Jennifer Sylvestre

Jennifer Sylvestre serves as a Contracting Officer for the Missile Defense Agency (HQ0276), where she plays a critical role in securing advanced defense technologies essential to the nation’s ballistic and hypersonic missile defense architecture. She manages the full lifecycle of complex acquisitions—including research and development, systems integration, and operational testing—focusing on guided missile systems, sensor networks, and command-and-control platforms. Her work directly supports the MDA’s mission to field layered, interoperable defense capabilities against evolving strategic threats, ensuring timely delivery of mission-critical systems through rigorous contract administration and risk mitigation. Sylvestre collaborates with a select group of prime contractors specializing in aerospace and defense systems, including firms with deep expertise in kinetic interceptors, radar discrimination technologies, and hypersonic countermeasure development. Her procurement approach emphasizes long-term partnerships with vendors possessing proven track records in high-assurance engineering, systems-of-systems integration, and classified program execution. She maintains a disciplined, compliance-driven relationship model grounded in performance-based contracting and technical oversight, ensuring alignment with DoD acquisition regulations and operational readiness requirements. Sylvestre’s contracting portfolio reflects a strict preference for unrestricted competition, with 100% of her awards issued under open solicitations without set-asides for 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB programs. This reflects the highly specialized, technology-intensive nature of MDA procurements, where only a limited number of vendors possess the requisite security clearances, engineering capabilities, and production infrastructure to meet mission-critical performance standards. Her primary focus lies within NAICS 336414—Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing—where she procures advanced missile interceptors, guidance systems, battle management software, and sensor fusion architectures. She possesses deep technical fluency in missile defense systems engineering, including terminal phase interceptors, mid-course discrimination sensors, and networked fire control systems, ensuring acquisitions align with the MDA’s strategic roadmap for layered homeland defense.