Space Development Agency Project Leader

MITRE; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

MITRE is seeking a Project Leader for Space Development Agency (SDA) initiatives in McLean, VA. You will direct multidisciplinary work including modeling, simulation, satellite navigation, cybersecurity, and supply‑chain risk management to deliver resilient space capabilities.

You will engage sponsors, lead cross‑functional teams, and shape program strategies to ensure mission success and interoperability across space systems.

Qualifications

• Typically requires significant experience in systems engineering and leadership.
• Proven ability to build trusted advisor relationships with government sponsors.
• Strong cross‑functional collaboration across organizations.

Responsibilities

• Sponsor engagement with SDA leadership to shape programs and outcomes.
• Cross-project collaboration with MITRE divisions to align space program objectives.
• Define tasks and outcomes in support of NSEC Space Warfighting goals.
• Leverage MITRE backplane to share solutions across projects and accelerate impact.
• Project administration including reporting, staffing, and budgeting.
• Lead and mentor team members to achieve mission-driven results.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence and collaboration.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Math, Physics

Master's degree in related field

PhD with 5 years’ experience

Tools

Systems Engineering

DoD sponsor relations

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 N113 Space Battle Management department fields capabilities and establishes cross cutting enablers to deliver an integrated resilient Space C2 and Sensing Enterprise for the Space Warfighter. N113 performs mission engineering, modeling, simulation & analysis (MS&A), software architecting and development, and analysis capabilities designed to close kill chains across multiple space mission domains for multiple customers such as United States Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) including Program Acquisition Executive (PAE) Battle Management Command, Control, and Communications and Space Intelligence (BMC3I), PAE Missile Warning and Tracking, and the Chief Information Officer (CIO); Space Development Agency, Combat Forces Command Mission Delta 6 and Mission Delta 2, Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO), and Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition (SAF/SQ). The outcomes of these efforts provide high-quality, comprehensive, quantitative insights for senior government decision makers shaping the future of our nation’s Space policy, operations, and system acquisitions. The N113 department is a major contributor to the MITRE Space Capabilities Division and Space Enterprise Mission Division by enabling joint combat power and superiority in all domains in, from, and through space.

As a member of our Space Battle Management Department team, you will help solve our nation's most technically challenging problems in a dynamic, fast paced, rapidly growing and expanding domain, and work in the public interest building a more capable and resilient space enterprise. This work will be conducted collaboratively with multiple MITRE and government organizations. You will fill the role as the MITRE Project Leader for the Space Development Agency (SDA) sponsors.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The SDA is transforming military space by rapidly fielding a proliferated constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites that provide global missile tracking, resilient global communications, and other critical capabilities to warfighters. The Project Leader is responsible for the overall direction and execution of MITRE’s multidisciplinary work supporting SDA, overseeing a portfolio focused on technical areas including modeling and simulation, satellite navigation (satnav), cybersecurity, communications and networking, and supply-chain risk management. The role serves as a senior interface with government leadership to evaluate proposed changes to SDA systems and architectures, identify technical risks or unintended consequences, and recommend practical approaches for improving performance, resilience, security, and interoperability. Modeling and simulation is a primary line of effort to assess the resilience, performance, and effectiveness of SDA’s satellite and communications networks under a range of operational conditions, threats, failures, and growth scenarios.

Key functions include:

• Sponsor engagement – regularly engage with sponsor leadership, division leadership, branch chiefs, and individual government personnel, providing strategic and technical leadership as a trusted advisor to SDA, growing and strengthening sponsor engagement and enhancing MITRE’s role in proactively shaping programs to achieve operational mission objectives
• Cross-project collaboration - Work closely with other MITRE USSF project leaders, MITRE Space Capabilities Division and Space Enterprise Mission Division leadership, and other division and department project leaders to develop an overall project strategy in alignment with NSEC Space Warfighting outcomes with lasting impact on the center’s mission
• Work shaping – proactively develop and define tasks and project outcomes in alignment with NSEC Cross-cutting priorities, Nexus, and other initiatives and outcomes; align project work to identify and address the toughest current and future challenges sponsors face
• MITRE backplane – proactively seek opportunities to bring MITRE Technology & Engineering (MTE) capabilities to bear and execute on collaboration opportunities to increase impact across MITRE projects, share products to maximize the impact of work done for SDA, and reach across the company to accelerate project objectives
• Project administration – financial reporting tools, project pages, meeting coordination, status reports, future year project work packages, Mission Value Chains, staffing, facility management, etc.
• Staff leadership – evolve the team and grow staff through career training, mentoring, hiring, and onboarding; handle/process requests for badge, network, and lab access, visit requests, tool integration, etc.
• Culture development – foster and demonstrate a strong and positive culture built upon MITRE’s behaviors and cultural attributes while maintaining a consistent sense of belonging for all

Basic Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a B.S degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Math, Physics, or related field; 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 technical depth in the field of Systems Engineering, Systems of systems engineering, and space systems engineering
• Proven ability to develop a trusted advisor relationship with a DoW/government sponsor
• Shown success in working across organizational boundaries to deliver results
• Demonstrated management of technical tasks and large engineering teams
• Effective organizational skills and discipline to keep the project well-scoped and the team driven to accomplish specific objectives
• Demonstrated ability to work shape within a team to drive technical impact
• Serve as a mentor and foster a culture of technical creativity and mission impact, including but not limited to collaborating across MITRE to provide cross-cutting and impactful solutions
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to present complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Effective collaboration, strategic thinking, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to think critically and be proactive in pursuing research and problem-solving with minimal supervision.
• Must have an active 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.
• This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active Top Secret clearance with ability to obtain SAP
• Familiarity with other USSF mission systems and architectures
• MS or PhD in Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Applied Cybersecurity Engineering or similar field
• Significant experience as a technical or program manager, experience on acquisition programs
• Ability to quickly respond to changing program and political environment while keeping strategic focus intact
• Experience building or using digital engineering methods, conducting analysis, and providing recommendations to support planning and decision-making.

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