The Association for association professionals in Chicagoland
Posted: 12-Jan-26
Location: Herndon
Type: Full Time
Salary: $190,000 -$210,000
Categories:
Salary Details:
Required Education:
The Vice President of Programs (VP) is a senior leader responsible for advancing USGIF’s mission through strategic influence, trusted relationships, and high-impact content across the GEOINT community. The VP brings deep understanding of the GEOINT tradecraft, strong established networks within the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and U.S. Space Force, and the credibility to operate effectively in classified and unclassified environments.
The VP leads the planning, development, and execution of content for USGIF events, both CONUS and OCONUS, ensuring programming is mission-relevant, operationally informed, and aligned with stakeholder priorities across government, industry, and academia. The VP provides senior-level oversight of USGIF working groups and the Education and Professional Development portfolio, ensuring outputs directly support tradecraft advancement, workforce development, and thought leadership objectives.
Reporting directly to the CEO, the VP serves as a key partner and advisor, represents the Foundation with senior government, industry, academic, and international leaders, and ensures coordination across content, community engagement, education, and events.
Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership and GEOINT Community Engagement
- Serve as a senior leader and representative of USGIF with NGA, NRO, U.S. Space Force, and other key GEOINT mission partners.
- Leverage executive-level networks to strengthen USGIF’s relevance, credibility, and influence across the national security GEOINT ecosystem.
- Advise the CEO on GEOINT mission trends, tradecraft evolution, and stakeholder priorities.
Event Content Planning and Execution (CONUS, OCONUS, Classified and Unclassified)
- Lead the planning, development, and execution of event content for all USGIF events conducted CONUS and OCONUS.
- Oversee programming for classified and unclassified events, ensuring appropriate handling, compliance, and mission relevance.
- Define event themes, agendas, session objectives, and speaker strategies that reflect operational GEOINT needs and emerging technologies.
- Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to ensure high-quality execution from content conception through delivery.
Working Groups and Thought Leadership
- Provide executive oversight of USGIF working groups, ensuring annual plans, outputs, and deliverables align with Foundation priorities.
- Recruit and engage senior subject matter experts to serve as working group chairs and task team leads.
- Ensure working group outputs inform event content, publications, and broader thought leadership initiatives.
Education and Professional Development
- Oversee the Education and Professional Development team, ensuring programs advance GEOINT tradecraft and workforce readiness.
- Provide strategic guidance for professional training, certification alignment, and academic engagement.
- Ensure integration between education initiatives, working group outputs, and event programming.
Organizational Leadership
- Support the CEO in ensuring organizational effectiveness, collaboration, and continuity of operations.
- Partner in the development and execution of annual business plans and budgets related to content, education, and community engagement.
- Contribute to leadership continuity planning and special initiatives at the direction of the CEO.
Position Qualifications:
- U.S. citizenship required.
- Active TS/SCI security clearance required.
- Minimum of 10 years of senior-level experience in government or industry within the intelligence, national security, or GEOINT domains.
- Deep understanding of the GEOINT tradecraft, including mission applications, technologies, and operational use.
- Established professional networks and credibility with NGA, NRO, and U.S. Space Force strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience leading or shaping content for conferences, symposia, classified forums, or similar mission-focused events.
- Proven ability to lead and oversee high-performing teams, including working groups, education, professional development, or interns.
- Experience representing an organization to senior government, industry, and academic stakeholders.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to translate complex GEOINT concepts to diverse audiences.
- Ability and willingness to travel approximately 25% in support of events and stakeholder engagement.
Work Environment and Travel
- This position operates in a hybrid professional environment with routine collaboration across government, industry, academia, and international partners.
- Periodic attendance at evening and weekend events is required.
- Travel is required approximately 25% of the time in support of Foundation events (CONUS and OCONUS), stakeholder engagements, and community outreach.
- The role may occasionally require lifting materials of approximately 25 lbs.
