Jared Mason

Jared Mason serves as a key procurement professional within the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), supporting the lifecycle management of naval aviation systems critical to U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operational readiness. He is deeply involved in the acquisition of advanced aircraft platforms, avionics, and associated sustainment infrastructure, ensuring alignment with NAVAIR’s strategic modernization goals. His responsibilities include managing complex contract vehicles for developmental and production-phase procurements, with a focus on technical integrity, risk mitigation, and timely delivery of mission-critical capabilities. Mason’s work directly supports the sustainment of carrier-based and expeditionary aviation assets, requiring close coordination with engineering, logistics, and test communities to meet stringent performance and compliance standards. Mason maintains consistent contracting relationships with leading defense aerospace prime contractors, including Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, and General Atomics. These partnerships center on the procurement of manned and unmanned aerial systems, weapon integration, and mission-specific avionics. His procurement approach emphasizes long-term vendor collaboration, performance-based contracting, and systems engineering integration to ensure interoperability across naval aviation domains. He routinely engages with contractors on technical specifications, sustainment support agreements, and modular open systems architecture (MOSA) compliance to enhance future upgradeability and reduce total ownership costs. Mason’s acquisition portfolio reflects a strong preference for full and open competition, with 100% of awards issued without socioeconomic set-asides. This reflects NAVAIR’s reliance on large-scale industrial base capabilities required for complex defense systems, where scale, technical maturity, and supply chain resilience are paramount. While small business participation is not formally prioritized in his portfolio, he adheres to all statutory requirements and supports small business engagement where technically feasible within large-scale procurements. His primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 336411 (Aircraft Manufacturing), encompassing the acquisition of fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms, propulsion systems, and flight control hardware. A secondary focus in NAICS 334512 involves environmental control systems for cockpit and avionics enclosures. His expertise spans advanced materials, embedded avionics, and mission-critical environmental systems essential for naval aviation operations in austere environments.