Department Manager, Advanced Capabilities

Why choose between doing meaningful work and having a fulfilling life? At MITRE, you can have both. That's because MITRE people are committed to tackling our nation's toughest challenges-and we're committed to the long-term well-being of our employees. MITRE is different from most technology companies. We are a not-for-profit corporation chartered to work for the public interest, with no commercial conflicts to influence what we do. The R&D centers we operate for the government create lasting impact in fields as diverse as cybersecurity, healthcare, aviation, defense, and enterprise transformation. We're making a difference every day-working for a safer, healthier, and more secure nation and world. Our workplace reflects our values. We offer competitive benefits, exceptional professional development opportunities for career growth, and a culture of innovation that embraces adaptability, collaboration, technical excellence, and people in partnership. If this sounds like the choice you want to make, then choose MITRE - and make a difference with us.

Department Summary:

The Integrated All-Domain Effects (IADE) Division (N160) within the Air Force Center (AFC) is seeking an experienced people leader and technical leader to be the Department Manager for the Advanced Capabilities Department (N162). N162 manages/supports a body of work that is interconnected across MITRE's National Security Sector (MNS) and MITRE's Public Sector (MPS). The work program focuses on the full life cycle of platforms and effectors to support high priority effects chains in highly contested environments against peer competitors. This requires developing exquisite Air Force capabilities, as well as integration with the Joint Force. Many of the capabilities being developed and integrated require partnerships between the Air Force, other services, and the Intelligence Community (IC).

The Advanced Capabilities (N162) department's Air Force sponsors include Air Force RCO, AFLCMC/HNJ, and AFRL. The department strives to deliver world class technical expertise and capabilities in support of a set of the most challenging national security objectives. N162 leads the development and implementation of advanced capabilities that will be critical to deter or defeat peer competitors and where integration across the joint force is paramount. The department manager (DM) will be responsible for developing the department strategy, setting the technical direction of the work program, growing a team of world-class engineers, driving the development of new opportunities, and building partnerships and collaborative relationships across MITRE, our sponsors, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), industry, and academia.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership

• Influence the direction and priorities of the division's work program
• Oversee all aspects of the department work program to include work planning, management, and execution.
• Manage technical quality in partnership with the Chief Division Engineer.
• Define strategic goals and/or objectives for the department and serve as a core member of the division leadership team, working to implement division and department strategies and accelerate sponsor outcomes.
• Provides technical domain-specific knowledge, leadership, and influence internally and externally across multiple stakeholders to move the mission outcome forward, consistent with division, center, sector, and corporate strategies.

Sponsor Engagement

• Identify and anticipate major sponsor and environmental trends opportunities, and issues; continually shaping the plan and strategy accordingly to achieve mission impact, critical outcomes, and enable good growth through the work program.
• Lead executive-level engagements with sponsor and MTIRE Senior Leadership to build trusted relationships and collaborative partnerships at the intersection of MITRE cross-cutting priorities, mission critical programs, and key sponsor challenges.

People Management

• Proactively hire, develop, and enable a department workforce with the expertise and capabilities needed to execute the work program
• Mentor, coach, and develop staff within the department to set and achieve career goals, shaping a high caliber team to deliver high-value and high -impact work. Objectively evaluate individual contributions, provide feedback, reward, and recognize staff as appropriate.
• Lead and mange department work force activities such as employee performance assessments, salary adjustment recommendations, promotion nominations, as well as adjudication of employee grievances, issues, and conflict resolution.
• Partner with and leverage MITRE Labs and program division for needed technical talent and expertise.

Basic Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 10 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 7 years' experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a discipline such as systems engineering, electrical engineering, or related technical field
• A strong leadership presence and demonstrated thought leadership.
• Experience leading teams and managing staff
• Proven track record in making technical contributions including work shaping to meet sponsor needs.
• Experience creating and leading technical strategies to increase the impact of outcomes.
• Experience driving innovation into the work program by leveraging R&D, facilitating engagement between researchers and relevant sponsors, and overseeing the transition of research results to sponsors to address mission outcomes.
• Proven Track record of partnering with organization (e.g., internal, academia, industry) to ensure capabilities and platforms are strategically leveraged in the execution of programs.
• Experience in shaping the workforce and skill mix to develop the technical capabilities of the staff to include high quality hires capable of technical impact and growth.
• Excellent communication skills in articulating complex topics to sponsors and staff.
• Active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance (TS/SCI)
• This position requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong technical background in at least one of the following areas: modeling and simulation, satellite communications, complex systems engineering, digital engineering, electronic warfare, software engineering
• MS or equivalent and 12 or more years of experience in relevant domain.
• TS/SCI, SAP

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):
Top Secret/SCI

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. For further information please visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website Know Your Rights Poster .

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 recruitinghelp@mitre.org for general support and collegerecruiting@mitre.org 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 © 1997-2025, 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.