Principal Space Systems & Mission Leader

Mitre Corporation; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 244,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE seeks a technically exceptional Principal Project Leader to guide AS&T efforts for the NRO, aligning architecture, research, prototyping, and transition activities across space, ground, and data capabilities.

The role demands deep expertise in advanced sensors, AI/ML, cybersecurity, and mission engineering, with a track record of cross‑functional leadership and stakeholder collaboration across government and industry.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree; or 8 years with a master’s; or a PhD with 5 years.
• Experience with the National Reconnaissance Office and its mission priorities.
• Degree in systems engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, software engineering, physics, applied mathematics, data science, mechanical engineering, or cybersecurity.
• Understanding of space-related physics, engineering, and mission concepts.
• Knowledge of enterprise and mission data architectures and data analytics.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and technical leadership as a trusted advisor to the sponsor and help shape the full scope of work for a systems engineering team.
• Build and sustain relationships with AS&T senior leadership and government stakeholders across the NRO and Intelligence Community.
• Define and execute technical objectives based on sponsor priorities and mission outcomes for future architecture development and transition.
• Translate project strategy into actionable outcomes, deliverables, and engineering recommendations for space, ground, and data capabilities.
• Identify and integrate research and experimentation efforts to strengthen sponsor decision‑making across technologies.

Skills

Technical leadership

Systems engineering

Mission analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk reduction

Analytical thinking

Security clearance (Top Secret/SCI)

Executive stakeholder management

Education

Systems engineering

Aerospace engineering

Electrical engineering

Computer science

Software engineering

Physics

Applied mathematics

Data science

Cybersecurity

Mechanical engineering

Job description

MITRE seeks a technically exceptional Principal Project Leader to guide AS&T efforts for the NRO, aligning architecture, research, prototyping, and transition activities across space, ground, and data capabilities.

The role demands deep expertise in advanced sensors, AI/ML, cybersecurity, and mission engineering, with a track record of cross‑functional leadership and stakeholder collaboration across government and industry.