Project Leader, Expeditionary Autonomy

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The MITRE National Security Sector (MNS) and its National Security Engineering Center (NSEC) FFRDC are dedicated to solving the nation's most complex security challenges-spanning the Department of War (DoW), Intelligence Community, interagency partners, industry, and international allies. As a trusted systems engineering and integration partner, NSEC bridges organizational boundaries to enable cross-cutting solutions, proactively assessing capability gaps and focusing on mission outcomes rather than isolated systems or processes.

The Expeditionary and Hybrid Fleet Department (EHF) is seeking a project leader for its Naval Autonomy project. EHF engineers and integrates game-changing expeditionary C4 and asymmetric capabilities into Naval operations to advance lethality, resilience, and the Sea Denial mission. The project partners with Portfolio Acquisition Executive, Robotic and Autonomous Systems (PAE RAS), PAE Mission Systems, PAE Aviation, Naval S&T organizations, and others to accelerate the adoption of uncrewed & autonomous capabilities into Navy and Marine Corps force structure.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Your primary role will be to grow, shape, and integrate the NSEC Naval Autonomy work program, spanning 18 staff years of work across three separate projects, while directly managing our PAE RAS project tasks. You and your project leadership team will work with PAE executives, engineers, Naval aviation programs, and the Office of Naval Research to deliver rapid autonomous capability solutions, develop airspace safety models and analyses, enhance the cybersecurity of autonomous systems, and drive the adoption of mission engineer capabilities. You will also partner with other MITRE project and technical leaders to share problems, solutions, and bring the best of MITRE to bear against our sponsor's toughest challenges.

As the PL, you are also responsible for partnering with Naval Division leadership, including Mission and Technical Outcome Leads, and the joint MNS International team to share MITRE's work and align with NSEC level outcomes to achieve greater enterprise impact.

Responsibilities include:

• Leadership - Provide strategic and thought leadership to the Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager, serving as a reliable and valued partner.
• Work shaping - Develop and define tasks and project outcomes that are aligned with the sponsor's highest priorities and support MITRE's enterprise initiatives. Develop and champion mid- and long-term strategies for the sponsor.
• Stakeholder coordination - Coordinate across the Naval and MITRE enterprises to achieve outcomes that benefit the sponsor, their stakeholders, and MITRE's NSEC.
• Staff development - Identify staff with diverse skill sets from across MITRE to bring to bear on solving the sponsor's most challenging problems. Establish talent pipelines for the project across MITRE's geographically distributed program divisions and labs. Ensure project team members have access to the resources they need to be successful. Engage with leaders from the sponsor's organization and MITRE early and often to identify current and future staffing needs and develop plans to remediate identified gaps.
• Collaboration - Work closely with senior and mid-level government civilian and military personnel and other MITRE Project Leaders working across the Naval Enterprise. Provide strategic level advice and coordination in support of the sponsor's mission. Increase awareness and collaboration by sharing the project's technical products, recommendations, and activities across the MITRE enterprise.
• Innovation - Leverage MITRE's Independent Research and Development (IRAD) programs to deliver additional impact to the sponsor. Work across projects, Divisions, and Centers within MITRE to identify collaboration and technology transition opportunities that are applicable to the sponsor and their missions.
• Product quality control - Ensure technical products, prototypes, and recommendations delivered to the sponsor are reflective of MITRE's highest standards of technical excellence. Work in close concert with senior leadership from MITRE's Naval C4I & Space Department to conduct peer reviews and technical reviews.
• Project administration - Develop, execute, and track staffing, financial, and delivery plans using internal management and budgeting tools. Communicate staffing and budgetary needs to MITRE leadership.

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.
• Background in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Computer Science/Engineering.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams of technical and domain experts to produce analysis/ prototypes, and recommendations for agile, high-risk programs
• Demonstrated ability to shape and define work in collaboration with government sponsors and to collaborate across an organization to leverage broader capabilities for those sponsors
• Possess and maintain an active DOD Secret level security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance, or be immediately eligible for clearance reinstatement.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Experience in one or more of the following technical domains: autonomous systems design & engineering, aviation systems safety, autonomous systems cybersecurity, autonomous systems test & evaluation, digital and mission engineering, acquisition transformation
• This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site presence.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant experience in autonomous system capability development, deployment, and operations
• Experience with counter-UAS operations
• Experience in Naval and/or Joint operational command, control, and communications
• Demonstrated knowledge of MITRE or equivalent project planning, execution, and management practices and tools as well as government contract financial management standards & practices
• Prior experience as a project leader/manager in all phases of the project life cycle
• Ability to obtain and retain Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and Special Access Program (SAP) access

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):
Top Secret

Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$162,400 - $203,000 - $243,600 Annual

Work Location Type:
Hybrid

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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