Systems Engineer

MITRE; Fort Meade (MD); On-site; USD 162,000 - 244,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Career development

On-site work

Job summary

MITRE seeks a Lead Systems Integration Engineer to drive end-to-end systems engineering and architectural cohesion for the DISA Mission Network Transport portfolio. You will translate complex, multi-agency requirements into actionable technical strategies for senior leadership, and provide executive advisory across critical defense programs.

You will collaborate across transport, edge compute hosting, and cybersecurity domains, ensuring architectural stability and timely decision cycles while

Qualifications

• Requires minimum 10 years of related experience with a Bachelors degree; or 8 years and a Masters; or PhD with 5 years of experience.
• BS in Engineering (Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Computer), Physics, Statistics, Mathematics, or related fields.
• Demonstrated team leadership experience
• Active Top Secret clearance and eligibility for Top Secret/SCI clearance. On-site 4 days a week.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end systems engineering and architectural cohesion for the DISA Mission Network Transport portfolio.
• Translate multi-agency engineering realities into actionable technical strategies for senior leadership.
• Provide executive technical advisory and decision support across portfolio initiatives.

Skills

Systems engineering

Team leadership

Oral communication

Written communication

Security clearance

Education

Bachelors degree in Engineering or related field

Masters degree preferred

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 federamente 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.

MITRE Technology and Engineering’s Systems Engineering Division delivers innovative, multidisciplinary systems engineering solutions that address complex national security challenges and advance mission outcomes for sponsors across the federal government. In close partnership with our MITRE National Security Sector, we work to serve as a center of excellence in systems engineering, bringing together expertise from across MITRE and collaborating with government, industry, and academia to develop and apply next-generation engineering approaches.

Core Technical Capabilities

• Mission, Enterprise, and Domain Engineering
• Systems Engineering, Architecting, and Lifecycle Integration
• Digital Engineering, Prototyping, and Modernization
• Architecture, Interfaces, and Open Systems
• Performance Analysis, Test, and Evaluation
• AI-Enabled Systems

The division applies these capabilities across sponsors and mission domains to accelerate innovation, integrate lessons learned, and strengthen MITRE’s ability to deliver objective, mission-focused engineering solutions.

Roles & Responsibilities

In direct support to our DISA sponsor, we are seeking an exceptional Lead Systems Integration Engineer to lead end-to-end systems engineering and architectural cohesion for the newly established DISA PAE Mission Network Transport portfolio. This portfolio addresses complex, cross-cutting mission network transport challenges that bridge multiple national defense programs, including the Joint Fires Network (JFN), Edge Theater Architecture (ETA), Golden Dome, and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) efforts.

In this role, you will not be confined to siloed, single-component design. Instead, you will operate as the principal systems integrator across transport, edge compute/hosting, and cybersecurity accreditation domains translating multi-agency engineering realities into actionable technical strategies for senior military leadership.

Focus areas include:

End-to-End Systems Engineering & Architectural Integration

• Architectural Cohesion: Lead holistic systems integration across tactical networking layers, forward compute/hosting nodes, and enterprise services.
• Seam & Risk Management: Identify interface disconnects, technical risks, and architectural bottlenecks across distributed engineering teams.
• Interface Definition: Develop conceptual architecture and integration frameworks to unify distributed mission threads.

Executive Technical Advisory & Decision Support

• Leadership Advisor: Serve as the trusted technical advisor to Sponsor, delivering objective guidance across all portfolio’s technical initiatives.
• Executive Synthesis: Translate multifaceted engineering data into clear technical assessments, trade studies, and executive decision briefings.
• Stakeholder Representation: Represent the portfolio in high-level engagements with Joint Mission Partners, Combatant Commands (CCMDs), Program Offices, and technical working groups.

Mission Thread Harmonization

• Cross-Program Alignment: Establish end-to-end architectural traceability across high-priority defense efforts (JFN, ETA, Golden Dome, and MDA programs).
• Operational Agility: Rapidly assess and integrate evolving theater priorities while maintaining architectural stability and long-term roadmap alignment.

Multi-Organizational Coordination & Accreditation

• Cross-Boundary Governance: Facilitate proactive coordination among transport sub-teams, external compute/infrastructure providers, and Authorizing Officials (AOs).
• Security & ATO Pathways: Bridge engineering teams with security evaluators to streamline Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Cross-Domain Solution (CDS) approvals.

Basic Qualifications

• 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.
• BS in a technical discipline, such as Engineering (Systems, Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Computer), Physics, Statistics, Mathematics, or related fields
• Demonstrated previous team leadership experience
• Prior experience with US Department of War systems of systems integration
• Effective and influential oral communications skills
• Strong written communications skills
• Must have an active Top Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance and must be eligible to obtain and maintain a 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

• Master’s degree in related field
• Top Secret/SCI Clearance preferred
• Multi-Disciplinary Technical Breadth: Demonstrated expertise across three foundational engineering pillars:
• Mission Network Transport: Tactical routing/switching, IP/optical networks, SATCOM, line-of-sight communications, and resilient transport protocols.
• Hosting & Edge Compute: Tactical edge compute nodes, virtualized environments, containerized service hosting, and storage architectures.
• Security & Accreditation: DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF), Zero Trust principles, cross-domain security boundaries, and Authority to Operate (ATO) lifecycles.
• Senior Advisory Acumen: Proven success serving as a trusted technical advisor to senior military and civilian leaders, with exceptional executive presentation and communication skills.
• Mission Domain Familiarity: Direct architectural or integration experience with Joint Fires Network (JFN) and/or Edge Theater Architecture (ETA) operational frameworks.
• Integrated Air & Missile Defense: Working knowledge of MDA transport architectures, C2BMC interfaces, or Golden Dome strategic initiatives.

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:

$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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