Government Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Project Manager – Government R&D Programs (2026)

Open Position

Zeichner Risk Analytics (ZRA) has an immediate opening for a full-time Project Manager to support government research and development programs involving emerging technologies and national security. The Project Manager will oversee project planning, execution, coordination, and reporting to help ensure that program objectives are completed on time and in accordance with client requirements.

This is a hybrid position requiring approximately 50% remote work and 50% in-person work in Arlington, Virginia.

About ZRA

Zeichner Risk Analytics (ZRA) is a boutique professional services firm based in Arlington, Virginia. We provide policy, legal, risk, program management, and strategic support to federal government and private-sector clients. ZRA works closely with senior stakeholders to manage complex initiatives, address emerging challenges, and support the development and implementation of forward-looking programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage multiple government R&D projects throughout the project lifecycle, from planning and initiation through execution, monitoring, and closeout.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, milestones, work breakdown structures, and other project-management documentation.
• Coordinate project activities among clients, internal team members, technical subject-matter experts, and external stakeholders.
• Monitor project scope, schedules, deliverables, dependencies, risks, and action items.
• Identify potential project risks and develop appropriate mitigation and contingency plans.
• Lead project meetings, prepare agendas, document decisions, and track action items through completion.
• Provide clients and leadership with regular project updates, progress reports, and performance information.
• Manage competing priorities and help ensure that deadlines, contractual requirements, and quality standards are met.
• Support resource planning, workload coordination, and the assignment of responsibilities across project teams.
• Produce and review high-quality deliverables, including project plans, status reports, briefings, meeting materials, analytic reports, and executive summaries.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with clients and project stakeholders.
• Support continuous improvement by developing and refining project-management processes, tools, templates, and reporting practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in project management, business administration, management, public policy, national security, international affairs, or another relevant field.
• At least three years of professional experience managing or coordinating projects, programs, or cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining project plans, schedules, milestones, risk registers, action-item trackers, and status reports.
• Strong understanding of project-management principles, methods, and best practices.
• Experience leading meetings and coordinating activities across multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and project-tracking tools.
• Ability to prepare and deliver briefings to clients, leadership, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to work full-time, including approximately 50% in-office at ZRA’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
• Eligibility to obtain a Top-Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or progress toward obtaining the certification.
• Master’s degree in project management, business administration, public administration, national security, or another relevant field.
• Five or more years of project or program management experience.
• Experience supporting federal government contracts or government R&D programs.
• Familiarity with Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid project-management methodologies.
• Experience with project-management platforms such as Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Asana, or comparable tools.
• Experience tracking project budgets, resources, performance metrics, and contractual deliverables.
• Active security clearance at any level.
• Familiarity with emerging technology, cybersecurity, or national security programs.

To Apply

Please submit a résumé and cover letter to jobs@zra.com and include “Project Manager – Government R&D Programs (2026)” in the subject line. No phone calls, please.

Benefits of Working at ZRA:

ZRA’s diverse project portfolio ensures that employees are exposed to a wide range of technologies and challenges. We work actively and openly in collaborative teams to address objectives, share knowledge, and realize goals. We are a small company, which provides the opportunity to quickly grow into a high-impact role and directly engage with clients. Benefits of working at ZRA include:

·        Highly competitive salary and benefits, commensurate with experience.

·        Opportunities for advancement and professional growth.

·        Opportunities to work on impactful national security projects applying cutting-edge technologies.

·        Strong work-life balance including generous PTO and flexible work schedule.

Additional Information:

·        Selected applicants must pass a pre-employment drug test and background review, which includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications.

·        Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain an upper-level security clearance (Top Secret), which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

·        Applicants offered employment are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

·        Applicants for employment also need to be able to obtain and maintain DHS Suitability.

·        For more information on security clearance requirements, please visit https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf

·        As part of holding and maintaining a security clearance, selected candidates may be given random tests for the absence of any illegal drug as defined in 10 CFR 707.4 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-10/chapter-III/part-707), and subsequent reinvestigations may be required.

• In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.