Verus Research, an Albuquerque-based advanced technology and research firm with a slew of big-dollar federal contracts, said a former U.S. Space Force and Air Force Research Laboratory manager will lead its space- and autonomy-related work.
Victor Gallardo, who spent over a decade leading acquisitions and contracting for the Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command, will work as Verus Research's director of space and autonomy, the company announced May 31.
Gallardo joins Verus from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), where he worked at Kirtland Air Force Base just south of Albuquerque as an acquisitions program manager. Before that role with AFRL, he served as an acquisitions program manager and contracting officer representative for Space Systems Command.
Space Systems Command (SSC), headquartered at the Los Angeles Air Force Base with an office at Kirtland Air Force Base, manages an over $15 billion space acquisition budget for the U.S. Department of Defense. It's the Space Force's field command "responsible for acquiring and delivering resilient war fighting capability," according to its website.
A University of New Mexico master of public administration graduate and former U.S. Marine and U.S. Air Force Reservist, Gallardo managed a portfolio worth over $600 million for the SSC's Research and Development, Test and Evaluation Support Complex at Kirtland.
Dan Treibel, Verus' chief operating officer, said in a statement the company is "thrilled" to hire Gallardo. Verus employs around 140 people, most of which are based in Albuquerque.
"Throughout his exceptional career, Victor [Gallardo] has been well regarded for fostering collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholders including contracting and program management, Defense Department supply chain management, and multi-mission space operations," Treibel said in a statement.
Verus has been the recipient of several large contract awards from government entities over the past couple of years.
The Albuquerque company's largest contract win came in late May 2023, when it secured a $200 million-plus "ceiling increase" on an existing U.S. Army contract. Three months before that Army contract extension, it landed a $52 million contract with the U.S. Navy, what at that time was the firm's largest contract award.
More recently, Verus announced a $28 million contract, also with the U.S. Army, and a smaller Small Business Technology Transfer agreement between it and the Air Force Resarch Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate for a satellite-focused software technology.
The company has 11 open positions currently listed on its website.
