Operating Unit Leader — Citizen Services Portfolio

 

Peraton | Federal Civilian Sector | Reston, VA

 

U.S. citizenship required. Active Secret clearance required; must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.

 

Few federal portfolios touch as many people, or as many consequential decisions, as Citizen Services. USCIS alone adjudicates millions of immigration benefits a year — and that's before you layer in the identity, biometrics, screening, and case-management mission systems that sit behind how the U.S. government interacts with citizens and applicants at scale. Peraton is hiring an Operating Unit Leader to run the Citizen Services portfolio inside our Federal Civilian (FedCiv) Sector — the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Legislative Branch  mission work — with full P&L, delivery, and growth ownership.

 

Why This Role Stands Out

 

• Portfolio-level P&L, not a single program. You run a multi-program book of business inside FedCiv — setting the operating rhythm, the financials, and the growth plan across the entire Citizen Services portfolio.
• USCIS as the anchor account. Case management, biometrics, adjudication platforms, cloud modernization, DevSecOps, and O&M all live here. The mission is visible, the customer is active, and the modernization runway is long.
• A real growth mandate. On-contract growth, recompete strategy, and shaping adjacent captures with FedCiv BD — not just delivering what's already sold.
• Executive seat. You sit on the FedCiv operating leadership team, own the portfolio's numbers in monthly and quarterly reviews, and shape investment decisions on people, capabilities, and IRAD.

What You'll Do

 

• Own P&L for the Citizen Services portfolio — revenue, margin, EAC, bookings, and cash — across every program in the book.
• Set the operating cadence: monthly program reviews, financial forecasting, staffing and hiring plans, risk and opportunity management, and corrective action when programs go yellow.
• Serve as Peraton's senior executive relationship with USCIS and adjacent citizen-facing customers — CIOs, program executives, contracting officers, and mission leadership.
• Lead a team of program managers, delivery directors, and functional leads across Agile/SAFe delivery, cloud, cyber, data, and O&M.
• Partner with FedCiv BD, capture, and solutioning to build the pipeline, shape recompetes, and manage new-business captures across the portfolio.
• Own workforce strategy — hiring plans, retention, leadership bench, and critical-skill pipelines (cleared talent, cloud, cyber, data).
• Drive delivery excellence: EVM discipline, subcontractor performance, CDRLs, ATO/RMF posture, and DHS/USCIS compliance obligations.
• Represent the portfolio in sector-level operating reviews and with corporate functions (Finance, HR, TA, Contracts, Security).

What You Bring

 

Must-Haves

 

• 18 years of related professional experience.
• Minimum 8 years of program management experience, including financial oversight and reporting, delivery optimization, issue resolution, and driving innovation on-contract.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in the USCIS customer space, and and extending across the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and/or Legislative Branch mission work
• Strong business and technical acumen across managed IT infrastructure services and Agile software delivery.
• Track record of P&L management and program turnaround in complex operational environments.
• Demonstrated success supporting and growing high-performing federal contracts.
• Established commitment to innovation and to building inclusive, high-performing teams.
• U.S. citizenship required. Active Secret clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.

Nice-to-Haves

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a related field.
• Hands-on experience with USCIS platforms (ELIS, Person-Centric Services, biometrics modernization) or other DHS mission systems.
• Cloud delivery at scale (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government) and Zero Trust adoption.
• Existing relationships across USCIS OIT, DHS OCIO, and the broader citizen-services customer community.
• PMP, SAFe, or equivalent certifications.

Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

$176,000 - $282,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.