Director of Business Operations - Federal Programs

Director of Business Operations Alexandria, Virginia - Hybrid Work US Citizenship Required - must be able to obtain a Public Trust @Orchard LLC is actively recruiting an experienced Director of Business Operations to support key Federal and Enterprise accounts and initiatives, and to be a presence in the soon-to-open Alexandria, VA office for our client, a fast-growing technology company serving both Federal agencies and commercial clients.

Our client, SEMPRE (www.sempre.ai), is redefining communications for critical and enterprise operations. Their purpose is to keep people connected, no matter what. They build easy-to-operate, hard-to-destroy technology for the people who expect security and performance that never wavers-in defense, industry, and everywhere critical decisions happen. The Director of Federal Business Operations will serve as the premier operational leader and strategic anchor for SEMPRE's federal business portfolio.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), this role is the bridge connecting senior SEMPRE leadership, technical engineering teams, defense customers, and institutional partners. The ideal candidate will combine exceptional operational capabilities and program management execution with a sophisticated understanding of corporate protection, federal compliance, HR, security management, and structural scalability.

Core Responsibilities. New Program Acquisition and Contract Management. Take total corporate ownership over the acquisition lifecycle and management of all Federal program activities, contracts, subcontracts, and technical project delivery. Ensure strict compliance and corporate protection across all agreements while navigating the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), Commercial contracting, and related statutory structures.

Partner with legal and executive teams to structure, review, and negotiate agreements to protect SEMPRE's high-value IP and corporate standing while precisely satisfying government criteria. Program Management & Execution Lead high-visibility federal programs from kickoff to closeout, maintaining precise ownership over project budgets, timelines, risk matrices, and milestone delivery. Coordinate cross-functionally across SEMPRE engineering, software development, product management, and supply chain teams to ensure delivery schedules closely align with government customer expectations.

Manage resource allocation and project capacity planning across multiple concurrent federal defense contracts. Business Operational Excellence Establish, formalize, and scale corporate operational standards, templates, and best practices for the federal business division. Establish and run the SEMPRE Quoting process for both commercial and federal customers. Draft, publish, and maintain robust Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing proposal development, contract ingestion, project execution, and client reporting.

Establish and run the quoting process of the company for both commercial and federal quotes. Enforce governance and documentation frameworks that guarantee all federal initiatives remain audit-ready at any given point in the project lifecycle. Regulatory Compliance & Security Governance Maintain absolute corporate readiness and oversight regarding critical regulatory and cybersecurity benchmarks, with emphasis on NIST guidelines (including NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, and related security architectures).

Ensure all internal operations, hardware provisioning, data storage protocols, and programmatic touchpoints strictly align with federal information security constraints. Strategic Stakeholder Relations Serve as a key interface and trusted advisor to federal government clients, contracting officers (COs), program managers (PMs), and primary system integrators. Brief senior SEMPRE executive leadership and boards on program execution statuses, contract expansions, financial run-rates, and strategic operation