SSC/S6 CIO Project Leader

MITRE

El Segundo (CA)

On-site

USD 162,000 - 244,000

Full time

2 days ago

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Job summary

MITRE in El Segundo, CA is seeking a Project Leader for the USSF SSC/S6 CIO with deep Systems Engineering and space domain expertise. The role drives strategic leadership, sponsor engagement, and cross‑agency collaboration to deliver mission‑critical space capabilities.

The position requires an active Top Secret/SCI clearance and a commitment to on-site work (minimum 4 days/week) in support of DoD and government sponsor objectives. Strong communication and program leadership are essential.

Qualifications

Minimum 10 years related experience with a B.S. in Engineering, Computer Science, Math, Physics, or related field; or 8 years with a Master’s; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience.
Demonstrated depth in Systems Engineering and space systems engineering.
Proven ability to develop a trusted advisor relationship with a DoW/government sponsor.
Experience delivering results across organizational boundaries.
Demonstrated management of technical tasks and large engineering teams.
Excellent communication skills for presenting complex concepts to diverse audiences.
Active Top Secret/SCI clearance required; U.S. citizenship required.
On-site work commitment: minimum of 4 days per week.

Responsibilities

Sponsor engagement: provide strategic and technical leadership to SSC/S6 CIO.
Cross-project collaboration with MITRE divisions, NIST, and stakeholders to align priorities and milestones.
Work shaping: define tasks aligned with cross-cutting priorities and deliverables.
Leverage MITRE backplane to apply MTE capabilities across projects.
Project administration: financial reporting, pages, meetings, and staffing.
Staff leadership: mentoring, hiring, and onboarding; access management.
Culture development: foster a strong, inclusive MITRE culture.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Interpersonal skills

Security clearance

Education

B.S. in Engineering/CS/Math/Physics

M.S. or PhD option

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 USSF SSC/S6 Chief Information Office (CIO) sponsors.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The SSC/S6 CIO drives efforts across the USSF to protect space information systems including protecting communications links between space systems and airborne and ground-based platforms; protecting space systems from advanced cyber-attacks and insider threats; and managing information that enables SSC program offices to develop and sustain systems in a manner that outpaces emerging threats. The Project Leader will work to align SSC/S6 with organizations across the Department of Air Force (DAF) and Department of War (DoW) to ensure efficiency and to advance Joint interoperability. The project focus areas include, but are not limited to, zero trust, human-AI teaming, data science and engineering, AI capabilities, and application of industry-best integration cyber practices. The project requires strong collaboration between DAF and USAF level organizations to ensure cohered solutions and capabilities. Collaboration on cyber initiatives will include Air Combat Command, DoW CIO, and SSC Space Systems Integration Office (SSIO) to ensure USSF leverages best of breed zero trust approaches.

The SSC/S6 project lead will also lead work under an interagency agreement between USSF and NIST that will require close coordination and collaboration among several stakeholders, including MITRE’s National Cybersecurity Federally Funded Research and Development Center (NCF), NIST’s Information Technology Laboratory, and the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE).

Key functions include:

Sponsor engagement – regularly engage with sponsor leadership, providing strategic and technical leadership as a trusted advisor to SSC/S6 CIO, 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, NIST, and other stakeholders to manage the interagency agreement, align priorities and responsibilities, coordinate deliverables and milestones, track risks and dependencies, and ensure clear communication and timely resolution of issues.
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 SSC/S6 CIO, 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
Cyber Certifications such as CISSP.
Significant experience as a program manager, experience on acquisition programs and executing work for CIOs across the US Government.
Familiarity with other USSF mission systems and architectures.
Experience direct knowledge of key USSF operational or acquisition commands.
Experience in building both enterprise and tactical solutions that integrate within the DoD.
MS or PhD in Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Applied Cybersecurity Engineering or similar field.
Ability to quickly respond to changing program and political environment while keeping strategic focus intact.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

Top Secret/SCI

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Not Applicable

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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