Defense Contracting Team Lead Location: Remote - Iowa Job Group: Professional & Scientific Required Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of related experience Job Description: The Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) at Iowa State University is seeking a qualified candidate to serve as the Defense Contracting Team Lead. The APEX Accelerator Program is a Department of War–funded initiative focused on growing and sustaining the government and defense industrial base. This position leads a team of government contracting specialists who provide client-centered coaching, education, connections, and technical support to help Iowa businesses pursue and succeed in government markets. The Team Leader will oversee delivery of technical assistance—including needs assessments and client-specific action plans—supporting clients through the federal and state/local acquisition processes, and provide guidance on registrations/certifications, opportunity identification, proposal development, defense innovation programs, contract compliance, cybersecurity, and related topics. In addition, the Team Leader represents Iowa State University, CIRAS, and the APEX Accelerator program externally; builds and maintains relationships with businesses, government agencies, and professional/trade associations; stays current on the federal contracting landscape and Department of War industrial base priorities; and drives change by continuously improving program services and curriculum to align with Department of War industrial base objectives. The successful candidate will bring strong business acumen, relationship-building capability, excellent written and verbal communication, and sound critical thinking/analytical problem-solving skills, with the ability to operate effectively amid ambiguity and change. This role includes staff leadership responsibilities such as team meetings, regular one-on-ones, performance coaching, capability development, and accountability for goals, metrics, and KPIs. This is a term position with an end date of June 30, 2028, with the potential for renewal based on funding availability. Employee must reside in or relocate to the state of Iowa on/before first day of employment. Preferred Qualifications: - Demonstrated experience working in or with the Department of War (e.g., supporting Department of War initiatives, advising contractors serving Department of War needs, or working within Department of War culture and requirements). - Manufacturing sector experience (especially supporting manufacturers pursuing government/defense work). - Significant experience in federal contracting and the federal acquisition process, including advising businesses on registrations/certifications, opportunity identification, proposal development, compliance, and related requirements. - Proven people leadership experience (supervising, coaching, developing staff; driving performance toward goals/metrics/KPIs). - Strong stakeholder and partnership development experience with businesses, government agencies, and professional/trade associations; comfort serving as an external-facing representative/spokesperson. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship. Immigration sponsorship is not available for this position. Application Instructions: To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following: Resume/Curriculum Vitae Letter of Application/Cover Letter Why Choose Iowa State University? Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental, as well as: - Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans - Generous vacation, holiday, and sick time and leave plans - Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa) - Life insurance and long-term disability - Flexible Spending Accounts - Various voluntary benefits and discounts - Employee Assistance Program - Wellbeing program - Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager. If you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu, or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485. Appointment Type: Regular with Term Appointment (Fixed Term) Proposed End Date or Length of Term: June 30, 2028 Number of Months Employed Per Year: 12 Month Work Period Time Type: Full time Pay Grade: PS812 Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, email eooffice@iastate.edu. General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources website. Please note that this is only a list of ranges and individuals will be paid commensurate with qualifications.

• Manage and operate security tools, including: - Microsoft Defender - Zscaler - Fortinet Firewall - Azure (Cloud Security) - Microsoft 365 / O365 - Entra ID - Vicarius - SIEM: Microsoft Sentinel • Develop and maintain automations in Microsoft environments using tools such as PowerShell, Bash, Logic Apps, Power Automate, Automation Account, APIs, and AI resources. • Familiarity with security tools such as Defender/Defender for Cloud, Entra ID, and O365. • Experience with automation in Microsoft environments (PowerShell, Power Platform, Bash, APIs, etc.).

• Support planning, execution, and testing of disaster recovery procedures to ensure business continuity. • Partner cybersecurity teams to validate recovery readiness and close any identified gaps. • Maintain visibility of hardware and software assets across the enterprise to reduce security risk. • Ensure assets are properly tracked, compliant, and aligned with lifecycle and vulnerability management processes. • Perform data gathering, analysis, synthesis and develop solutions to support THD Cybersecurity practices. • Collaborate cross-functionally to identify trends and resolve issues. • Implement solutions to meet customer expectations; ensure initiative/project goals are met in a timely manner. • Mentor junior level Analyst.

• Design and implement security controls for mobile applications, backend services, and web platforms • Conduct threat modelling and risk assessments for new and existing systems • Embed secure coding practices across engineering teams, aligned with OWASP standards • Partner with engineers to ensure security is integrated throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC) • Identify and remediate application vulnerabilities and security risks • Contribute to the implementation and improvement of DevSecOps practices • Provide guidance on secure architecture and secure software design • Support the development and enforcement of security policies, controls, and engineering standards • Improve the organisation’s application security posture through proactive security reviews and testing • Work with teams to ensure systems meet internal security standards and external regulatory requirements • Provide security expertise for infrastructure components including containers and cloud-native environments • Contribute to incident response and vulnerability management processes