Principal Systems Engineer

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The Systems and Operations Department (L626) within MITRE’s Systems Engineering Division in the Center for Engineering and Analysis delivers innovative, mission-focused solutions using a multidisciplinary systems engineering approach to address sponsor challenges critical to national security missions. We advance engineering rigor, operational relevance, and mission effectiveness across complex systems and enterprises, with core focus areas in mission integration, lifecycle systems engineering, and acquisition systems engineering. Our teams develop, assess, and transition engineering solutions, provide strategic technical vision, and deliver data-informed recommendations that enable sponsor mission success from tactical through enterprise levels.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The Systems and Operations Department is seeking a Principal Space Systems of Systems Engineer to support complex space missions, architectures, capabilities, and modernization initiatives. The selected candidate will translate strategic objectives into mission capabilities, enterprise requirements, architectures, and executable plans. The role requires decomposing mission needs from the strategic level through operational concepts, mission threads, system functions, interfaces, and enabling technologies. In addition, the selected candidate will be expected to:

• Analyze, capture, and distill enterprise requirements and evolve enterprise requirements processes for Space Force across acquisition, force design, and operations at a System of Systems level
• Translate strategic objectives, operational needs, and mission priorities into capabilities, architectures, enterprise requirements, mission threads, and executable engineering plans
• Develop integrated capability, architecture, technology, and transition roadmaps across near, mid, and long-term horizons
• Assess end-to-end architectures across space, ground, communications, command and control, data, cyber, launch, and user segments
• Identify capability gaps, dependencies, interoperability issues, technical risks, and modernization opportunities
• Lead trade studies, architecture assessments, analyses of alternatives, and technical risk evaluations
• Integrate technical, operational, acquisition, test, and transition considerations into capability development and modernization plans
• Present enterprise level recommendations, roadmap priorities, trades space findings, and investment implications to senior leaders
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and mentor systems and mission engineers
• Effectively engage mission partners, United States Space Force Headquarters (USSF HQ), United States Space Force (USSF) Field Commands and Acquisition Commands, and stakeholders across the space mission enterprise

Basic Qualifications

• 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
• Experience applying systems-of-systems engineering to complex space missions or national security space capabilities
• Relevant experience in one or more of the following areas: Space Operations, Force Design, Command and Control (C2), Test and Evaluation (T&E), and/or Acquisitions
• Experience using one or more architecture, modeling, or digital engineering frameworks and methods, including DoDAF, UAF, SysML, model-based systems engineering, or digital engineering tools
• Experience developing or analyzing enterprise processes, models, architecture products, or mission thread based analytical models
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy and mission needs into capabilities, architectures, requirements, and technical plans
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams or complex technical activities
• Experience supporting the United States Space Force, United States Air Force, Joint organizations, the Department of War (DoW) or Intelligence Community (IC) to enhance capability development, systems integrations, force design, or operational analysis
• Demonstrated ability to influence decisions and build alignment in complex, matrixed environments without relying solely on formal authority
• Strong analytical, communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills
• Must have an active Top Secret/SCI U.S Government issued Security Clearance with SAP eligibility. Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
• This position has an on-site requirement of 5 days a week on-site

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience formally leading multidisciplinary engineering teams or serving as a technical lead, chief engineer, lead architect, systems of systems engineering lead or mission engineering lead
• Experience developing technical, capability, architecture, or transition roadmaps
• Experience applying operations research, mission engineering, enterprise analysis, or process improvement methods to complex defense or national security problems
• Experience assessing resilient space architectures designed to operate in contested, congested, or degraded environments
• Experience evaluating cross segment dependencies involving space, ground, communications, command and control, data, cyber, launch, and user systems
• Experience integrating operational, technical, acquisition, test, and transition perspectives into enterprise level recommendations
• Demonstrated ability to build productive relationships across government, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), industry, and other mission partners to improve collaboration on enterprise challenges
• Experience facilitating senior level technical reviews, architecture forums, working groups, or decision boards

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):

SAP, 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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