Lead Air Operations Systems Engineer

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Are you looking for a great opportunity to grow your career, apply your technical skills, and gain experience being embedded with US military staff conducting operations in Europe and Africa? Are you flexible, adaptable, and hungry for challenges? MITRE works to solve the most challenging national and international security problems across Europe and Africa by partnering with the US Department of Defense (DoD) to apply advanced capabilities to real world operational needs in the near term while also strategically positioning the DoD to address critical longer-term challenges.

We are looking for energetic and talented people to join our team working across our sponsors in Europe and Africa to solve critical sponsor challenges for a safer world. We have a current opening with our team at Ramstein Air Base, Germany supporting the US Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA), the air component to both US European Command (USEUCOM) and US Africa Command (USAFRICOM). The ideal timing for candidate relocation for this position Spring or Summer 2023.

Roles and Responsibilities:

You will contribute to and shape MITRE's work across USAFE-AFAFRICA guiding and implementing tactical and operational command and control (C2) capabilities. The unique challenges of the European theater require novel technical solutions for enhanced Air Domain Awareness (ADA) to complement North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operational structures. The selected candidate will work closely with military and civilian personnel across USAFE-AFAFRICA and leverage existing knowledge of networks, radar correlation, cross domain, and C2 systems to lead the development and integration of coalition C2 into the command air component control system. Successful candidates will have detailed knowledge of relevant technical systems and coalition security cooperation processes required for the integration and validation of capabilities that use a combination of existing weapon systems, commercial off-the shelf capabilities, and emerging technology from US Air Force acquisition programs.

More broadly, the selected candidate must also demonstrate the ability (both inside and outside of C2) to work closely with military and civilian personnel across USAFE-AFAFRICA operations, intelligence, communications, analysis/assessments, and data/technology to document operational requirements, develop/identify relevant concepts or emerging technologies, and create advanced solutions to address USAFE-AFAFRICA mission challenges. Finally, the selected candidate must also be able to work collaboratively with the local MITRE team, other Europe-based MITRE DoD projects, and CONUS-based MITRE SMEs, demonstrating strong teamwork, cooperation, and cross-sponsor problem solving.

Selected candidates will demonstrate the following:

Strategic Leadership. In partnership with project/task leadership, define appropriate FFRDC tasks and strategic objectives for USAFE-AFAFRICA. Guide daily execution of sponsor support and ensure meaningful data driven products are developed in a timely and relevant manner. Actively collaborate with other MITRE projects supporting related sponsors/tasks/objectives to ensure maximum value and impact across MITRE's sponsors.

Interpersonal Skills. Provide and support team leadership by partnering closely with both senior military leaders and action officers to identify operational and engineering challenges, potential solutions, and communicate project goals and impacts clearly and effectively.

Collaboration. Work within a team environment that leverages a robust network of MITRE and other professional connections to engage and collaborate with engineers and planners, subject matter experts, international program (foreign military sales) specialists, and defense acquisition professionals. Continue to leverage a pipeline of MITRE technical expertise from the internal corporate investments and transitioned R&D from the MITRE innovation research into sponsor impact.

Senior Sponsor Experience. Comfortably and respectfully engage with both US and foreign nations' senior military leaders and engineers, as well as commercial executives and managers while maintaining appropriate strategic FFRDC partnership relationship.

Flexibility. Be able to modify and alter course as the environment and sponsor priorities shift. Understand the power of reach-back and be an effective conduit to bring the talent forward to execute at the right time.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Computer), Physics, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Analysis, or related fields; or BA in International Relations, International Security, Management, or similar fields; o or 8 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 5 years' experience
• Active Top Secret Security Clearance capable of obtaining and maintaining a US Department of Defense Top Secret / SCI security clearance.
• Prior experience with US Department of Defense systems of systems integration
• Effective and influential oral communications skills
• Strong written communications skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in related field
• Five years' experience in military Joint Command and Control
• Familiarity with Department of Defense military missions
• Demonstrated experience with MITRE project management processes, capabilities, and associated tools.
• Functional domain background in C2 (Operational/Tactical) systems, processes, and functions as related to mission execution.
• Comfort applying technical and domain background at both the theater and individual mission levels.
• Working knowledge of Airborne C2 and ISR systems: Familiarity with JSTARS, E-3, E-7, or RJ platforms, as well as Link-16 and J-Series message sets to include basic Link-16 network design
• Working knowledge of radar systems and message sets (e.g. ASTERIX) including basic correlation and filter functions Working knowledge of Multi-Source Correlation Tracker (MSCT), Battlespace Command & Control Center (BC3)
• Working knowledge of Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) and Forward Area Air Defense Command & Control (FADC2)
• Experience with Mission Partner Capabilities Office (MPCO) roadmap related to Mission Partner Environment (MPE) and Secure and Below Releasable Environment (SABRE)
• Basic knowledge of enterprise cloud systems and US government offerings (e.g. C2E, CloudOne)
• Familiarity with ongoing C2 modernization efforts within USAF (e.g. TOC Family of Systems)
• Prior experience performing tactical mission planning, layered defense design, or operational oversight of either
• Technical knowledge of multi-level enterprise network design and security experience (e,g, TACLANES, MPLS, Cross Domain Systems)
• Working knowledge of Modeling/Simulation tools and concepts
• Flexible, self-starter, "comfortable in discomfort"
• Proficiency in system interoperability and integration
  • Proven capability for strategic planning and ability to provide actionable plans to government sponsors.
  • Additional clearances: NATO SECRET
  • Active Top Secret/SCI Clearance

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):

Secret

Work Location Type:

Onsite

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