Jay Parker

Jay Parker serves as a key procurement lead within Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, supporting the Department of the Navy’s mission to advance maritime warfare capabilities through cutting-edge research and development. He manages a diverse portfolio of acquisitions focused on naval sensor systems, electronic warfare components, and integrated communication technologies essential for undersea, surface, and aerial domain superiority. His work ensures timely delivery of mission-critical hardware and infrastructure that supports testing, evaluation, and fielding of next-generation naval platforms, aligning closely with NuWC Newport’s R&D and operational readiness objectives. Parker maintains strong working relationships with a core group of prime contractors including Science Applications International Corporation, Aerospace & Commercial Technologies, LLC, Astronics Test Systems Inc, Serco Inc, and Mikel Inc. These partnerships reflect a preference for established defense technology providers with proven expertise in electronic systems integration, test instrumentation, and mission-critical support services. His contracting approach emphasizes performance-based outcomes and technical compliance, often leveraging Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) and Other Transaction Authority (OTA) mechanisms to accelerate innovation. His procurement strategy is heavily oriented toward small business participation, with 92.6% of awards structured as total small business set-asides under FAR 19.5. This reflects a deliberate and consistent commitment to fostering capability growth among small, innovative firms, particularly those with niche expertise in defense electronics and specialized engineering services. Socioeconomic contracting is a foundational pillar of his portfolio, ensuring broad industry engagement and resilience in the naval technology supply chain. The majority of his acquisitions fall under NAICS 236220 (Commercial and Institutional Building Construction) and 238220 (Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors), indicating significant investment in facility modernization and infrastructure to support advanced testing environments. Secondary focus areas include plastics materials and fluid power components, underscoring his technical oversight of both physical infrastructure and specialized subsystems integral to undersea system integration.