Chief Engineer, Science & Technology (On-Site)

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MITRE works with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure the Nation is safe from terrorism, secure from cyber threats, and resilient against natural disasters. We help DHS improve its performance in critical functions, such as research and development, analytics, acquisition processes, risk and program management, information technology engineering, and decision-making capabilities. We also apply systems engineering expertise to areas that range from cybersecurity to immigration reform, to transportation security. MITRE supports DHS through the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute™, or the HSSEDI FFRDC. HSSEDI is DHS's primary systems engineering institute, providing agency-wide access to deep technical expertise.

We seek a Chief Engineer (CE) to lead and develop a diverse team focused on delivering operationally relevant solutions in support of the DHS Science & Technology Directorate (S&T). S&T serves as the research and development arm of DHS as it fulfills its homeland security mission. The broad span of engineering capabilities that MITRE applies to this work includes domain specialists in areas such as unmanned vehicles, data analytics (including AI/ML), space, biometrics, Precision Navigation and Timing (PNT), quantum, 5G, mobility, cybersecurity, sensors, space, test and evaluation, and emerging technologies. The CE will be responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining an outstanding workforce; partnering with the Department Manager and Division leadership to refine the department's mission, vision, and goals; and forging partnerships with MITRE portfolios, MITRE Innovation Labs, and academic and commercial partners. The CE will report directly to the P722 Department Manager, helping steer the Department's expertise and innovation to support sponsor operational missions. This individual will also be responsible for developing trusted sponsor relationships to shape and grow the work that aligns to the DHS mission priorities that S&T supports, and ensuring high quality and timely execution of projects across S&T.

Job Responsibilities:

The S&T CE will lead the continued maturation of the department staff to support the growing and changing needs of the DHS S&T sponsor mission. Responsibilities include:

• Ensure the department's delivery of innovative high-impact, high-quality solutions for sponsor's critical mission problems.
• Be recognized as an expert in technical fields critical to the department's work program and directly contribute to high-impact solutions.
• Cultivate and grow the department's organic capability for hands-on prototyping, proof of concept development, and operational test and evaluation.
• Support project leaders by ensuring they are continuously and effectively leveraging staff, capabilities, and investments from across the corporation to maximize impact to our sponsors.
• Ensure data driven solutions are exemplars of MITRE's FFRDC Differentiated Value and Culture.
• Demonstrate and promote MITRE's cultural attributes: speed, risk-taking, adaptability, collaboration, grace and respect.
• Build a strategic plan to bridge innovation and operations to address corporate and sponsor needs and to inform development of staff and recruitment for specific talent and skills.
• Develop and communicate innovative concepts to senior sponsors.
• Facilitate and enable department staff to apply their operational expertise, technical knowledge, and access to other projects and programs across MITRE.
• Plan, develop, and encourage internal research and development efforts through MITRE Innovation Program (MIP) engagement.
• Strengthen and re-enforce the "technical pillar" of MITRE's Good Growth Strategy.
• Support the Department Manager and Group Leaders by defining a strategy to attract talented technical staff and to retain and develop the people within the S&T Department, P722.
• Define and drive strategic division and department capability goals and investments that align with DHS S&T priorities.
• Cultivate an environment of innovation, technical leadership, team-work, camaraderie, and technical quality across a diverse mission and capabilities landscape.
• Identify and propose new opportunities to expand the division work program to new and existing sponsors/customers.

Required Qualifications:

• BS degree in a Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Systems Engineering, or a related Information Technology or Engineering field and 15 years of related experience.
• Demonstrated speed, agility, and risk taking, with the highest standards of behavior.
• Proven ability to apply emerging technology or adapt technology developed for other purposes to DHS operational priorities.
• Proven record of servant leadership with demonstrated ability to lead, nurture, and develop technical talent and teams.
• Experience with DHS, their R&D environment, challenges, and priorities.
• Familiarity with national R&D priorities, including those for DHS.
• Effective at developing close working relationships with senior leaders and sponsors as a trusted adviser for the leadership on major initiatives, technical challenges, and priorities.
• Possess the ability to define or visualize complex projects or programs, via the Mission Value Chain and associated measures, and MITRE's Good Growth Strategy.
• Leadership Presence: Communicates in a compelling fashion across the organization (oral and written); inspires trust through vision for the program and the work environment they create; a demonstrated leader MITRE people want to follow.
• Self-starter with strong leadership and networking skills to reach back proactively into MITRE (program divisions, MITRE Labs, MITRE Platforms, and externally) to identify and facilitate collaborative relationships in support of the program.
• Ability to obtain TS/SCI security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD + 5 Years of experience in a STEM field or Masters +10 years of experience in a STEM field.
• Deep knowledge in one or more of the following areas: PNT, communication systems, cryptographic systems, reverse engineering, 5G, UxS, agile development, systems engineering, computer science concepts, cybersecurity engineering.
• Demonstrated experience with all aspects of project leadership such as work shaping, staff planning and selection, recruiting, mentoring, budgeting, and reporting.
• Strong personal networking connections within S&T or with other federal R&D organizations.
• Familiarity with MITRE research programs or leading research areas within MITRE.

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

Fitness - DHS

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

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