Sr Defense Industry & Policy Advisor - Ukraine

Culmen International LLC is pleased to announce an opportunity for a Senior Consultant to lend their expertise to the Defense Industrial Base and Policy Strategy project in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Working alongside the Advisor for Defense Production Liaison, you will play a pivotal role in providing strategic guidance and technical assistance aimed at developing, implementing, and sustaining the Ministry of Strategic Initiatives as it seeks to evolve into a professional entity.

This position entails residing in Kyiv. To support your transition, Culmen will offer comfortable furnished housing, which includes utilities and high-speed internet in a secure and safe environment. Additionally, we provide transportation accommodations, Defense Base Act (DBA) insurance, and International SOS coverage to ensure your well-being and support throughout your engagement.

What You’ll Do In Your New Role

This consultant will undertake the following responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with the Senior Advisor for Defense Production Liaison to ensure that all work products are cohesive and align with the overarching goal of fostering a robust, reliable, and well-governed defense industrial base (DIB).
• Cultivate strong, professional relationships with key stakeholders in the military and security industry (MSI), facilitating open communication and partnership opportunities that enhance mutual objectives.
• Participate proactively as an advisor and liaison in relevant working groups and initiatives, contributing to the development and sustainability of a defense industrial base that meets the evolving needs of national security.
• Forge meaningful connections with counterparts at partner agencies that collaborate with MSI, thereby enhancing interagency communication and creating effective coordination mechanisms among these entities.
• Provide expert advice on business arrangements that promote the production of defense articles with foreign investors, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and fostering beneficial partnerships.
• Guide MSI through every stage of the implementation life cycle of partnerships formed with U.S. or NATO-allied industries, ensuring the successful production of critical defense articles.
• Assist in the creation of effective investment strategies, plans, and policies designed to enhance transparency and accountability in the defense sector while promoting and managing foreign investments in the DIB.
• Work in concert with ongoing advisory and security assistance efforts to ensure that sound legislation, robust regulations, and best procurement practices are established and adhered to throughout the process.
• Foster a sense of ownership among partners over the processes developed, ensuring that a sustainable structure is put in place to continue functioning effectively after the conclusion of advisory support.
• Build collaborative relationships with other U.S. government and international advisors actively engaged in the DIB and defense production sectors, coordinating efforts and aligning recommendations to maximize impact.
• Integrate seamlessly into the U.S. Embassy's political and security cooperation framework, sharing vital information, expanding professional networks, and ensuring strategic alignment with embassy guidance and priorities. Meet regularly with embassy officials to provide comprehensive updates on progress, address challenges, and explore new avenues for collaboration.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Procurement Law, Security Studies, Business Administration, National Security Policy/Affairs, International Acquisition, International Affairs, Security Studies, Supply Chain Management, Political Science and/or Military Technology or a similar field AND 10 years of US military and/or US civilian professional experience with security and/or defense industry and policy development
  
  

OR

• Bachelor's Degree AND 15 years of US military and/or US civilian professional experience with security and/or defense industry and policy development
• Minimum O-6, or civilian/industry equivalent (FS-01/GS-15)
• One year (1) of experience advising senior officials in a foreign government or foreign military on defense industry and acquisitions processes. Non-resident or intermittent work experience may count toward some or all of the required year.
• Experience working with senior officials in a former-Soviet-bloc government on national industrial policy, defense technology release policy, defense industry business development, Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), corporate board structures, change management.
• Active Secret security clearance
  
  

Desired Qualifications

• Experience managing, executing, or developing defense planning systems.
• Experience working within a large and complex defense industry organization.
• Experience recommending key policies at executive levels on bs and actions required to strengthen the capacity and resilience of DIB.
• Experience leveraging technologies to provide solutions to complex defense industries, and modernization of defense enterprises.
• Experience advising foreign governments on complex strategies in areas such as federal procurement acceleration, joint experimentation, joint ventures, or critical technology areas.
• Experience implementing a change management system or process in a government institution.
• Experience in establishing and institutionalizing national industrial policy.
• Have a deep understanding of warfighting technologies / systems and the supply chains, manufacturing chains, and development processes/investment processes needed to deliver them to the battlefield. Recent (within the past five years) experience living or working in Europe and/or post-Soviet bloc.
• Proficiency in speaking/reading/writing in the Ukrainian and/or Russian language (Foreign Service Institute (FSI) score of 3/3 or higher, a Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) score of 2+/2+/2+ or higher, or a Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) score of C1 or higher.)
  
  

About The Company

Culmen International is committed to enhancing international safety and security, strengthening homeland defense, advancing humanitarian missions, and optimizing government operations. With experience in over 150 countries, Culmen supports our clients to accomplish critical missions in challenging environments.

To learn more about Culmen International, please visit www.culmen.com .

At Culmen International, we are committed to creating and sustaining a workplace that upholds the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). We believe in the importance of fair treatment and equal access to opportunities for all employees and applicants. Our commitment to these principles is unwavering across all our operations worldwide.