Expertise
Program Management, Program Planning, Budgeting, AFWERX/SpaceWERX, Defense Acquisition Strategy, Business Development & Capture Planning, Leadership, Strategic Planning, Joint Program Execution, SBIR
Profile
Nate Kirk is a veteran defense acquisition professional with deep lifecycle management and leadership experience supporting the C-130J (Materiel Leader Role), KC-46, MQ-9, and Airborne Laser programs. He most recently served in business development and program management roles at a venture-captital-backed, fast-growing, defense-focused business. During his career, he served in multiple Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) (SAF/AQ) roles within Headquarters Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon, as the Executive Officer to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Vice Commander, as the AFLCMC Liaison at AFWERX Las Vegas—a US Air Force (USAF) innovation hub, and as an enlisted aircraft maintainer prior to commissioning. Nate is known as a team player yet sometimes non-consensus thinker who leads with optimism, intellectual rigor, curiosity, and humility.
Significant Career Accomplishments
Led business development capture activities for $40M US Space Force (USSF) and USAF pipeline portfolio and enabled current and prospective customers to redefine the modern battlespace edge through fast, secure, and futureproof digital systems integration.
Led 120 person team executing the Air Mobility Command (AMC) $20B+ ACAT IC C-130J production program delivering 218 aircraft, $2B ACAT II block upgrade on 160 aircraft, and multiple ACAT III modernization programs.
Responsible for executing seven-nation, multi-hundred million dollar cooperative development program delivering continuous updates to common C-130J software baseline and directly advocated for and received $300M in Congressional Add funding to jump-start $700M obsolescence program affecting over 30 avionics components.
At AFWERX, leveraged network of startups, academia, venture capitalists, and legacy defense contractors to build USAF innovation ecosystem and expand defense industry base.
Managed, advocated for, and defended annual $3B tanker and Open Skies Treaty aircraft portfolio from Program Objective Memorandum (POM) development through program execution.
Advised Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Joint Staff, and USAF leadership on execution of 78 weapon system development programs valued at $4B/year.
Key Positions
Air and Space Customer Liaison, Parry Labs
Material Leader, C-130J Development and Production (AFLCMC/WLN)
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Liaison, AFWERX
Program Element Monitor (PEM), KC-46, KC-135, KC-10, OC-135
Chief, Tanker & Agile Combat Systems Program Analysis, Pentagon
Chief, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Aircraft & Training, Headquarters Resolute Support
Chief, MQ-1 and MQ-9 Sensors and Weapons (AFLCMC/WII)
Education
MBA, Entrepreneurship/New Business Formation, Oregon State University
BS, Business Administration & Management. Oregon State University
