James N Satteson

James N. Satteson serves as a Contract Negotiator within the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where he plays a pivotal role in securing advanced aerospace technologies critical to U.S. air and space dominance. He specializes in negotiating complex research and development contracts focused on next-generation propulsion systems, hypersonic flight technologies, and high-performance functional materials. His work directly supports the agency’s mission to accelerate innovation in propulsion, adaptive flight controls, and advanced composites by ensuring technically sound, compliant, and mission-aligned procurement outcomes. Satteson routinely handles sole-source and competitive acquisitions under FAR Part 35 and 36, with a strong emphasis on technical merit, risk mitigation, and lifecycle cost effectiveness. He maintains sustained working relationships with industry leaders including UES Inc., General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC. These partnerships are characterized by long-term collaboration on classified and unclassified R&D initiatives, often involving proprietary materials, wind tunnel testing, and computational fluid dynamics modeling. Satteson’s negotiation approach emphasizes technical alignment, intellectual property protection, and performance-based contracting, fostering trust and operational continuity with prime contractors possessing deep aerospace engineering expertise. Satteson’s contracting portfolio reflects a strict focus on open competition, with 100% of awards issued under no set-aside conditions. He does not prioritize socioeconomic programs such as 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB, instead emphasizing technical capability and mission readiness as the primary selection criteria. This reflects the highly specialized nature of the propulsion and hypersonics research conducted under his purview, where only a limited pool of qualified vendors possesses the requisite facilities, clearances, and engineering pedigree. His primary procurement focus is NAICS 541712—Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences—encompassing advanced materials development, propulsion system prototyping, and flight control algorithm validation. He consistently procures services involving computational modeling, high-temperature material testing, and integrated system demonstrations, requiring deep domain expertise in aerospace engineering and defense R&D protocols.