Modeling and Simulation Mission Engineer

Mitre Corporation; Fort Belvoir (VA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 233,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE is seeking a Lead Modeling and Simulation Mission Engineer to support national security missions. You will partner with stakeholders to develop advanced modeling and analytical tools, blending mathematics, physics, engineering, and programming to deliver actionable insights.

The role demands collaboration across diverse teams and strong problem-solving abilities. You will tackle complex problems, present findings to senior leaders, and help bridge operational teams with technical experts

Qualifications

• Typically requires extensive experience in modeling, simulation, and analysis.
• Proven ability to translate mission needs into modeling workstreams.
• Experience presenting analyses to senior stakeholders.
• Strong programming skills in Python and MATLAB are expected.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to development and application of modeling/simulation tools.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to refine methodologies.
• Shape project strategy by recommending innovative techniques and tools.
• Communicate findings to stakeholders to align with mission goals.
• Support cross-team collaboration to enhance scalability of initiatives.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering or related field

Master’s degree

PhD with related experience

Tools

AFSIM

CAMEO

Job description

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We’re a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies - collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose - and help shape the future.

The Operational Innovation and Modernization Department (N173) partners with key government sponsors to inform warfighter requirements, modernization priorities, and new concepts. The department drives the rapid transformation of current and future warfighter operations through rapid prototyping; digital engineering; mission analysis; innovative concept development, requirements development and application of enabling technologies; and operational and technical assessments through experimentation and field evaluations. With direct connections to warfighters, N173 informs technology innovation and capability analysis, as well as development and analysis of Concepts of Operation, mission threads, use cases, and operational requirements. The department routinely establishes links between sponsors and partner development activities, both internal and external to the company. N173 is on the cutting edge of current operations and is a major thought leader in force modernization.

Roles & Responsibilities

We are seeking an experienced, highly motivated Lead Modeling and Simulation Mission Engineer to support critical national security missions. In this role, you will partner with operational stakeholders to develop and apply advanced modeling, simulation, and analytical tools—integrating mathematics, physics, engineering, and programming—to generate actionable insights for mission and sponsor needs. You will tackle complex, real-world problems at the intersection of technology and national security while expanding your skills through hands-on work. We value experience, domain depth, and innovation, and we’re looking for candidates who thrive in collaborative, diverse teams, and are committed to delivering solutions that make a real impact.

Responsibilities include

• Contribute to the development and application of modeling and simulation tools by providing technical expertise and support.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to refine methodologies and address technical challenges.
• Shape project strategies by identifying and recommending innovative techniques and tools to improve modeling, simulation, and analysis capabilities.
• Communicate findings and recommendations to stakeholders to ensure alignment with mission goals.
• Support collaboration across teams to enhance the effectiveness and scalability of modeling, simulation, and analysis initiatives.

Basic Qualifications

• Typically requires 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Systems Engineering, Operations Research, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Aerospace Engineering); or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Experience with operational analysis tools (e.g., AFSIM, CAMEO)
• Experience with developing and debugging physics-based modeling and simulation tools to address research questions.
• Experience in conducting quantitative analysis of simulation results to identify key focus areas and extract critical lessons learned.
• Experienced in presenting analysis to non-technical audiences and senior leaders and bridging operational teams with technical experts to create mission-focused solutions.
• Demonstrated proficiency in programming languages and applications such as Python and MATLAB.
• Must have an active Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI U.S. Government issued Security Clearance. Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
• This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in mission engineering, including interpreting and analyzing mission threads.
• Experience with data analysis and data visualization tools or environments.
• Skilled in presenting technical material through reports and presentations, with strong problem-solving and communication abilities, and a passion for collaborating with experts across various disciplines.
• Hands-on experience in adapting research done in academia and industry to real-world challenging data sources and problems sets.
• Active DoD Top Secret clearance with access to Secure Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).

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

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

$155,200 - $194,000 - $232,800 Annual

Work Location Type

Onsite

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All 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.

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