Mr. Sean Brady serves as the Learning Director for Software Acquisition at the Defense Acquisition University.  He leads strategy to transform DoD’s practices, competencies, training, and workforce—and accelerate the adoption of modern, commercial software development practices across DoD and the DAU curriculum.  

Prior to DAU, Mr. Brady served 9 years as the Deputy Director for Software Engineering (SWE), in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering (DASD(SE)), within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).  He led change, provided oversight of 170+ major programs (a $1.7T portfolio), and managed governance of Software Acquisition and Development within DoD.  He led SWE oversight on DoD's most complex, highest-visibility defense programs (RD&E > $480M; procurement > $2.79 billion).  Mr. Brady is an expert in software parametric statistical analysis and assessing large-scale Agile software development efforts.  He informed DoD's senior-decision makers, industry CEOs, and Congress on SWE across Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force programs. His strategic duties include leading policy and guidance development; workforce planning; and outreach to optimize the DoD's SWE capability.  He launched DoD's largest acquisition workforce modernization initiative (impacting 200K+ professionals).  In addition, he championed OSD's efforts to improve performance measurement practices across DoD and industry. 

Prior to his role in the Pentagon, he served in the Army's RDECOM/ARDEC as an Armament Software Engineering Center (ASEC) Special Projects Team Lead and as a Program Manager, Close Combat Systems Project Officer (PO) where he planned and executed high-visibility experimental and rapid fielding programs -- supporting elite special operations and front-line Warfighters.  He is the Defense Innovation Board’s Software Acquisition workforce co-lead, a member of the Army's Acquisition Corps and has served as a US Delegate to NATO.  

Mr. Brady holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University; a Master of Science in Quantitative Software Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology; is an MBA candidate from the University of Virginia (Class of 2020); and holds a graduate certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Stanford University.