfolio, ensuring each contract adds the highest possible strategic and financial value to Akima.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with Shared Services functions (Contracts, HR, Finance, Recruiting, Security, etc.) to ensure PMs have the resources and support needed to execute successfully.
• Provide mentorship, coaching, and professional development to Program and Project Managers, building bench strength and succession depth across the portfolio.
• Partner closely with Business Development and Capture teams throughout the capture and proposal lifecycle; take ownership for identifying and driving organic and new growth within the portfolio.
• Cultivate strong, trust-based relationships with customers, teaming partners, and subcontractors to protect incumbent positions and identify expansion opportunities.
• Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) across the portfolio’s technical and programmatic domains, and act as a hands-on backup to any PM within the portfolio as needed

• This role requires extensive, hands-on P&L experience managing contract financials, including:

  • Revenue and margin analysis – monitoring program-level and portfolio-level revenue recognition and profitability against plan.
  • Cost, quality, and schedule variance analysis – identifying root causes and driving corrective action plans.
  • Estimates at Completion (EACs) and forecast development – building and defending monthly/quarterly EACs and long-range financial forecasts.
  • Accounts payable/receivable, billing, and Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) management – ensuring timely, accurate invoicing with Project Controls team.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Engineering, Information Technology, Business Administration, or related discipline); PMP or equivalent PM certification strongly preferred; advanced degree a plus.
• 10 years of progressive program/project management experience supporting federal government customers
• 5 years of leading multiple concurrent programs or a portfolio of contracts simultaneously consisting of $40M or more in annual revenue/funding management
• Direct experience owning full P&L responsibility for a portfolio of contracts, including accountability for revenue, margin, and growth targets reported to corporate/executive leadership.
• A track record of successfully managing a mix of contract types (FFP, CPFF, T&M, IDIQ/Task Order management) and understanding how each contract type drives financial and risk management strategy.
• Demonstrated experience preparing and defending EACs, variance analyses, and financial forecasts in Program/Contract Status Reviews (PSRs/CSRs) with both internal leadership and government customers.
• Prior experience partnering with Business Development and Capture teams on proposal development, pricing strategy, teaming agreements, and win-theme development, with measurable contribution to organic growth or new business wins.
• Experience building and leading teams of Program/Project Managers, including hiring, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning across a distributed program portfolio.
• Established relationships with, or demonstrated ability to quickly build trust with, senior government customers, contracting officers (COs/CORs), and teaming/subcontractor partners.
• Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS, Earned Value Management (EVM), and government accounting/compliance requirements as they relate to program financial management.
• Proven people leadership — able to coach, develop, and hold accountable a team of PMs with varying levels of experience.
• Strategic mindset paired with hands-on willingness to step in as SME or acting PM when needed.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills to balance oversight across multiple concurrent programs.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government SECRET-level security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Prior experience in Systems Engineering, IT, and/or Mission Support contract environments specifically.
• Experience operating within a Native American-owned or similarly structured government contracting organization (e.g., 8(a), ANC/Alaska Native Corporation family of companies).
• Familiarity with Shared Services delivery models and matrixed organizational structures supporting multiple programs.
• Experience managing programs through recompete cycles, including retention strategy and past-performance documentation.

Benefits Information: Regular - The company offers a comprehensive benefits program, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401(k) and a range of other voluntary benefits. Paid Time Off (PTO) is offered to regular full-time and part-time employees. Pay Range: $185,000 - $190,000 Job ID: 2026-25271 Work Type: Hybrid