Senior Undersea Systems Engineer

MITRE; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 146,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE in the United States seeks a Senior Undersea Systems Engineer to lead multidisciplinary teams in analysis, development, integration, and delivery of naval undersea capabilities. You will guide tasks, coordinate with government sponsors, and ensure high-quality deliverables across lifecycle stages.

Ideal candidates hold a graduate-level technical degree, a Top Secret/SCI clearance or eligibility, and strong communication skills for sponsor engagement and briefings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field with 5+ years of relevant experience, or a Master’s/PhD with sufficient experience.
• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance or ability to obtain; TS/SCI preferred.
• Knowledge of naval undersea operations and undersea warfare missions.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering action-oriented results.
• Experience applying systems engineering processes to analyze and advise on courses of action.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills with sponsor engagement.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical task leader for undersea systems engineering efforts, establishing objectives, approach, priorities, schedules, and deliverables.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams across engineering, operations, intelligence, communications, sensing, and other disciplines to deliver coherent recommendations.
• Engage directly with government sponsors to understand mission needs and guide task execution toward useful operational outcomes.
• Manage task execution, including technical reviews, planning, risk identification, and quality of deliverables.
• Apply systems engineering across lifecycle from requirements to sustainment.
• Communicate complex findings through concise written products and briefings to sponsors and senior stakeholders.

Skills

Systems engineering

Naval undersea operations

Undersea warfare knowledge

Leadership

Sponsor engagement

Security clearance TS/SCI

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science, or related field

Master’s degree or PhD in 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:

MITRE’s Naval Integration & Operations Department provides systems engineering, analysis, research, and technical advisory support for challenging naval missions across the maritime and joint domains. The Naval Integration & Operations Department is seeking a Senior Undersea Systems Engineer to serve as a technical task leader, guiding multidisciplinary teams through the analysis, development, integration, and delivery of engineering solutions for undersea warfare and naval capabilities.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical task leader for undersea systems engineering efforts, establishing task objectives, technical approach, priorities, schedules, and deliverables.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams conducting systems engineering, operational analysis, requirements development, architecture assessments, technology evaluations, and capability assessments supporting undersea warfare missions.
• Engage directly with government sponsors to understand mission needs, shape analytical questions, develop courses of action, and guide task execution toward useful operational outcomes.
• Integrate technical contributions across engineering, operations, intelligence, communications, sensing, combat systems, and other relevant disciplines into coherent recommendations and decision products.
• Manage task execution, including technical reviews, work planning, risk identification, issue resolution, dependencies, and quality of deliverables.
• Apply systems engineering principles across the lifecycle of naval capabilities, including requirements, design, development, integration, testing, deployment, and sustainment.
• Communicate complex technical findings and recommendations through concise written products, briefings, working sessions, and direct engagement with sponsors and senior stakeholders.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related technical field and 5 years of relevant experience, or a master’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience, or a PhD with relevant experience sufficient to immediately contribute at the Senior career step.
• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance.
• Knowledge of naval undersea operations and undersea warfare missions.
• Experience with one or more of the following areas: Submarine Operations
• Theater Undersea Warfare Operations
• Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3)
• Undersea threat systems.
• Joint and maritime undersea operations and intelligence analysis.
• Demonstrated experience applying systems engineering processes to formulate courses of action, evaluate technical alternatives, assess programs or capabilities, and develop recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical work, coordinate multidisciplinary contributors, establish priorities, and deliver results against defined objectives.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, learn new technologies and processes, and contribute effectively within geographically dispersed teams.
• Ability to support a minimum of 3 days on-site presence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• Experience with naval mission systems from technical and/or operational perspectives.
• Experience leading systems engineering activities across multiple lifecycle phases, including requirements, design, development, integration, test, deployment, and sustainment.
• Experience with undersea combat systems, communications systems, sensing systems, weapon systems, or their operational employment.
• Experience with submarine systems or undersea communications.
• Experience supporting the U.S. Intelligence Community.
• Demonstrated experience leading sponsor-facing technical tasks, managing multidisciplinary teams, and delivering decision-quality technical recommendations.
• Experience mentoring engineers and developing technical staff through task execution, peer review, and sponsor engagement.

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

Hybrid

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.

MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. If you are unable to search or apply for jobs and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of MITRE’s employment process, please email [e-mail] for general support and [e-mail] for intern positions. This service is for individuals requiring reasonable accommodation requests. Please note that vendor solicitations will not receive a reply.

Benefits information may be found here.

Copyright © 1997-2026, The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. MITRE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. Material on this site may be copied and distributed with permission only.