Software/Digital Modernization Transformation Lead, Principal

MITRE; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 173,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE’s Acquisition Studies & Analysis (ASA) Department seeks a well-connected expert on defense acquisition and modernization. You will belong to a high-performing team that advises senior leaders and sponsors, shaping transformation initiatives across defense programs.

The role requires deep knowledge of software delivery modernization, and the ability to influence governance, funding, and contracting structures to accelerate impact while delivering measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading software or digital transformation initiatives at scale.
• Experience implementing Agile, DevSecOps, CI/CD, or cloud modernization efforts.
• Strong ability to influence and coach across technical and organizational boundaries.
• Ability to translate engineering best practices into practical execution guidance

Responsibilities

• Serve as senior transformation leader responsible for shaping and scaling modern software delivery models across sponsor portfolios.
• Proactively help sponsors identify and shape modernization opportunities.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships across sponsors, partners, industry, and academics.
• Serve on multidisciplinary teams to improve capability outcomes across acquisition, engineering, and delivery.
• Define and implement performance metrics to demonstrate modernization impact

Skills

Software transformation

Agile/DevSecOps

Stakeholder influence

Strategic communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD (optional)

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.

Our nation’s ability to defend the homeland, deter aggression, and build a resilient Joint force rests on our capacity to identify, prioritize, and successfully field the optimal set of effective, suitable, and survivable systems. We must re-envision national security to keep pace with advanced adversaries, leveraging the entire spectrum of the Nation’s Innovation Base, while creating and leveraging a growing set of new options and authorities for accelerating Joint and whole-of-nation capabilities.

That’s where MITRE’s Acquisition Studies & Analysis (ASA) Department comes in. We are a diverse group of defense acquisition experts, operations research / system analysts, cybersecurity professionals, and communication systems engineers– all with a united passion to solve problems for a safer world. We’re experienced professionals who advise senior leaders and decision-makers across the national security enterprise. Our evidence-based work garners visibility and provokes thought and action. We’re team players who build partnerships across government, industry, academia, and research centers.

And above all - we bring objectivity, innovation, courage, and technical excellence to help our sponsors make the right decision.

Roles & Responsibilities

MITRE’s ASA Department seeks a well-connected and recognized expert on defense acquisition and innovation. The ideal candidate will be a credible authority on defense acquisition, emerging technologies, and national security processes. You will belong to a high-performing team that regularly initiates and implements projects in support of sponsors’ strategic initiatives, often before a sponsor can fully recognize or articulate that they are needed. The team may publish, speak at high visibility events, and advise senior government officials.

Responsibilities include

• Serve as senior transformation leader responsible for shaping and scaling modern software delivery models across sponsor portfolios. This role brings deep software engineering and digital modernization expertise that integrates with DoW acquisition transformation leaders to improve how software-enabled capabilities are developed, secured, and delivered.
• Proactively help sponsors identify and shape modernization opportunities.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships across sponsors, FFRDC partners, industry, and academic stakeholders to support integrated modernization efforts.
• Serve as an active member of multidisciplinary teams integrating acquisition, engineering, and delivery expertise to improve capability outcomes.
• Collaborate with the MITRE team and DoW sponsors to align engineering modernization with governance, funding, and contracting structures.
• Shape and scale modern software delivery models across sponsor portfolios, influencing how engineering, funding, and governance intersect.
• Design or evolve platform engineering strategies for DoW software acquisition that improve developer experience, reduce cycle time, and enable quality, secure, scalable delivery.
• Establish repeatable patterns and capability delivery strategies that can be adopted across multiple programs.
• Define and implement performance measurement frameworks to demonstrate tangible modernization impact.
• Link engineering performance metrics to acquisition and delivery outcomes.
• Provide architectural and technical insight to guide modernization of DoW software-intensive systems.
• Coach technical and non-technical stakeholders in modern software delivery approaches.
• Maintain awareness of evolving commercial best practices in software engineering and apply them thoughtfully within DoW organizations.
• Navigate organizational resistance and legacy practices to enable sustainable adoption of modern software delivery approaches.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to program teams and senior leaders.

Basic Qualifications

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading software or digital transformation initiatives at scale.
• Experience implementing Agile, DevSecOps, CI/CD, or cloud modernization efforts.
• Experience operating in regulated or mission-critical environments.
• Strong ability to influence and coach across technical and organizational boundaries.
• Ability to translate engineering best practices into practical execution guidance
• Demonstrated ability to drive organizational change and measurable improvement.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Ability to operate in dynamic sponsor environments with evolving objectives.
• Experience working across organizational boundaries to achieve mission outcomes.
• Must have an active Secret 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.
• Willingness to support hybrid on-site engagement as required by sponsors.
• This position requires a minimum of 3 days a week on-site.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with the DoW software acquisition pathway leading critical acquisition modernization or reform
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Top Secret clearance with access to Secure Compartmented Information (TS/SCI).
• Private sector experience defense, technology, or consulting industries.
• Experience working with OSD Research and Engineering and/or Acquisition and Sustainment staffs.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain and leverage a strong professional network to provide thought leadership across the acquisition enterprise.

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)

Secret

Salary compensation range and midpoint

$173,200 - $216,500 - $259,800 Annual

Work Location Type

Onsite

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

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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