TIMOTHY GAFFNEY
Northern Virginia
Summary
Senior acquisition leader with deep Department of Navy experience in acquisition strategy, contract planning, and risk management. Led cross-functional teams, coordinated portfolio reviews, and shaped milestone approval criteria to improve execution, align programs with mission needs, and support timely delivery of defense capabilities.
Overview
1
1
Certification
39
39
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Acquisition (Critical Acquisition Position)
Deputy Portfolio Acquisition Executive, Expeditionary Warfare (DPAE EXW)
Washington, DC
08.2014 - Current
- Developed tailored acquisition and contracting approaches to defense programs to emphasize early delivery, efficient execution, and to manage risk. Established and coordinated approval for milestone entrance and exit criteria with program managers and the Milestone Decision Authority – Skills: strategic planning, acquisition knowledge, leadership, mentoring
- Coordinated acquisition portfolio reviews with Navy Senior Acquisition Executive and bi-annual program office reviews with Executive Officers to ensure strategic alignment, address program management challenges, and identify cost-saving opportunities. Facilitated collaboration between program offices to achieve mission objectives and resolve common challenges. – Skills: verbal and written communication, organizational, collaboration, executive presentation
- Engineered and implemented a contract planning process to optimize resource execution, normalize workloads, and provide risk assessment based on industrial job-shop planning methods and statistical process control that resulted in over 99% execution of funding resources and reduced award cycle time by 20% – Skills: process optimization, analytical, efficiency improvement, data analysis, problem solving, scheduling
- Led cross-functional team to establish procurement request (contract) standard for Naval Sea Systems Command, enhancing consistency and efficiency in contracting processes. – Skills: leadership and delegation, analytical, problem-solving, communication, efficiency improvement, research, data analysis
- Advocated for a healthy industrial base through industry day outreaches and matchmaking of technology developers to warfare requirements, exceeding NAVSEA investment goals, including surpassing the 2024 NAVSEA goal by 100%. – Skills: communication, collaboration, organizational
- Led team to establish initial operational capability for PAE contracting activity, ensuring effective execution.
- Salary: GS-15 Step 10
- Supervisor: Ms. Melissa Kirkendall, Executive Director DPAE EXW, (202)781-3901
Acquisition Manager
Program Executive Office Ships Strategic and Theater Sealift Program Office (PMS 385)
Washington, DC
08.2009 - 08.2014
- Formulated innovative shipbuilding acquisition strategy based on commercial parent design within constrained fiscal and schedule environment, addressing urgent Fleet need for deploying expeditionary forces from sea – Skills: acquisition knowledge, teamwork and collaboration, scheduling, risk management
- Received 2010 Acquisition Excellence Award as member of Innovation Excellence Acquisition Team of the Year, recognizing significant contributions to acquisition processes
- Salary: GS-15
- Supervisor: CAPT Henry Stevens
Director, Expeditionary Combat Programs.
Office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition)
Navy Pentagon, Washington
03.2003 - 08.2009
- Advised the DASN on the execution of acquisition programs for riverine, mobile expeditionary security, maritime force protection, and explosive ordnance disposal forces, including IED countermeasures.
- Supported the development of the Navy Rapid Acquisition and Fielding process to meet urgent warfighting requirements in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. This enabled timely response to rapidly changing requirements in the theater of operations and established the baseline for the urgent need process within the DoN
- Joined joint military and agency response team to address real-time Fleet needs, facilitating technology transition and tactics development for IED countermeasures and anti-terrorism/force protection.
- Advised the DASN on surface and undersea mine countermeasures, unmanned systems, anti-terrorism, and maritime force protection programs.
- Championed development of Mine Countermeasures Roadmap with modular scalable systems, integrating capability into Navy Strike Groups and transforming dedicated force as part of comprehensive affordability plan. These technologies and programs eventually became the foundation of the LCS Mission Modules ACAT I program
- Salary: GS-15
- Reported directly to Mr. Roger Smith
Deputy Technical Director
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations • Expeditionary Warfare Division
Navy Pentagon, Washington
06.2002 - 03.2003
- Served as senior technical liaison with research and development laboratories and Office of Naval Research (ONR) for Chief of Naval Operations Director, Expeditionary Warfare (EXW), advising on technology investment and experimentation to enhance capabilities in Mine Warfare, Littoral Combat, Special Warfare, Force Protection, and Naval Surface Fire Support
- Salary: GS-14
- Supervisor: MGEN Whitlow
Director, Science and Technology Programs.
Office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition)
Navy Pentagon, Washington
01.2000 - 06.2002
- Facilitated technology transition agreements among program offices, sponsors, and S&T managers, streamlining collaboration within Future Naval Capability Process.
- Advised DASN on Mine and Undersea Warfare S&T initiatives, influencing strategic decisions and enhancing program effectiveness.
- Salary: GS-14
- Supervisor: Mr. Dale Gerry
Industrial Engineer/ Production Manager
Naval Surface Warfare Center – Panama City
Panama City, Florida
04.1988 - 11.1998
- Directed all phases of production for the EX14 Saturation Diving System including machining and fabrication, assembly, testing, and system certification. Performed inventory planning control job-shop planning to optimize production process and meet critical Fleet delivery requirements
- Assessed mine countermeasures operations using systems engineering and operations research techniques
- Performed engineering assessments of foreign naval mines through reverse-engineering (Foreign Materiel Exploitation)
- Analyzed foreign naval mining capabilities, composed threat assessments, and published intelligence reports during rotational assignment with Office of Naval Intelligence
Education
Master of Science - National Resource Strategy
NDU, Industrial College of The Armed Forces (ICAF)
Washington, DC08-2009
Bachelor of Science - Industrial and Systems Engineering
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL04-1988
Skills
- Acquisition strategy
- Contract planning
- Risk management
- Program management
- Portfolio reviews
- Procurement policy
Personal Information
Title: Defense Acquisition Professional, Program Management, Systems Engineering, Contracting Strategy and Execution
Accomplishments
- Contract Planning Process Design. Process design incorporating statistical process control for contract planning and execution
- Innovative Ship Acquisition. Rapid design and production for a unique ship class based on a commercial tanker design
- Rapid Acquisition Supporting Wartime Operations. Initiation of Navy rapid acquisition process during OIF and OEF and facilitating rapid technology transition to mitigate evolving wartime requirements
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Advanced Level III DAWIA Certification for Program Management
- Practitioner Level III Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering
- Senior Acquisition Course ACQ 401
- Acquisition Law
Certification
- Program Management - Advanced Level III DAWIA certification
- Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering - Level III
- Senior Acquisition
Timeline
Director of Acquisition (Critical Acquisition Position)
Deputy Portfolio Acquisition Executive, Expeditionary Warfare (DPAE EXW)
08.2014 - Current
Acquisition Manager
Program Executive Office Ships Strategic and Theater Sealift Program Office (PMS 385)
08.2009 - 08.2014
Director, Expeditionary Combat Programs.
Office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition)
03.2003 - 08.2009
Deputy Technical Director
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations • Expeditionary Warfare Division
06.2002 - 03.2003
Director, Science and Technology Programs.
Office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development, and Acquisition)
01.2000 - 06.2002
Industrial Engineer/ Production Manager
Naval Surface Warfare Center – Panama City
04.1988 - 11.1998
Master of Science - National Resource Strategy
NDU, Industrial College of The Armed Forces (ICAF)
Bachelor of Science - Industrial and Systems Engineering
University of Florida