Systems Planning & Analysis

Today, Women's Initiative for Networking and Knowledge (WINK), an SPA Employee Resource Group, hosted a 90-minute executive leadership panel with CEO Rich Sawchak and President Terry Benedict. This panel, held in SPA's Freedom Center and virtually, was moderated by WINK Co-Chair Meghan Englert.   Rich and Terry discussed the trajectories of their careers and fielded thought-provoking questions about their definition of leadership, how they stay mindful of who is at the table and who is missing, and what strategies SPA has in place to create further diversity throughout the company. Rich discussed his personal interest in challenging gender and leadership stereotypes.   Both men related personal examples of life- or career-changing experiences they’ve had over the years, offering a window into how they’ve been formed as leaders. They also emphasized the need for every person to own their own career and not be pigeon-holed into a job that isn’t the right fit.   SPA’s commitment to leading with integrity, ensuring a diverse workforce, and supporting work-life balance came through loud and clear during the session. Thank you, Rich and Terry, for this enriching session, with special thanks to WINK leadership for organizing the event. #WeAreSPA #WINK #paneldiscussion

MERIT, which stands for Multicultural Excellence, Recognition, and Individual Talent, is a community that strives to embrace and amplify the diverse cultures that make up SPA. This employee resource group promotes networking, connection, and mentoring for career development while fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging. SPA CEO Rich Sawchak takes a personal interest in the group and was instrumental in helping MERIT get its start.   Celebrating summer as part of its “mission” today, MERIT beat the heat with a well-attended ice cream social—so well attended, in fact, that the ice cream ran out. That didn’t stop attendees from making their way around the room, connecting with others, and getting to know their colleagues better in a relaxed setting.   Blaine Lacey, a SPA systems engineer and MERIT Co-chair, understands the importance of a group like MERIT as the company continues to grow rapidly. Today’s Ice Cream Social, perhaps heavy on sugar but afloat with camaraderie, was a fine way to celebrate cultural connections at SPA. “The Ice Cream Social came through,” said Blaine. #MERIT #WeAreSPA #icecreamsocial

SPA employees and interns recently had the opportunity to tour the Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), and Naval Ordnance and Test Unit (NOTU). These facilities are crucial to the Navy's strategic deterrence mission, specifically the test, evaluation, design verification, integration, and production of the Trident II D5 SLBM. CCSFS and NOTU support the Conventional Prompt Strike Hypersonic Program, addressing the urgent national need for a strategic hypersonic weapon. The interns were thrilled to visit these sites, meet SPA employees down the coast, and see firsthand the hardware directly related to the solutions SPA delivers to Navy Strategic Systems Programs. Special thanks to Steve Russo and Preston Stout for their exceptional coordination of this insightful visit. #WeAreSPA #internship

Today is System Administrator Appreciation Day, also known as SysAdmin Day. We are grateful for our nationwide team dedicated to maintaining our devices and networks in secure, working order. Thank you, SPA teammates in the System Admin and Information Technology fields, for your expert support of SPA's daily operations. #WeAreSPA #sysadminday  

Interns, today is all about you. Happy National Intern Day!   This morning, our interns presented their summer projects, accomplishments, and lessons learned to SPA leadership and their teams.    Some of the topics included: 👉 Improving liquid and solid dissemination systems 👉 Analyzing advanced computing applications in radiation detection 👉 Overcoming the blood-brain barrier 👉 Determining if Artificial Intelligence can enhance understanding of simulation behaviors and provide quality control 👉 Entity Linking and web app development paired with digitizing technical documents This summer, our interns were met with challenging yet rewarding tasks that continue to advance the capabilities of SPA. Congratulations on a successful summer and thank you for your hard work and dedication! #WeAreSPA #internship #nationalinternday

🎵 Take me out to the ballgame 🎵 SPA leadership and the summer intern class enjoyed a fun-filled night at yesterday's Washington Nationals game against the San Diego Padres. With food and drinks on the house, the interns enjoyed networking with leadership and getting to know their colleagues better outside the office. Congratulations to our interns on a successful summer, and we can't wait to celebrate you tomorrow for National Intern Day! #WeAreSPA #internship #washingtonnationals

🚨 Exclusive preview 🚨 In this under 2-minute video, learn about SPA’s new and unique Office of Innovation. Led by three of our best technical and business development team members, the Office of Innovation is designed to accelerate SPA’s delivery of new capabilities and offerings to our clients across all markets we support.   Listen as Ed Stewart, Chris Grubb, and Jeff Braun explain how our innovative vision pushes into the future to further support our clients’ critical national security issues.   #WeAreSPA #innovation #businessdevelopment #technical

Thought Leadership is a longstanding element of SPA’s analysis of critical national security issues. CEO Rich Sawchak was recently featured in an executive spotlight on GovCon Wire, where he explained how SPA is addressing the most pressing national security threats, the internal adaptations we’re making for major workforce trends, and how we continue to advance our efforts on critical defense priorities.    Read this thought-provoking piece here: https://lnkd.in/g5ri58sT #WeAreSPA #thoughtleadership #GovConWire

SPA has an urgent need for a Policy Analyst in Alexandria, VA. The Analyst will provide technical, data-driven support combining policy and strategy-informed operations research analysis. The candidate will participate in analyses, assessments, and workshops integrating technical, operational, policy, and programmatic aspects across various elements of the Department of Defense.   Click the link and apply today: https://lnkd.in/etndC9tM #WeAreSPA #Hiring

SPA has an urgent need for a Senior Software Engineer in Dahlgren, VA.   The Engineer will support the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division's (NSWCDD) Electromagnetic and Sensor Department. They will lead Nulka Decoy software design, development, and engineering, related to system-level development, including real-time system and subsystem-level software products.   The Engineer must be able to provide detailed and thorough engineering analysis and briefings and work from NSWC Dahlgren at least 2-3 days per week.    Click the link and apply today: https://lnkd.in/g_BsHnvy