PAE MS Project Leader

Mitre Corporation; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 244,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE Corporation seeks a Project Leader in the Naval Integration & Operations Department to lead NC3 modeling, threat analyses, and mission systems work for Navy missions. The role requires strong sponsor engagement, integrated leadership, and disciplined execution across cross-functional teams.

You will oversee end-to-end NC3 modeling, Zero Trust protection, supply chain risk management, and performance analyses, coordinating with MITRE and government sponsors to deliver decision-quality

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Demonstrated experience leading sponsor-facing technical projects or major workstreams.
• Demonstrated systems/mission engineering experience applied to defense, national security, C4I, or mission systems.
• Experience managing project execution factors including scope, staffing, schedule, budget, or resources.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for project execution and sponsor outcomes.
• Lead and integrate Deputy Project Leaders, Task Leaders, and multidisciplinary staff across NC3 domains.
• Build trusted sponsor relationships and communicate project status, risks, and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Own project execution across scope, staffing, schedules, budgets, funding, dependencies, and risks.
• Ensure technical quality, mission relevance, and integration of analyses and deliverables across end-to-end models and assessments.
• Connect work across MITRE departments and Navy stakeholders to leverage expertise and reduce duplication.
• Develop the project leadership bench by mentoring staff and fostering collaboration.

Skills

Project leadership

Systems engineering

Mission engineering

Cybersecurity

Zero Trust

Sponsor engagement

Stakeholder communication

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's degree in related technical field

Master's or PhD preferred

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.

MITRE’s Naval Integration & Operations Department conducts systems engineering, mission engineering, analysis, and research for challenging naval missions across the maritime and joint domains. The department is seeking a Project Leader to lead a portfolio of work advancing the security, resiliency, and mission effectiveness of Navy nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) and related C4I capabilities.

The Project Leader will provide overall direction and accountability for sponsor outcomes across efforts involving end-to-end NC3 modeling and threat analysis, Zero Trust protection of Qualifying NC3 Information (QNI), supply chain risk management, resilient communications for nuclear mission systems, mission effects and requirements analysis, and independent assessment of information exchange requirements. The role requires strong sponsor engagement, integrated project leadership, sound technical judgment, disciplined execution, and the ability to connect work across MITRE to produce decision-quality outcomes.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership and accountability for project execution and sponsor outcomes, establishing project vision, objectives, priorities, success criteria, and an integrated technical strategy aligned with sponsor needs and MITRE’s FFRDC role.
• Lead and integrate Deputy Project Leaders, Task Leaders, and multidisciplinary technical staff across NC3 systems engineering, mission engineering, cybersecurity and Zero Trust, communications, threat analysis, supply chain risk management, requirements analysis, and enterprise systems engineering.
• Build and maintain trusted sponsor relationships, receive and validate formal sponsor tasks, translate emerging mission needs into executable work, and communicate project status, risks, accomplishments, recommendations, and opportunities to senior government and MITRE stakeholders.
• Own project execution across scope, staffing, schedules, budgets, funding, dependencies, and risks, using MITRE processes and tools to maintain situational awareness and deliver high-quality outcomes on schedule and within available resources.
• Ensure technical quality, mission relevance, and integration of analyses and deliverables, including end-to-end models, threat and gap analyses, reference implementations, technical guidance, performance metrics, vendor assessments, test plans, architecture recommendations, and decision products.
• Connect related work across MITRE departments, centers, Navy stakeholders, and mission partners to leverage expertise, reduce duplication, identify cross-project dependencies, and create additional sponsor impact consistent with MITRE’s role.
• Develop the project leadership bench by mentoring Deputy Project Leaders, Task Leaders, and technical staff, fostering an inclusive and collaborative team environment.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related technical field, with experience appropriate for the Principal career step. Equivalent combinations of related education and work experience will be considered consistent with the approved MITRE job profile.
• Demonstrated experience leading sponsor-facing technical projects or major workstreams, including establishing objectives, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, managing priorities and dependencies, and delivering results against defined mission outcomes.
• Demonstrated systems engineering or mission engineering experience applied to complex defense, national security, C4I, communications, cyber, or mission systems, including the ability to evaluate technical alternatives and translate analysis into actionable recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage project execution factors such as scope, staffing, schedule, budget or resources, technical risk, and quality while maintaining effective communication with sponsors and organizational leadership.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and interpersonal communication skills, including experience communicating complex technical and programmatic issues to senior stakeholders.
• Must have an active Top 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.
• Ability to work effectively across geographically dispersed teams and support a minimum of 3 days per week on-site.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Experience with Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3), nuclear deterrence missions, strategic communications, or Navy nuclear mission systems.
• Experience with one or more of the following: mission engineering, model-based systems engineering, C4ISR/C4I architectures, resilient communications, operational or threat analysis, Zero Trust, information protection, supply chain risk management, requirements analysis, or test and evaluation.
• Experience leading integrated technical portfolios spanning multiple tasks, sponsors, organizations, or technical disciplines, with responsibility for project planning, financial execution, risk management, and delivery quality.
• Experience supporting Navy or joint mission systems and working with senior government sponsors, acquisition organizations, operational stakeholders, or the U.S. Intelligence Community.
• Experience mentoring technical leaders and developing staff through project execution, peer review, sponsor engagement, and increasing levels of leadership responsibility.

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:

$162,400 - $203,000 - $243,600 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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