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Department Summary:

MITRE’s Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and Protection Department (N112) is seeking a highly motivated and experienced individual to fill the role of the Department Chief Engineer. N112 works with its government sponsors across space warfighting, acquisition and other mission partners to improve actionable warfighter decisions through enhanced battlespace awareness and reduced F2T2EA timelines achieved by improved sensing and protection. Department projects focus on system integration efforts to successfully incorporate new technologies and software applications in support of a resilient Space enterprise infrastructure, sensing, and an integrated command and control (C2) system. N112 also performs numerous sensor system prototyping and analysis activities including modeling, software tool development, and analysis capabilities designed to enable MITRE and sponsor-driven analysis and research across multiple customers, missions, and technology providers. The research, development, and outcomes of these efforts provide high-quality, comprehensive, quantitative insights for senior government decision makers shaping the future of our nation’s Space policy, operations, and systems.

Roles Responsibilities:

MITRE’s N112 Department is seeking a technically deep and operationally oriented Department Chief Engineer (CE) to provide technical leadership for a set of dynamic and impactful work programs to meet the challenges of realizing the future of Space Warfighting and delivering Space Domain Awareness (SDA) and Protection to our mission collaborators stakeholders. As DCE, you will be responsible for and have broad oversight of the technical integrity and quality of our work program, products deliverables, the technical teams, and will partner with and support the Department Manager for strategic work-shaping and sponsor relationships. The individual will be a member of the core department leadership team, providing thought leadership and technical guidance to enable the projects within the department to successfully execute the mission areas of our sponsors. We seek a “thought leader” who will represent our department as the voice of technical excellence and integrity across MITRE, our sponsors, other UARCs/FFRDCs and industry. The successful candidate will be a critical thinker with deep technical skills and have a demonstrated track record of fostering, promoting and/or fielding innovative ideas and solutions for sponsors.

In addition, the CE will be responsible for expanding SDA’s reach and influence by actively participating in SDA capability development efforts and steering efforts to tackle this challenging problem from integrating new sensing techniques and innovation to assessing and recommending commercial SDA technology for incorporation.

Work across MITRE and the sponsor base to deliver actionable recommendations to improve SDA incorporation and shorten OODA/F2T2EA timelines

Advise MITRE, sponsor, and partner investments in strategic SDA growth areas

Recommend operational C2 advancements to better incorporate SDA data and capabilities for improved and faster decision-making.

Key functions include:

Be recognized as expert in technical fields critical to the department’s work program and directly contributes to high-impact solutions

Grow the connective tissue across MITRE and our sponsors to both benefit from and contribute to other work, expertise, and capabilities, including identifying opportunities for integrating and accelerating the collective space work program to drive larger impactful outcomes

Leverage enablers like internal research and development; modeling, simulation, and operational analysis; and laboratories to address warfighter gaps, aligned to our cross-cutting objectives

Outreach, engage and collaborate across the corporation, with academia, industry, FFRDCs/UARCs and government to develop and bring the best solutions to our sponsors which demonstrate MITRE’s FFRDC Differential Value and Culture

Guide the Department’s technical investments, technical initiatives, lab environments, and development of staff skills in support of MITRE’s Strategy

With the Department Manager, engage with sponsors and shape the work program to understand the sponsor domain and maximize sponsor value

In close coordination with Department Group Leaders Project Leaders, ensure the technical strength of our teams, the technical integrity and quality of our deliverables, and establish partnerships or develop lab infrastructure environments to support the dept work program

Support project leaders by ensuring that we are continuously and effectively leveraging staff, capabilities, and investments from across the corporation to maximize impact to our sponsors

In support of the Space Warfighting Division vision and goals, assist the Managing Director, Department Manager, and Division Chief Engineer in the transformation of our work program through work-shaping and sponsor interaction to align our efforts to our sponsors’ most pressing needs, priorities and outcomes; anticipate future needs; and apply critical and innovative thinking to help shape our work program to achieve significant impact on our sponsors’ outcomes - now and in the future

Focus on key “seam” mission threads between USSF sponsors and key stakeholders to evolutionally deliver space C2. Build and foster relationships, networks, cross-agency solutions, and potentially new organizational constructs across MITRE’s Space Warfighting Division to drive cross-sponsor approaches to increase the impact of N112 Department and its stakeholders

Assist MITRE and sponsors with comprehensive SDA and Space Warfighting commercial technology assessments and provide recommendations to incorporate relevant capabilities and technology

Expand SDA involvement into joint and mission-focused prototypes, experiments, and exercises

Work across the division and MITRE to partner with other chief engineers to establish and execute MITRE’s Space Warfighting strategy

Demonstrate and continually develop a consistent set of shared Leadership Competencies in support of our culture which endures through our people and leaders. These Competencies include Leading with a Strategic Mindset; Creating Value; Cultivating Inclusion; Communicating for Impact; and Committing to Action and Outcomes

Basic Qualifications:

Typically requires a minimum of 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, or 10 years and a Master’s degree or a PhD with 7 years’ experience.

This position will require overnight travel up to 25% of the time as well as some local travel.

Possess an active Top Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.

Ten years of experience with SDA Systems and/or Space Operations

Strong written and verbal communication skills - Able to communicate appropriately to influence and build trusted relationships

Demonstrated success working collaboratively across diverse sponsors/stakeholders to propose, shape, and steer impactful work

In-depth knowledge of sensing, communications, data integration, and BMC3 being applied to current and future space systems across domains, services, and agencies

Proven experience in providing technical leadership to multi-discipline teams to drive the technical strength of the space warfighting work program, influencing sponsor and stakeholder thinking as a trusted advisor

Experience mentoring and developing technical staff

This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

M.S./PhD in a STEM field and 15 years of experience in relevant domain

Deep knowledge and experience with space surveillance sensor systems and mission engineering

Understanding of legacy space sensing capabilities to provide recommendations on new approaches to solve future problems

Demonstrated ability developing and leading cutting-edge technologies, concepts, analysis, and prototypes

Knowledge and awareness of commercial SDA capabilities and conducting assessments and integration

Understanding of Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) tools

Knowledge and experience with Space Battle Management Command, Control and Communications (BMC3) capabilities and tools

Demonstrated knowledge across the air, space, nuclear and cyber domains

Proven ability to work with dynamic teams and lead by example

Possess an active DoD Top Secret/SCI clearance

Our culture is a tangible asset that endures through our people and leaders. At MITRE, our leaders must also demonstrate and continually develop a consistent set of shared Leadership Competencies:

Lead with a Strategic Mindset: Drives alignment across MITRE to achieve our mission by engaging across and beyond the enterprise, making and executing decisions, and activating the Good Growth Strategy.

Create Value: Takes a broad approach to solving complex problems using a national and global lens. Unleashes the full capabilities of our people in a relentless pursuit of innovative solutions that are scalable, equitable, transferable, and sustainable.

Cultivate Inclusion: Creates an environment and opportunities, built on trust, where people can be their whole authentic self, feeling welcomed, supported, engaged, and respected for who they are and what they contribute to the organization. Embraces and engages all dimensions of diversity to exponentially expand MITRE’s impact in solving problems for a safer world.

Communicate for Impact: Conveys powerful messages tailored to the unique needs of stakeholders—and desired outcomes—in a style that engages and inspires action. Exemplifies active listening to foster collaboration, understanding, and alignment.

Commit to Action and Outcomes: Holds self and others accountable for acting on and achieving established objectives. Exemplifies cultural attributes while executing and delivering impactful outcomes.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

Top Secret

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Top Secret/SCI

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$182,000 - $227,500 - $273,000 Annual

Work Location Type:

Hybrid

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