NORAD & USNORTHCOM Task Lead

MITRE; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 146,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE in Colorado Springs seeks an experienced technical and mission leader for NORAD & USNORTHCOM work. You will integrate a diverse portfolio, strengthen sponsor relationships, and translate complex mission challenges into actionable MITRE tasks.

The role emphasizes systems thinking, mission engineering, and leadership across multidisciplinary teams to connect technical work with operational outcomes. Onsite work is required with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years with a Master’s; or PhD with 3 years’ experience.
• Experience leading projects, major tasks, or multidisciplinary teams supporting complex government missions.
• Experience working with senior government sponsors to understand mission needs and deliver actionable outcomes.
• Ability to integrate technical, operational, organizational, and policy considerations into project activities.
• Strong systems thinking, mission engineering, and cybersecurity awareness for collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Plan, integrate, and execute a diverse portfolio of sponsor-funded and internal work.
• Partner with sponsor leaders to translate needs into defined tasks and deliverables.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams, identify dependencies and opportunities for collaboration.
• Lead selected tasks, studies, or cross-project initiatives requiring coordination among staff and stakeholders.
• Apply systems thinking and mission engineering to frame problems and connect to outcomes.
• Develop project strategies, engagements, technical reviews, and leader briefings.
• Build trusted relationships across NORAD & USNORTHCOM and other MITRE organizations.

Skills

Project leadership

Sponsor engagement

Stakeholder management

Systems thinking

Written and verbal communication

Cross-organizational collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

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.

Department Summary

The MITRE NORAD/NORTHCOM, SOUTHCOM, and STRATCOM Department (N558) is seeking an experienced technical and mission leader to support MITRE's NORAD & USNORTHCOM work program. The selected candidate will work closely with the NORAD & USNORTHCOM Project Leader and Deputy Project Leader to integrate work across the portfolio, strengthen sponsor relationships, shape project activities, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and help translate complex mission challenges into actionable MITRE work. This position is intended for a leader who can operate effectively at the intersection of sponsor engagement, project execution, mission analysis, and technical integration. The successful candidate will bring sufficient systems- and mission-engineering experience to understand and connect technical efforts, but the primary emphasis is on integrating people, projects, mission needs, and MITRE capabilities rather than serving as the portfolio’s principal engineering authority.

Roles And Responsibilities

• Support the NORAD & USNORTHCOM Project Leader and Deputy Project Leader in planning, integrating, and executing a diverse portfolio of sponsor-funded and internally funded work.
• Partner with sponsor leaders and MITRE teams to understand mission challenges, clarify desired outcomes, and translate sponsor needs into well-defined project tasks and deliverables.
• Integrate activities across multidisciplinary teams and projects, identifying dependencies, gaps, opportunities for collaboration, and areas where MITRE capabilities can be brought together to address cross-cutting mission needs.
• Lead selected project tasks, studies, technical exchanges, or cross-project initiatives requiring coordination among technical staff, operational subject-matter experts, and sponsor stakeholders.
• Apply systems thinking, mission engineering, and structured analytic methods to frame complex mission problems and connect technical work to operational and strategic outcomes.
• Support development of project strategies, work plans, sponsor engagements, technical reviews, briefings, and senior-leader decision products.
• Build and maintain trusted working relationships across NORAD & USNORTHCOM, subordinate and supporting organizations, interagency partners, and relevant MITRE organizations.
• Mentor staff and emerging task leaders and help strengthen collaboration, technical integration, and project leadership across the NORAD & USNORTHCOM team.

Basic Qualifications

• Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 3 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience. Bachelor’s degree in engineering, systems engineering, computer science, operations research, data science, national security, international relations, public policy, or a related field, with experience commensurate with MITRE Lead career-level requirements.
• Demonstrated experience leading projects, major tasks, or multidisciplinary teams supporting complex government missions.
• Experience working directly with senior government sponsors to understand mission needs, shape work, and deliver products that inform operational, technical, or strategic decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate technical, operational, organizational, and policy considerations into coherent project activities and recommendations.
• Working knowledge of systems thinking, systems engineering, mission engineering, architecture, cybersecurity, operational analysis, or related disciplines sufficient to collaborate effectively with technical teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead across organizational boundaries and coordinate geographically distributed or multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience developing and presenting material for senior government and MITRE leaders.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted sponsor relationships and work effectively with senior military, civilian, interagency, and technical stakeholders.
• Active Top Secret clearance with eligibility for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information.
• Ability to work onsite in Colorado Springs and travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a Combatant Command, joint organization, defense agency, homeland-security organization, aviation or aerospace mission, or other complex federal mission environment.
• Direct experience serving as a project lead, deputy project lead, task lead, outcome lead, group lead, or comparable technical/project leadership role.
• Experience partnering with SES, GO/FO, or other senior government leaders.
• Experience shaping new work, developing follow-on activities, or connecting sponsor needs with organizational capabilities.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams that include engineers, analysts, operators, policy specialists, data scientists, cybersecurity professionals, or other technical disciplines.
• Familiarity with homeland defense, aerospace warning and control, Arctic security, command and control, cybersecurity, border security, interagency operations, or related NORAD & USNORTHCOM mission areas.
• Experience applying systems engineering, mission engineering, structured analytic frameworks, digital engineering, cybersecurity, or systems-of-systems thinking to complex mission problems.
• Experience developing frameworks, taxonomies, roadmaps, mission analyses, or other products that create common understanding across diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success building sponsor relationships and converting emerging mission needs into executable work.
• TSSCI clearance.

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

$146,400 - $183,000 - $219,600 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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