Job Abstract

Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That's because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation's toughest challenges—and we're committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are a not-for-profit corporation chartered to work for the public interest, with no commercial conflicts to influence what we do. The R&D centers we operate for the government create lasting impact in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, aviation, defense, and enterprise transformation. We're making a difference every day—working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities, and a culture of innovation that embraces diversity, inclusion, flexibility, collaboration, and career growth. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE—and make a difference with us.

The Chief Engineer is responsible for partnering with leadership to deliver high impact outcomes across MITRE’s work program to the operational components (CBP, FEMA, ICE, TSA, USCG, USCIS, and USSS) The Chief Engineer will drive the technical quality of the work program and lead the ongoing evolution of technical capabilities, experimentation capabilities, and exploration within the mission or technical area. 

MITRE’s DHS Operational Component work program is one of the most exciting at MITRE.  It encompasses C4ISR Systems Engineering, IT modernization, test and evaluation, data analytics and AI/ML to support Investigative and protective detail missions, risk management, identity management, disaster preparedness, prototyping and evaluation of border surveillance technologies, and counter-tunnel mission support (to name a few).  The work has real and immediate benefits to the everyday lives of U.S. residents. This includes demonstrable impact on the effectiveness of TSA’s screening process (Secure Flight), FEMA’s ability to respond to disasters and mobilize the public (FEMA Integrated Public Alert and Warning System), USCIS’ immigration process, artic comms, and law enforcement investigations.

Essential Job Functions, Accountabilities, and Authorities:

Technical Quality

• Develop and provide oversight of the work program.

• Drive technical quality and lead the development of technical quality standards within a mission function/technical specialty and across a mission/technical area.

• Provide input on the quality of goals and operationalization of the good growth strategy in partnership with business and people leadership, including the quality of staff hired, staff development, and training initiatives necessary to ensure appropriate technical quality is achieved.

Technical Impact

• Ensure that integrated portfolios/centers are driving coherent technical change.

• Ensure that individual projects are driving change at a technical level while partnering with project leaders to ensure the project itself is the right level of onset during inception.

• Provide input into Mission Value Chains (MVCs) at the appropriate organizational level.

Strategy Development

• Partner with leaders to establish the formulation and management of the sponsor strategy or corporate/functional strategy.

• Develops close working relationships with sponsors and stakeholders, becoming a trusted advisor in the sponsor organization and/or across the MITRE enterprise on major initiatives, policies, challenges, and priorities.

• Develop the strategy for enhancing a technical field or the utilization of a technical field within MITRE, including research, internal and external initiatives, and partnerships.

• Develop the strategy for enhancing a technical specialty or the utilization of a technical specialty within MITRE, including the ability to call for a technical review on a specific project within the appropriate organizational scope.

Staff Development

• Mentor, train, and develop staff within the appropriate organizational scope.

• Contribute to staff development, talent assessment, and planning (hiring, mentoring, and training needs), including senior staff across Centers.

• Develop and define cultural initiatives in partnership with others to meet desired organizational culture.

Partnership and Initiatives

• Lead cross-Division technical initiatives with notable complexity, developing strategy for project execution.

• Lead cross-Program and Project-level technical initiatives.

Basic Qualifications:

Bachelor’s of Science degree with 15 years of related experience, Master’s of Science degree with 12 years of related experience, PhD with 10 years of related experience.

• Engineering, Applied Math, IT, Computer Science, or related STEM degree.

• Minimum of seven years of leadership experience leading and teams and large projects

• Demonstrated collaboration and communication skills to support individual, team, and customer-related interaction.

• Proven experience engaging senior sponsors with successful impacts and outcomes and establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships.

• Demonstrated success in developing and delivering high-quality technical products under direct projects that result in accomplishment of Sponsor outcomes.

• Demonstrated success in work development, shaping, and execution.

• A technical background in one or more of the following:

  • Digital Transformation, Information Technology and Information Systems, Computer Science, or related discipline

  • Operational Research, Modeling and Simulation, or related discipline

  • C4I Systems Engineering, Test and Evaluation, Communication Systems, or related discipline

  • Surveillance Systems

• Active Secret clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Work experience with DHS.

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):

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

Work Location Type:

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