Melissa Gross

Melissa Gross serves as a Contract/Agreements Negotiator for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate (FA8650), where she leads the negotiation and execution of complex research and development contracts critical to advancing U.S. aerospace propulsion, hypersonics, and high-performance materials. Her role is central to translating technical requirements from AFRL’s propulsion engineers into legally sound, performance-based acquisitions that accelerate innovation in adaptive flight control systems and next-generation engine technologies. She specializes in securing R&D services through cost-reimbursement and fixed-price incentive contracts, ensuring alignment with federal acquisition regulations and mission-critical timelines. Gross maintains longstanding partnerships with industry leaders such as UES Inc., General Electric Company, DCS Corporation, Spirit Aerosystems Inc., and Advanced Thermoplastic Composites LLC, consistently engaging top-tier defense contractors with deep expertise in propulsion systems, composite materials, and flight simulation. Her procurement approach emphasizes technical collaboration, risk-sharing, and performance metrics, fostering long-term vendor relationships built on trust and rigorous technical validation. These partnerships are instrumental in bridging laboratory breakthroughs with operational readiness. Her contracting portfolio reflects a strong preference for open competition, with 93.3% of awards issued without set-aside designations, indicating a focus on technical excellence over socioeconomic constraints. While small business participation is limited to 6.7%, it is strategically directed toward firms with proven capabilities in advanced propulsion R&D, ensuring compliance without compromising mission performance. Gross’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541715 and 541712, encompassing physical and engineering research services for aerospace systems. She routinely procures advanced materials development, computational fluid dynamics modeling, propulsion component prototyping, and hypersonic test validation services. Her domain expertise spans thermodynamics, structural composites, and propulsion integration, making her a key enabler of the Air Force’s technological edge in air and space dominance.