Lead Systems EngineerWhy 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 for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE - and make a difference with us.The Systems and Operations Department (L626) within MITRE's Systems Engineering Division in the Center for Engineering and Analysis delivers innovative, mission-focused solutions using a multidisciplinary systems engineering approach to address sponsor challenges critical to national security missions. We advance engineering rigor, operational relevance, and mission effectiveness across complex systems and enterprises, with core focus areas in Domain Systems Engineering, Lifecycle Systems Engineering, and Acquisition Systems Engineering. Our teams develop, assess, and transition engineering solutions, provide strategic technical vision, and deliver data-informed recommendations that enable sponsor mission success from tactical through enterprise levels.Roles & Responsibilities:The Systems and Operations Department is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to support government sponsor mission needs across complex and evolving national security environments. The selected candidate will help define, design, architect, integrate, and transition complex mission systems by applying both Traditional Systems Engineering (TSE) and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methods.
The role requires the ability to work across technical, operational, acquisition, and programmatic stakeholders to translate mission needs into executable system concepts, architectures, requirements, roadmaps, integration plans, acquisition artifacts, and engineering recommendations. The selected candidate will be expected to:Apply systems engineering principles across the system development lifecycle, including mission analysis, concept development, system design, architecture definition, requirements development, integration, verification, validation, deployment planning, and technical transitionLead or support system design and architecture activities by translating sponsor mission needs, operational constraints, and capability gaps into system concepts, functional designs, technical approaches, and implementation optionsDevelop, assess, and refine system architectures for complex mission systems, including operational views, functional architectures, logical and physical architectures, interfaces, data flows, dependencies, and integration pointsApply TSE and MBSE methods to capture system behavior, structure, requirements, interfaces, constraints, verification relationships, trade space, risks, and technical decisionsConduct stakeholder engagements, workshops, interviews, and technical working groups to elicit, analyze, document, and validate clear, testable, and traceable mission, system, product, interface, performance, security, and operational requirementsConduct engineering studies, trade analyses, and gap assessments to evaluate current-state systems, operational processes, technology limitations, interoperability challenges, and opportunities to improve mission outcomesSupport integration, test, verification, validation, deployment planning, and technical transition activities for complex systems, including integration sequencing, test objectives, success criteria, interface dependencies, and deployment readiness considerationsAdvise government sponsors and program managers on mission context, capability needs, technical priorities, system roadmaps, technology insertion opportunities, acquisition strategies, and engineering approaches that support program objectivesSupport acquisition planning and execution by contributing to Statements of Work, Statements of Objectives, Performance Work Statements, market research, acquisition strategies, evaluation criteria, technical evaluation plans, source selection documentation, and vendor assessmentsCollaborate with multidisciplinary teams to develop and present technical artifacts, architecture briefings, decision papers, trade study results, requirements packages, interface documentation, and engineering recommendations for sponsor and leadership reviewServe as a mentor to junior staff by providing guidance, feedback, and knowledge-sharing to support their professional growth and strengthen team capabilitiesBasic Qualifications:Minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 8 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 5 years' experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experienceExperience applying systems engineering practices to complex technical, operational, or mission-focused systemsExperience with system design, system architecture modeling, requirements development, interface analysis, integration planning, verification and validation, and technical documentationFamiliarity with both MBSE and traditional systems engineering approaches, including requirements analysis, functional decomposition, interface control, trade studies, risk analysis, technical reviews, and engineering decision supportAbility to develop or review architecture products, requirements specifications, trade studies, technical plans, acquisition artifacts, and engineering recommendationsAbility to work directly with government sponsors, program managers, technical teams, acquisition stakeholders, and mission usersStrong analytical, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to define ambiguous problems, structure technical options, and brief technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiencesAbility to work both collaboratively and independently in a dynamic sponsor environmentWillingness to work at various sponsor locations in the Northern Virginia area as neededActive TS/SCI clearance with PolygraphPer the U.S. Government's eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.This position has an on-site requirement of 5 days a week on-sitePreferred Qualifications:Knowledge of intelligence operations, the intelligence lifecycle, and intelligence systemsExperience applying MBSE methods using modeling languages and tools, such as SysML, Cameo, MagicDraw, Rhapsody, Sparx EA, or similar platformsExperience developing SysML diagrams, including block definition diagrams, internal block diagrams, activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, state machine diagrams, requirement diagrams, and parametric modelsExperience developing or applying systems architecture frameworks, architecture views, interface models, operational models, or enterprise architecture productsExperience advising the federal government on acquisition lifecycle activities, including SOW/SOO development, market research, acquisition planning, technical evaluations, source selection support, or adoption of innovative acquisition approachesExperience supporting system integration, test planning, verification and validation, deployment readiness planning, or technical transition of mission systemsExperience with digital engineering, mission engineering, enterprise architecture, software-intensive systems, cloud-based systems, data platforms, cybersecurity, or command-and-control systemsExperience leading technical tasks, facilitating stakeholder workshops, coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams, or advising senior technical and program leadershipExperience researching, assessing, prototyping, integrating, or supporting the transition of mission technologies such as secure communication protocols, mobile devices, terrestrial and space-based networking, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, or related technologiesThis requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s): Top Secret/SCI/PolygraphThis requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s): Top Secret/SCI/PolygraphSalary compensation range and midpoint: $162,400 - $203,000 - $243,600 AnnualWork Location Type: OnsiteCommitment to Non-DiscriminationAll qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. 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